#TBT: Diana Vishneva and Vladimir Malakhov in Kazimir’s "Colors"

October 5, 2016

Paintings infrequently inspire ballets. Notable exceptions include Yuri Possokhov’s Magrittomania, based on the works of surrealist painter René Magritte, and Christopher Wheeldon’s recent Strapless, centered on the woman in John Singer Sargent’s painting “Madame X.” Different though Magritte and Sargent’s paintings are, they both depict people in one way or another—ready material for choreographers. Thus, I’m intrigued by Mauro Bigonzetti’s ballet Kazimir’s Colors, inspired by Kazimir Malevich’s abstract, colorful blocks.

Loosely inspired, I’d say. Diana Vishneva and Vladimir Malakhov are anything but blocky in this 2009 clip. Pliant as putty, she snakes her limbs around her partner, who is sturdy but equally fluid. The piece and Kazimir’s paintings do share similarities in their colors, of course, but also in the strength of their off-kilter lines. Vishneva’s gorgeous extensions conjure the art’s sharp angles. And, like the geometric shapes, the pair’s movements are at times thin and reedy and at others wide and bold.

Whereas Bigonzetti recently joined a venerable ballet institution (he’s La Scala Ballet’s new artistic director), Vishneva will soon leave one of hers. The 2016/2017 season at American Ballet Theatre will be her last, though she will stay on as a principal at the Mariinsky Ballet. Vladimir Malakhov, whose career took him to Vienna, Berlin and beyond, also danced with ABT. He has served as artistic advisor to the Tokyo Ballet and recently produced his show, Malakhov & Friends, in Germany. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!