"Romeu and Juliet" by Prokofiev

In my opinion, no other musical composition was so magnificently done for Classical Ballet and no other musical translation of the original Shakespeare literary piece was achieved.

Prokofiev has done IT!

The stakes are very high with this one. The level of the dancers has to be at the same stance as the music or better in a way that they ADD something to the music, not only translating it through Dance but ADDING a HUMAN substance to it that will help communicate the history better.

The National Portuguese Company (on stage, these days and until January 2012) did not, in my perspective, reach the point of doing justice to the music.

Prokofiev´s composition ate the dancers like a hurricane which explodes, with no warning, taking the earth, the houses and people down with no mercy.

It happens with every kind of Dance. Oriental is not an exception. If the orchestra is superior in technique and talent to the dancer, then the music eats the dancer. Audiences become enrolled with the music and simply forget about the Dancers but, hey, this is not the point. If we were supposed to just listen to the music, we would go to a musical concert, not to a Dance performance.

If the Dancers are not up to the music they dance, they tend to disappear from the stage and this was the case.

Prokofiev´s music demands physical, emotional, spiritual expression abilities not very easy to find, even in the best performers in the world.

The tremendous physical strain and effort of Classical Ballet makes it even more difficult to EXPRESS Life through movement but it is possible with a mix of TALENT, HARD WORK and SOUL.

Cried like a baby listening to this divine music, enjoyed "Tebaldo"´s performance (Tebaldo is a friend of Romeu, later in the play he is killed by Juliet´s cousin, Mercutio causing a HUGE disaster) and the deep message in this MASTERPIECE that Prokofiev knew how to understand so well from Shakespeare.

The subject is not only a fight between two families and the impossible love between Romeu and Juliet. It goes further than that. It is the opposition between TRUE, PURE LOVE and SOCIETY with all its rules. It is the price one pays for the FREEDOM to choose how they live and whom they love, independently of what the family and society thinks is the correct thing to do.

It is the fight between heart and mind. Between cold people who live for ambition, appearances, status and power and the LOVERS of this world (becoming more rare, day by day) who ask nothing but the BLISS of being with the one they love, happy like a child.

I already LOVED "Romeu and Juliet". Through Prokofiev´s music (and the amazing choreography of John Cranko) I understood it better in a way that makes me love it even more.

Deep inside of me, I know WHY I love it so much. And, secretly, feel proud of myself.