In today's Christian Science Monitor, Iris Fanger reflects on the meaning of reverence and in particular, Nina Ananiashvili's reverence at the conclusion of her final Swan Lake last June:
To me, the most glowing representation of "reverence" is the white-tulle-clad ballerina taking a curtain call when she sinks to the floor in grateful appreciation of the bond between her and her fans. She has danced her heart out; they have responded with admiration, communicated by clapping, often accompanied by cheers and flowers.
And on Nina's tribute to the legendary Irina Kolpokova (why isn't her bio on the ABT website?):
She made reverence to the audience, but the deepest one was reserved for Irina Kolpakova, the former prima ballerina of the Kirov Ballet, now a ballet mistress and teacher for ABT. In bowing to a mentor, Ananiashvili was honoring the foundation of ballet, the handing down of technique and experience over the generations.
There are still ballet traditions which dictate that class begins with reverence as well as finish with it.
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