Maurice Bejart Turns Water Into Wine

In keeping with the holiday season - no it's not the god damn Balanchine Nutcracker- here is my favorite work ever done to that small Nutcracker segment, "The Arabian Dance" by choreographer Maurice Bejart who I slam somewhere in this blog for his abominable work to Le Sacre du Printemps. Those of you who have never read here - and considering I don't write much anymore it should be a substantial amount - know that I am almost elitist about the Nijinsky choreography to the Stravinsky masterpiece but I digress as I generally do whenever the opportunity to talk about Le Sacre presents itself.

Here Bejart uses the extreme sensuality of Tchaikovsky's music better than anyone has, to my knowledge. Why must everyone choreograph birds or harem dancers to this? This music is sexy and Bejart ramps that up with his work, leaving one feeling slightly dirty for having wathed yet there is nothing sexual happening. It's all very implied and to create implied and uncomfortable sexuality out of The Nutcracker ranks up there with turning water into wine, if you ask me.