There are many facets of passion...
sometimes it glows red with rage while at other times it gets green with envy. It can also be as tender as a dove flitting around amid the early morning dew or as fierce as a predator holding onto its prey. Passion gets often equated with war and bloodshed for the robust minds while the sensitive find expression for it in poems and ballet.
Such was the final presentation of the Egyptian ballet ‘Sheherazade’ at the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) last weekend. The colourful feat encapsulated the web of human passion and emotions through a 67-minute spectacle of dance and music. Presented by the Cairo Opera, Sheherazade was a dazzling theatrical dance based on the timeless and famous story of Arab history – the origin of 1001 Nights.
Directed by the visionary Walid Aouni, the production skillfully blended traditional and modern choreography, creating a fresh and exciting interpretation of this classic narrative. The music, deeply rooted in Rimsky-Korsakov’s famous orchestral piece, provided a rich, emotive backdrop for the dancers, enhancing the storytelling with its sweeping, evocative melodies. Experimenting with music, art, and dance from India, China, Turkey to Leonardo di Vinci, the performance gave a touch of the expressionism movement: distorting facts randomly for emotional effect in order to evoke vivid moods and emotions among audience.
The stage was a canvas of emotions, colourfully painted by the dancers’ with their aweso.