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Karla FracciBallerina
Country:
 Italy |
Content:
Biography of Carla Fracci
Carla Fracci, a renowned Italian ballerina, recently concluded a two-day ballet tour at the Kremlin Palace, which was led by the Roman Opera's first ballerina, Carla Fracci, who is 67 years old. During last year's tour of the Roman Ballet at the Bolshoi Theater, Fracci herself danced in two performances. This time, she limited herself to a small press conference organized by the VGTRK "Culture". The legendary ballerina arrived forty-five minutes late for the press meeting and began to describe in detail the morning rehearsal. She complained about the size of the Kremlin Palace stage, stating that "the large stage does not keep up with the soloists." Fracci mentioned how happy she is to be back in Moscow, a city she fell in love with in the late 1980s. She reminisced about last year's tour at the new stage of the Bolshoi Theater, referring to it as "piccolo-Bolshoi". She discussed the mixed outcome of the tour, saying, "We performed ballets dedicated to Isadora Duncan, which I enjoyed dancing, 'The Rite of Spring,' 'Games' by Vaclav Nijinsky, as well as Fokine's 'Scheherazade.' There was success. We were criticized for some things, but it still inspired us." When asked by "Izvestia" why she deprived us the pleasure of seeing her on stage, Fracci replied that the idea of the tour belonged to Andris Liepa, who proposed to show Moscow how the Roman Ballet performs the Fokine trio that he restored - "The Firebird," "Petrushka," and "Scheherazade."
Delicate Criticism and Future Repertoire
Journalists tactfully ignored the fact that these ballets in Liepa's adaptation had already been seen multiple times in Moscow and were criticized precisely for the Roman Ballet's overly trusting attitude towards the Russian restorer. The same "Scheherazade" looked like a Russian samovar during the previous tour, richly and heavily decorated, but not by Russian craftsmen, but by Italians. However, judging by Fracci's passionate storytelling about how Europe was educated in the works of Fokine and Nijinsky throughout the 20th century, Liepa was truly able to convince the director of the Roman Ballet that repetition is the mother of learning, and it is necessary to show Fokine in Russia for educational reasons. As our samovar has been brought back to us, we had to find out what else, besides Liepa's ballets, the Roman Opera is involved in during the press conference. "This season, we intend to perform 'Giselle' in classical traditions," said Fracci, who earned a reputation as the best performer of romantic ballets in the 20th century. She added, "I believe that there are performances in which nothing should be changed. Of all the modern versions of 'Giselle,' perhaps only Mats Ek's excellent version... have you seen it?" ("Yes, we have seen it," nodded the journalists), "has the right to exist." Fracci then mentioned her desire to showcase the ballet "Hamlet," which is performed on the small stage of the Roman Opera, where she herself played the role of Hamlet to Nina Rota's music. ("We know, we know, but we haven't seen it," the journalists nodded again). The ballerina also discussed the main problem that hinders her from renewing her repertoire and rejuvenating the troupe. In Italy, ballet artists retire at the age of 52. Fracci said, "I would like to extend this boundary to 40-42 years," as she continues to brilliantly perform the role of the Girl in Nijinsky's ballet "Les Noces."
Leading the Troupe
"I discovered that leading a troupe is quite a charming occupation," flirtatiously assured the audience the ballerina. Towards the end, she entertained everyone with stories about the difficulties she faces in this role. "I have to take care of everything myself - costumes, hairstyles, and even headgear. Just now, at the Kremlin, we realized that we forgot the headpiece for the main character in 'The Firebird.' So, I said, why not go to the Bolshoi Theater and find Ivan the Terrible's hat there? It will surely fit."
