In a series of dizzyingly graceful pirouettes, leaps, and arabesques, a stunned audience watched as 35-year-old ballerina Maria Kochetkova impressed in her performance of Catch Her if You Can in an intimate showing at the Joyce Theater in New York City. Displaying both artistry and strength through her movements, the former principal ballerina of the world-renowned San Francisco Ballet, was accompanied by four of her friends in the highly anticipated hour and a half long showcase, which was composed of eight distinctly unique pieces.
Kochetkova, who was born in Moscow, grew up studying at the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy, but most recently she drew attention after announcing her departure from the San Francisco Ballet at the end of the 2018 season and after 11 years as a principal dancer with the company. Her reason: to pursue her own projects, the first of which being Catch Her if You Can.
“I had the most amazing career at San Francisco Ballet and dancing at American Ballet Theater at the same time for a few years, but it’s never enough time to do everything that you want,” explained Kochetkova in a YouTube video posted by the Joyce Theater. “Leaving San Francisco Ballet gave me the opportunity to finally be able to do my own project.”
In the YouTube video, of which was posted leading up to the performance’s New York City debut, Kochetkova also discussed wanting to expand the perceptions that people typically have about what ballet is through showing what ballet is like now. “I love ballet, it’s part of our history. Ballet is not just Swan Lake and it’s not just Sleeping Beauty. Ballet can be different, ballet can be contemporary, ballet can be exciting, ballet can be theater,” explained Kochetkova in the three-minute-long video.
Having become accustomed to dancing classical ballet roles while performing as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, throughout her and her friends’ performances in Catch Her if You Can, Kochetkova and crew entranced the audience as they swiftly moved between different styles of ballet. Almost as if to ease the audience into what was to come later in the night’s performance, to start off the show, Kochetkova along with former soloist of The Royal Danish Ballet, Sebastian Kloborg, danced a classically inspired and technically impressive duet to the tune of J. S. Bach. But from piece to piece, Catch Her if You Can revealed a wide-array of ballet styles that gradually pushed past the boundaries of classical ballet by incorporating contemporary ballet choreography by Myles Thatcher, as well as choreography with a more modern twist.
The first piece of the night to truly showcase Kochetkova’s versatility as a ballerina was a performance titled Degunino and choreographed by Marcus Morau. Dressed in a sheer black long-sleeved bodysuit (that she can be seen wearing in the photo above), Kochetkova masterfully showcased her strength and fluidity by dancing a mix of sharp gestures and elongated body movements all while wearing her pointe shoes. Although only 5-feet tall, Kochetkova easily appeared as if she were two feet taller, deceiving the audience and causing some surprise when she later took the stage with Drew Jacoby, who is 5-feet-11-inches, in a piece titled Rachel, Nevada.
Ditching the point shoes and instead opting for a pair of ballet slippers, Jacoby and Kochetkova danced side-by-side wearing unapologetically pink, skin-tight bodysuits to the tune of percussion music in this avant-garde performance choreographed by Jacoby. With the black and white illusionary background in constant flux, Rachel, Nevada was definitely the most fun and the most experimental piece of the showcase.
To end the night and right before Kochetkova took the stage for the last time, a Facebook Messenger conversation between her and choreographer Jérôme Bel was illuminated onto the backdrop of the stage. In the silly, yet thoughtful discussion shown between the two, Kochetkova and Bel joked about their friend, Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied, while also delving into Kochetkova’s ballet training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, her future career ambitions, and her thoughts about her own funeral.
Answering the question that has plagued the ballet world since her departure from the San Francisco Ballet, Kochetkova explained her desire to direct a ballet company one day, but also admitted that she doesn’t have the patience to teach ballet. Each of these questions asked by Bel were meant to provide inspiration for his choreography in the final piece danced by Kochetkova titled Masha Machine.
After the conversation came to an end, Kochetkova walked onto the stage wearing baggy pants and a black shirt. Her hair was even in a ponytail, instead of the traditional ballet bun that she had worn the rest of the performance.
With no music to accompany her, Kochetkova danced very minimal, sharp, and technical movements while speaking into a microphone. “I never look out into the audience, I never look at anyone on stage directly. I don’t think anyone has taught me this,” said Kochetkova to the silent audience.
Catch Her if You Can ran between July 16 and July 21 at the Joyce Theater in New York City.
Featured Photo and third photo by Rachel Neville Photography, first photo by Annabel Mehran, and second photo by Magus Unnar.
All photographs Provided by Kornberg PR Press Materials.
