Bringing Back a Debacle

By Martha Duffy

One of the great 20th century culture shocks -- right up there with the Armory Show and Elvis on Ed Sullivan -- took place in Paris on May 29, 1913, with the premiere of Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring). When the audience heard Stravinsky's brutal music and saw Nijinsky's crudely powerful choreography, they rioted. Why dress up to hear such infernal noise? And why should the idolized dancer choreograph vulgar jumps with two-foot landings and hops with turned-in feet that looked as if they were bound? Diaghilev was the master impresario of exotica, but when he put on this frenzied evocation of a pagan fertility rite, he went too far.

Only a handful of performances were given, and eventually the ballet was lost in the clutter of time. Several choreographers have since used the music, notably Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. But cultural curiosity and the itch of research die hard. For the past decade or so, Dance Scholar Millicent Hodson and Art Historian Kenneth Archer have rummaged through ancient memories -- especially those of Dancer-Producer Marie Rambert, who helped out on the ! original effort -- plus piano scores, sketches, photographs and other artifacts, to come up with a reasonable facsimile of the old Le Sacre. The Joffrey Ballet is performing it in New York City and on tour with missionary fervor.

Nothing can bring back the shock of the new. Audiences in the '80s see through eyes accustomed to rock-'n'-roll stomps and the hell-raising gyrations of expressionist dance. And while posterity followed up on much of Nijinsky's anticlassical movement, there was no real future in pigeon-toeing.

It is greatly to the Joffrey's credit that the show is as good as it is. The sets and costumes, executed by Archer from Nicholas Roerich's original designs, are flooded with clear, vibrant color and are strong enough to summon up a fresh world where pagans pound the earth and reach for heaven. Unlike the 1913 troupe, which apparently loathed performing the work, the Joffrey dancers bound around with enthusiasm. Still, they do not look substantial enough. It may be that ballet dancers' bodies are now so streamlined that appearing weighty is hard. Also, this eclectic company, which performs many styles, may not yet have adapted to Nijinksy's ways. As the Chosen One who is sacrificed, Beatriz Rodriguez dances with stunning energy but only fitfully projects the girl's ecstasy and terror.

The company is currently performing the work with two other Diaghilev legacies, Parade and L'Apres-midi d'un Faune. The old impresario might have hooted at such one-note programming, but 75 years later, the evening makes a brave, satisfying leap into the past.