THE CARMEN-SUITE: MAYA PLISETSKAYA CHALLENGING SOVIET CULTURE AND POLICY A Thesis by ANNA KALASHNIKOVA Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Chair of Committee, Judith Hamera Committee Members, Jayson Beaster-Jones Olga Cooke Head of Department, Donnalee Dox May 2014 Major Subject: Performance Studies Copyright 2014 Anna Kalashnikova ABSTRACT On April 20 1967, the Carmen-Suite ballet, starring Maya Plisetskaya in the leading role, premiered in Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet Theatre. The production was immediately banned by the Soviet Ministry of Culture for perceived violations of classical ballet canons. In a unique case of artistic resistance within the Soviet system of production, Plisetskaya negotiated the ballet’s return to the stage. Following the initial scandal, performance ban and a media blackout, the Carmen-Suite was subsequently re- integrated into Soviet repertoire and projected as a symbol of Soviet creativity and innovation. The history and legacy of the Carmen-Suite serves as a unique instance of successful artistic resistance within a framework of a repressive political system. In my archival study I examine the unique role of Maya Plisetskaya as a Soviet cultural actor. I argue that her role in the production, premiere and legacy of Carmen- Suite may serve as a proxy for insight into the undercurrents of Cold War and post-Cold War politics in the USSR and post-Soviet Russia. The evolution of Carmen-Suite from a symbol of protest to an integral part of the established cultural system illustrates both political protest on the part of its creators and artistic repossession on the part of the authorities. The incident is revealing of long-term processes of ballet exploitation and adaptation within the field of power. Today, as the United States enters a period of strained relationship with Russia, which many have described as a dawn of the second Cold War, research into the artistic, cultural and political significance of the 1967 Carmen-Suite may be of particular significance. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Judith Hamera for her passion, interest and patience throughout the duration of this project. Also, I thank my wonderful committee members, Dr. Jayson Beaster-Jones and Dr. Olga Cooke for their guidance and support. Thanks also go to my friends and colleagues and the department faculty and staff for making my time at Texas A&M University a great experience. I also want to extend my gratitude Dr. Kirsten Pullen for her advice and moral support during my years as a graduate student. Finally, I would not have been able to succeed without the support of my friends, family and a very special someone. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ...................... 1 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 4 Theoretical Framework ....................................................................................... 4 Chapter Outline .................................................................................................. 9 Data Description ............................................................................................... 12 Literature Review ............................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER II CARMEN-SUITE AS A BATTLEFIELD ...................................... 20 Eroticism – a Convenient Justification for Control ............................................. 30 Soviet Political Satire: Corruption and Miniskirts as the Social Diseases of Capitalism ........................................................................................................ 34 Female Influences ............................................................................................... 39 Male Influences ................................................................................................... 55 CHAPTER III CHOREOGRAPHIC EMPATHY, INTIMACY AND PROTEST IN THE CARMEN-SUITE ......................................................................................... 62 The “Love Adagio” – Baiting the Ministry or Justification for the Ban? ........... 62 Carmen and Torero: Battle-Romance ................................................................. 67 Carmen and Torero: Silent Feelings of Soviet Ballet’s “Human Machine” ....... 84 Why Carmen? ...................................................................................................... 96 Performing Object in the Carmen-Suite .............................................................. 101 CHAPTER IV THE LEGACY OF THE CARMEN-SUITE ................................... 103 The Carmen-Suite as a Social Drama ................................................................. 106 The Perception of Ballet in the Post-Soviet Context ........................................... 111 The New 2005 Production of the Carmen-Suite: Where Is Carmen? ................. 116 Choreographic Empathy and Choreographic Detachment in the Carmen-Suite . 123 CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................. 130 WORKS CITED/BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................... 138 iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW The initial impulse for this study was my fascination with the multi-layered nature of the Soviet-era ballet Carmen-Suite that provided the possibility for artistic and political opposition within the highly censored Soviet state. In 1967 the Carmen-Suite, starring Maya Plisetskaya, shocked the Soviet artistic world with choreography and technique in violation of all major canons of classical Russian ballet. Immediately following the premiere, the ballet was banned by the Soviet Ministry of Culture and labeled overly erotic and culturally subversive. Ironically, today, Carmen-Suite is recognized as one of the most important Soviet contributions to the art of ballet. A ballet once considered to be deviant and unworthy of the stage by the Soviet regime is performed as a classical piece within repertories of multiple Russian and international companies. Carmen-Suite’s fate serves as a prime example of the evolution of ballet driven by political, rather than artistic processes. The central plot of the Carmen-Suite is loosely based on that of a novella by Prosper Mérimée, which was published in 1845 and subsequently adapted into a renowned opera by Georges Bizet in 1875. The storyline is focused on a fiery love triangle between a Spanish soldier - Jose, a bullfighter – Torero, and a gypsy femme fatale – Carmen. Throughout the storyline Carmen stands as a symbol of passion and freedom who finds herself caught between loving an assertive bullfighter and the reserved Don Jose. The soldier falls in love with the free-spirited Carmen, only to find 1 her in love with the bullfighter and the plot culminates in the murder of Carmen by Jose, who cannot endure his jealousy. The musical score accompanying the ballet was inspired by Bizet’s opera, but was adapted to the ballet by Rodion Schedrin to include more percussion instruments, giving the Carmen-Suite a much more forceful musical texture.1 The minimalistic stage set, designed by Boris Messerer, consisted of a single stage framed in the form of a bullfighting ring and surrounded by a wooden wall.2 The ballet was choreographed by Alberto Alonso to be performed by the Bolshoi ballet artists and Soviet prima Maya Plisetskaya. Often referred to as one of the greatest ballerinas of 20th century, Plisetskaya’s energy and vigor set her apart from the iconic image of the fragile prima ballerina and the role of the fierce and fiery Carmen seemed to fit her perfectly. It soon became clear the “subversive” ballet would need every bit of Plisetskaya’s energy and determination to save the production from the rage of the Soviet Ministry of Culture, which perceived the Carmen-Suite as a challenge to established norms of Soviet ballet. Typically, a performance ban by the ministry would signal an immediate closing and shelving of any project, but for Carmen-Suite it was just the beginning. Defiant artists fought to bring Carmen-Suite to the stage, challenging the hierarchy of Soviet cultural establishment, risking their careers and reputations for a project with an uncertain future. Plisetskaya threatened to quit her position in the Bolshoi Ballet, the largest and most prestigious state ballet company of the Soviet Union, earning her the 1 This music is variation on Bizet’s Carmen and, with the exception of brief mention in my close reading analysis of the Carmen’s and Torero’s duet, I will focus exclusively on the ballet technique involved. 2 The set design, while supporting my major argument, will not feature in my discussion. 2 label of a “traitor to classical ballet” (“Interview,” 2008). In a tense meeting with Yekaterina Furtseva, the Minister of Culture, Plisetskaya recalled that the minister screamed, “Carmen should die!” to which Plisetskaya replied “Carmen will die only when I do” (Plisetskaya 278). Plisetskaya