Ballet "The Taming of the Shrew" by Jean-Christophe Maillot: peculiarities of authorial interpretation of the images of Katherine and Petruchio

     Such choreographers as M. Bejar (to the music of D. Scarlatti), J. Kranko (to the music of D. Scarlatti in the treatment of K.-H. Stolz) and J.-K. turned to the interpretation of the comedy by W. Shakespeare "The Taming of the Shrew" on the ballet stage. Mayo (to the music of D. D. Shostakovich). The premiere of the last performance, the object of this article, took place in 2014 on the New Stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater.

     The subject of the study is the interpretation of J.-K. Mayo images of Katarina and Petruchio, considered in the context of ideological and figurative parallels with the original text – the comedy of W. Shakespeare "The Taming of the Shrew". The research is carried out in order to determine the expressive means and choreographic elements used by the choreographer to stage the main roles, as well as their contextual comparison with the literary text of the original source.

      The theoretical basis for studying the problem of interpreting the comedy of W. Shakespeare on the ballet stage were the principles of ballet analysis developed by the theorists and historians of ballet G. N. Dobrovolskaya, V. M. Krasovskaya, Yu. I. Slonimsky, E. Ya. Surits and others. ^{[8, 10, 19, 20]}. The works of choreographer and ballet theorist F. V. Lopukhov were used as a methodological basis for the analysis of form and choreography ^{[12, 13]}. Other sources include video materials from the archives of the Monte Carlo Ballet and the Bolshoi Theater, recordings of staged rehearsals held from April to June 2014, which are in the archive of the author. In the course of the research, the author used the methods of ideological and artistic analysis, semantic analysis of the construction and choreographic solution of the roles of Katarina and Petruchio, as well as the method of included observation (based on personal experience of participation in the production process in 2014).

      The objectives of this article do not include the analysis of works devoted to the study of the poetics of the comedies of W. Shakespeare and written by such recognized scientists as A. A. Anikst, A.V. Bartoshevich, G. N. Boyadzhiev, N. V. Zakharov, M. M. Morozov, etc., since it focuses on the choreographic interpretation of the "Taming of the Shrew" Zh.- K. Mayo [3-7, 9, 14].

      To date, there are very few Russian-language studies devoted to the choreographer's work. In particular, the study of ways to embody the polyphonic musical system in Prokofiev's ballets of J.-K. Fragments of the monograph and a paragraph of the PhD dissertation of the composer, professor of the Moscow Conservatory Yu. B. Abdokov are devoted to Maillot ("Romeo and Juliet" and "Cinderella") ^{[1, 2]}. The analysis of the plastic interpretation of the images of Katarina and Petruchio undertaken in this study can contribute to the further study of the choreographer's creativity.

     Today, Jean-Christophe Maillot is among the most sought-after choreographers of our time and has been awarded a large number of prestigious awards, including the Legion of Honor, the Order of the Principality of Monaco "For Merits in the field of culture", the Order of St. Charles (Monaco), the prize of the International Association of Choreographers "Benois de la dance", the Order "For Merits in art and literature" (France). It can be assumed that Mayo's interest in multi-act plot productions, relatively rare in modern ballet theater, is a consequence of his work with the recognized master of this choreographic form, J. Neumeier, in whose company (Hamburg Ballet) Jean-Christophe started his career as a dancer. Turning to the topic of "The Taming of the Shrew", J.-K. Maillot (a French choreographer who has headed the Monte Carlo Ballet since 1993) took a certain risk for two reasons. Firstly, the world fame of the ballet recognized by the European classics of J. Kranko (1969, Stuttgart) could prevent the choreographer from proving the artistic value of his own concept. Secondly, J.-K. Mayo had to agree to stage a new performance for another company for the first time since he took over as head of the Monte Carlo Ballet. For several decades, having successfully transferred many of his ballets to the most prestigious stages of the world (the Grand Ballet of Canada, Montreal; the Royal Swedish Ballet, Stockholm; the National Ballet of Korea, Seoul; the Stuttgart Ballet, Germany; the Royal Danish Ballet, Copenhagen; the American Ballet Theater, New York), the choreographer stubbornly rejected offers to stage an exclusive work for outside Monaco. Accepting the invitation of the Bolshoi Theater, Mayo took a chance – and was not mistaken. His version of "The Taming of the Shrew" was awarded the Russian theater award "Golden Mask" in three nominations at once, was shown at the largest Russian ballet festivals (Platonovsky in Voronezh, Dance Open in St. Petersburg), became part of the Bolshoi Theater's foreign tours to the UK (London), Italy (Milan), the USA (New YorkYork), Monaco (Monte Carlo), Estonia (Riga), etc. In addition, a video recording of the performance was made for world broadcast as part of the Theatre HD project.

     The ballet staged by Maillot consists of two acts; the introduction anticipating the first act of Shakespeare's play is absent here. The first act of the play includes three acts of Shakespeare's play, the second – the remaining two. For the first time, the audience sees the main character of the ballet in the Baptista house, which corresponds to the first scene of the second act of the comedy (the presence of Katarina and Bianca in the square in Padua Mayo omits). The appearance of Baptista's daughters, which turns into a scene of a fight of heroines, Mayo precedes with a heart-rending scream. In the text of the original source , the scene is described as follows:

Bianca

How! Can you be jealous of Gremio?

No, you're joking — now I understand,

And you were joking with me all the time.

Sister Ket, untie my hands.

Katarina

Was I kidding? Then is this a joke?

(Beats her). ^{[24, pp. 468 – 469]}

     The performer of Katarina appears from behind the scenes, she is dressed in an emerald green fitted robe. Mayo develops the role of the main character based solely on finger technique – the ballerina dances on pointe shoes throughout the performance. The first movements of the dancer, resembling bounces diagonally backwards, are accompanied by swings of the hands with tense, "predatory" hands. Slightly jumping up, the dancer strongly crosses her legs and body, while throwing something in different directions with her hands. Then she wraps her hand around her face, gathers her brush into a fist and throws something invisible aside. This movement will become a plastic leitmotif for Katarina's party. After taking a few wide steps, Katarina's performer finds herself face to face with a dancer performing the Baptista part. Trying to reason with his daughter, he takes her by the head – the heroine breaks free; holds out her hands, palms up – she hits them hard, rejecting his care. Katarina pretends to be carried away by her manicure (stepping back, the dancer folds her fingers in front of her so that you can see them), and then unexpectedly throws her leg back high, almost hitting her sister who was in the way. Pushing Baptista away, she finds herself behind Bianca and several times connects and separates her hands with tense hands and spread, slightly bent fingers (resembling spiders) over her head. Pretending to give another dancer a hand, Katarina's performer grabs her and almost drags her to the floor. While she "complains" to her father, the main character throws her arms and legs high with sharp movements, steps forward several times and, as if grabbing something invisible in front of her, clenches it in her fist (another leitmotif). When her father comes up to Katarina again and holds out his hand, she pretends to bite her. Then the Baptista performer lifts the ballerina, "throwing" her on his shoulder (her feet are shortened, fingers are spread out) and brings Bianca to the performer, still trying to reconcile them. He takes the younger sister's hand, forcing the older one to bend over to her, then takes Katarina's hand (Bianca readily kisses her), but she pulls away and abruptly pushes her sister. Baptista again has to separate them, now punishing the troublemaker (he picks up the performer of Katarina in support and takes her to the other side of the stage, and then puts her on the floor, imitating that he dropped her). The already evil Katarina, sitting on the floor, rubs her bruised side, turns away from her father and then notices three grooms standing next to her (Gremio, Hortensio and Lucentio) – witnesses of their humiliation. Those, quickly turning away, pretend that they didn't see anything, but Katarina can't stand this. This is how the words of Shakespeare 's heroine are expressed from the first scene of the first act of the comedy:

Why, Father, should you turn me

A laughing stock for a couple of fools? ^{[24, p. 451]}

     Finding herself in such an awkward position, Katarina approaches the young people, conducts (as if scratching) on their backs with a tense brush with bent fingers and hits each on the forehead. The dance fragment of Gremio, Hortensio and Lucentio begins, in which the grooms are introduced to Baptista and his daughters. Pretending not to pay any attention to what is happening, Katarina climbs the stairs at the back of the stage and stops in the middle of it, legs wide apart and arms crossed on her chest. Thus, she becomes the center of the stage composition, and the audience perceives what is happening through the prism of the attitude of the main character to him. Crossing to the other side of the stage and descending the stairs, Katarina slowly goes backstage.

     The next appearance of the main character occurs after a variation of Bianca, which the girl dances in front of the grooms. Obviously, Baptista expects the same from her eldest daughter, so she goes to the wings and literally pulls out the reluctant Katarina from there. Each of the suitors again receives a blow on the forehead from her; Gremio, who tries to resist, also gets a slap on the head, after which he ends up on the floor. Lifting him by the scruff of the neck, Katarina pretends that she is ready to dance with Hortensio and Gremio, casually kicking them. Probably, the words from the first scene of the first act of the comedy are interpreted here again:

Gremio (aside)

The devil himself is not sweet with her, she is so malicious.–

Hortensio, will you take her as your wife?

…

Hortensio

God save us from such a devil! ^{[24, p. 551]}

     The performer of the Baptista party hurries to intervene and takes Katarina away from the young people. Then peremptorily takes them by the hands and is about to line them up in front of Katarina, but they resist and suddenly all three lean on the girl. This is how the variation of the main character begins.

     With a sharp movement, the ballerina frees herself, takes off her robe and throws it in Lucentio's face. Now she is wearing a bodice resembling a corset and short black shorts, complemented by a green belt. The dancer gets up in arabesque, but specially "cuts" herself and interrupts this classic pose, going into a non–inverted wide position and resting her hands on her belt - she shows that she is at home and can afford everything. For a short time, the ballerina gets into the classic V position, then abruptly performs steps forward with one foot and blows on the floor with the non-rotating other. At the same time, she hits the nose of the suitors who are too close. Stretching out into the classical position again, the performer "pulls" something out of her mouth with her hand with her fingers gathered together, while squatting (a plastically pictorial movement - as if the heroine "breathes fire"). The entire first part of Katarina's variation is an alternation of high swings with legs and arms with tense hands, compositionally arranged in such a way that each movement could hit one of the suitors. Baptista is also pushed aside by Katarina's performer, moving on pointe shoes with incredible pressure. The rotation of tours cha?n? with hands clenched into fists turns into a grand pas de chat jump, ending with a slap on the back of Lucentio's head.At the end of the first part of the variation, the heroine stops with her back to the hall with her arms wide apart. The second part begins with the pursuit of Katarina Bianchi. Trying to hide from her sister on the stairs, Bianca seeks protection from her father and young people who are going to carry her away from danger in support. But Katarina does not allow them to do this: she jumps on Hortensio's back with a running start, then grabs Gremio's neck and, still catching up with Bianca, pushes her into Lucentio's arms. During the third part of Katarina's variation, Gremio and Hortensio retire deep into the stage and soon return, leading Petruchio by the arms – this is the first appearance of the hero in the ballet. And the main character dances, having the opportunity to occupy the entire stage space (finally she "won" it for herself). The amplitude of the movements of the performer Katarina increases, rotations are added to the swings. But then Baptista comes up to her, holding a robe in her hands and trying to persuade her to get dressed. Having stopped in a non-rotating position, the ballerina abruptly crouches and bends down, addressing her father (expressing her complete unwillingness to obey). Taking long strides back, she suddenly bumps into Petruchio, watching what is happening. Resting one foot on the pointe and spreading her arms wide, the performer of Katarina begins to move in a semicircle, completing the variation with a diagonal of rotations and final tours d?gag?s with a stop in a non-inverted wide position. At the last musical chord, the ballerina abruptly falls onto a triangular stool standing nearby (in the lower left corner of the stage), and clenches her right hand into a fist.

     Meanwhile, in the upper right corner of the stage, during a musical pause, the recently appeared protagonist froze. In the text of Shakespeare's comedy, Petruchio does not utter a monologue when meeting Katarina – the characters immediately enter into a verbal altercation ^{[24, pp. 474-478]}. Mayo also composes an exit variation for the main character, which he dances in front of a seated Katarina. Petruchio appears before the bride in a strange hat and an unimaginable black fur coat made of feathers. Beige trousers and a simple white cotton jumper are complemented by emerald-green suspenders – such a color accent is clearly intended to attract the attention of viewers and hint at the future of this couple.

     The first movements of the performer Petruchio with a diagonal advance towards the performer Katarina – high and strange jumps with arms flying in different directions, and then slipping on the floor, during which the dancer beats himself in the chest – plastically seem to imitate the movements of a huge monkey. This similarity is further enhanced in the following bundle: the dancer sits down on the floor, and, leaning on his fists, performs undulating body movements, and then, squatting on widely spaced legs, waves his arms. Addressing Katarina, he stretches out his hand with a shortened brush in front of him, but immediately changes the direction of his gaze, and then suddenly stands in the classic V position and folds his arms on his chest. Abruptly dropping this pose (like the performer of Katarina in her variation) and jumping up in a hunched position, the performer Petruchio turns his back to the audience, plastically depicting that he lit a cigarette. Having "thrown" an unopened cigarette butt at Katarina's feet (Petruchio Grumio's servant runs up here and pretends to remove garbage from the floor), the dancer brings his hand to his mouth and spreads it wide, moving his fingers (as if spreading tobacco smoke around him). Waving his arms several times and performing several small movements with his feet, the performer Petruchio jumps double tour en l'air dangerously close to the main character, lands on his knees and repeats the bunch from the beginning of the variation, almost touching the ballerina. Running his hand through his hair, the hero clearly shows that this is not the whole set of surprises he has prepared. After performing several classic sissonne s in arabesque, the hero jumps on his servant with such force that he almost knocks him down. Waving his hands a couple of times, the performer Petruchio throws off his fur coat and with his index finger points the servant to the place in front of him. Grumio lowers him to his haunches, and the main character jumps over him with a spectacular movement and sits right on his back.

     This is followed by the first duet of Katarina and Petruchio in the play, in which Mayo choreographically interprets the verbal altercation of the characters of Shakespeare's comedy that occurs when they meet. Sitting on Grumio's back, Petruchio removes his hat from his head and puts it on himself. Katarina slowly gets up, and, applauding, bypasses the main character. Knocking off his hat, she begins to perform a dance combination (piqu? steps with a wrapped working leg and a twisted body), moving to another part of the stage, while constantly looking around: is Petruchio catching up with her? Having stopped in a wide non-rotating position with her back to him, the performer of Katarina crouches and turns, looking in his direction, then backs back and turns again. And the performer of the main character, not paying any attention to her, continues to sit on Gremio's back and look in the other direction. Katarina approaches him and knocks off his hat again. Then the performer Petruchio suddenly stands up, turns the ballerina around and lifts her into the air. Katarina, who did not expect this, quickly reacts and wrings Petruchio's hand. Shakespeare's hero found himself in a similar situation:

Petruchio

I'm a nobleman!

Katarina

But now we'll check it out

(Hits him)

Petruchio

 Hit me again – I'll fight back, I swear ^{[24, p. 476]}.

     Despite the threat, in the text of the original source, Petruchio did not respond to Katarina's provocation in any other way than with words. But in Mayo's version, the hero is clearly not shy about "giving change." Freeing his broken arm, the dancer puts the performer Katarina on his shoulders, and with a flip puts her on the floor, depicting her fall. In the meantime, she rubs the bruised back of her head, the performer Petruchio throws her hand into the air with his foot, and, grasping it, begins to circle the ballerina. Finally getting to her feet, Katarina's performer immediately hits the dancer under the knees, and in response he grabs her by the neck and drags her until she is on the floor. Finally, Petruchio takes a break from this choreographic "fight without rules" and sits down on a chair, and Katarina stops next to him.

 Katarina

He moved! Who moved you here,

Let him move out of here. I see,

You can be moved.

Petruchio

That is, how?

Katarina

Like this chair.

Petruchio

Sit on me ^{[24, p. 475]}.

     Literally embodying the words of Shakespeare, the performer Petruchio in the Mayo version puts the performer Katarina on his lap, then transfers to a chair and crosses (as if tying) her hands, making it impossible to rest. And when Katarina tries to bite his hand, she "grabs" this bite in her fist, hits herself in the chest with it and suddenly unclenches her fingers, as if "letting go". This is followed by a small solo fragment by Petruchio (Katarina continues to sit on a chair with her hands "tied"). Several classic sissonne s in arabesque turn into a double assembl? en en tournant (which casually ends in a wide lunge), ending with a high jump, during which the dancer bends and stretches his legs with shortened feet again, and does it very close to Katarina, almost hitting her on the nose. Jumping up from the chair, the main character steps back with long strides, alternating hands with "predatory" brushes (plastic leitmotif). When the performer Petruchio overtakes her, while almost hitting her (the heroine barely manages to bend down to dodge the swing of his leg), the ballerina dangles her brushes in front of her face (teasing the hero), and responds to him with the same reception – high and unexpectedly waving her leg. Pleased with her success, she crosses the stage with three swift grand pas de chat. Once on different sides of the stage, the characters suddenly freeze in front of each other, arms folded (as if everyone appreciated the opponent, but is not ready to agree to a "draw"). Petruchio is the first to approach the center of the stage, pointing Katarina to the place in front of him (as he pointed out to the servant in his variation). The girl pretends to approach him, and at the moment when the hero finally tries to catch her, abruptly changes the direction of movement. Several attacks in different directions turn into a new duel: Katarina strikes Petruchio a dangerous blow and he is forced to retreat deep into the stage. Each of the characters choreographically quotes one of the leitmotifs of his part: the performer of Katarina waves her hands, gathers her brush into a fist and hands something invisible to the performer Petruchio; he also waves his hands, crouching on widely spaced legs, and clumsily steps on what was offered by Katarina. After passing his hand over the girl's shoulders, the hero clenches his fist and moves his fingers (depicting smoke, which he inhales with pleasure). When the performer finally catches the ballerina in his arms, she begins to beat him with all her might, and the hero, as if nothing had happened, lifts her into the air in a tango position and pretends that they are dancing this dance (carries the ballerina from place to place, like a doll). At this moment Baptista, Lucentio, Hortensio and Gremio return to the stage – as in the original text, they left during the dialogue of the main characters ^{[24, p. 474]}. And the duet of Katarina and Petruchio Maio ends with an unexpected kiss in front of the heroes who appeared.

     The kiss that happened is the turning point of the first act. After it, the external action stops (the scene plunges into darkness, the light beam highlights the figure of Katarina), and Mayo shows the audience what is happening to the main character – her monologue begins. The performer of Katarina, with the greatest care, frees herself from the hands of the performer Petruchio (who remains in the same position as during the kiss), slowly looks at him, and returns to his embrace. Having carefully freed herself again, she slowly outlines the silhouette of the hero with one hand and cautiously presses it to her chest, as if ashamed of her actions. At first, loosely lowering her hands, she presses her hands to her mouth, rising on pointe shoes. Connecting the middle fingers, the ballerina imitates that it is they who involuntarily "pull" her to Petruchio (she tries to move first to one side, then to the other, but each time the hands begin to reverse movement towards the dancer). Then Katarina crosses her arms over her chest, as if not allowing them to return to the hero, but suddenly opens them (the ballerina imitates surprise, as if this movement happens against her will) and begins to describe circles in the air (in contrast to the sharp swings from the variation and the previous duet). Having performed a classic and neat tour in attitude (in contrast to the expressive swings performed earlier), Katarina looks around and, without noticing the witnesses, again assumes the position of a kiss from the duet finale.

     Stage lighting flashes, and Katarina throws Petruchio's hands away from her. Approaching Baptiste (who witnessed the kiss), she claps her hands in front of his nose and indignantly walks away, as if saying the words of Shakespeare's Katarina:

And you still call me daughter!

So that's your father's concern —

To woo me for a half-wit,

Robber, impudent, rude,

What impudence expects to take ^{[24, p. 479]}.

     Petruchio, who suddenly ran up, wrings her hand behind her back, forces her to sift on pointe shoes in the direction of her father and tilts her head as a sign of consent to marriage with herself. Katarina's performer tries to get up twice, but on the third the dancer simply tilts her body and holds her in this position. Baptista accepts this consent, and Katarina deliberately does not recognize any changes and continues to behave as before. Then Petruchio takes her "in his arms" again, kisses her on the forehead (after that she pretends to wipe her face thoroughly), puts on the fur coat and hat brought by Grumio and, going backstage, sends the bride an air kiss.

Kiss me, Ket, without fear,

Let's get married this Sunday! ^{[24, p. 480]}.

     The next appearance of Katarina in the Mayo play takes place at the end of the first act during a waltz of three couples in love formed after Petruchio's departure (these are Bianca and Lucentio, the Housekeeper and Gremio, Hortensio and the Widow). The heroine is dressed in white gloves and a fluffy white skirt with a green belt (these accessories are worn on the previous suit, this design makes it easier and faster to change clothes). Despite the festive costume, Katarina's behavior does not change: she walks up to Bianca, dancing with Lucentio, and, just like at the beginning of the ballet, hits her on the forehead. Offering her younger sister a hand, the main character begins to dance a minuet with her, but again turns her hand, and the performer Bianca almost falls. Against the background of the general waltz, Katarina's excitement is very noticeable, obviously caused by the groom's lateness: she walks from one part of the stage to another, then sits on a chair, then stands up. Baptista tries to dance with her daughter, but, as at the beginning of the play, nothing comes of it. When Petruchio's servant appears from behind the scenes, Katarina grabs him by the scruff of the neck and "yells" (silently, mouth wide open) right in his ear. Of course, the heroine of Mayo, like the heroine of Shakespeare, is afraid of ridicule and shame:

Signor Lucentio, today is the day

The wedding of Katarina and Petruchio,

And there is no sign of a son-in-law.

We will become a laughing stock in the eyes of people! ^{[24, p. 488]}

     Petruchio in the play, as in the comedy, appears at his wedding very extravagantly ("after all, your outfit is a disgrace for the groom, down with him, he will desecrate our holiday") ^{[24, p. 491]}. Under a deafening whistle, in a sloppily unbuttoned shirt, holding a rose in his mouth, the hero literally practically rolls down the stairs standing at the backstage. Grabbing the bride in his arms, Petruchio takes the necklace intended for Bianca from the Housekeeper and gives it to Katarina, clearly showing that he is marrying her only because of the dowry. Unable to stand it, Katarina gives the groom a slap in the face. In the ensuing silence (during a musical pause), the performer Petruchio pulls the reluctant heroine behind him, lifts her by the neck at arm's length in front of everyone, and then kisses her. The performer of Katarina goes limp in his hands (there is no trace of sharp, syncopated dance movements), the dancer throws her arm around his neck and practically carries her across the floor, heading for the wings. The heroine stretches out her hand to Baptista, but Petruchio returns it back. Then the ballerina throws away the dancer's hands and runs headlong to the Baptista performer to hug (a manifestation of Katarina's tender feelings for her father, which is absent in the original text). However, he pushes his daughter to the main character, who holds out his hand, even without looking in her direction. Katarina passes by Petruchio, wanting to go to the lower wings, but the hero abruptly squeezes her elbow and drags her up the stairs – so the newlyweds leave the Baptista house.

     So, in the choreographic development of the roles of Katarina and Petruchio by Jean-Christophe Maillot in the first act of the ballet, two variations of the characters, a duet and the subsequent monologue of Katarina become key. Their choreography is distinguished by a sharp alternation of classical positions (in the ballerina – on pointe shoes) with non-standard modernized movements corresponding to the author's artistic tasks; the presence of leitmotif plastic combinations and symbol movements repeated in accordance with the development of the plot; the presence of contrasting and pictorial transformation of the heroine's plasticity, showing the audience a cardinal change in her state of mind.

     The action of the second act of the ballet begins in the forest (video projection on white columns placed all over the stage), during the newlyweds' journey to Petruchio's house. After the curtain opens, Petruchio slowly appears from behind the scenes, leading Katarina, who is barely moving her legs. The hem of her fluffy skirt is gray with dirt (in fact, it's another skirt that replaced the wedding one), she looks around in fright. When the performer of the main role offers the ballerina a hand, she approaches and leans on it, and he helps her to go further (synchronous movements when the wave of the dancer's hand coincides with the ballerina's step). When Petruchio walks away, Katarina runs after him and hugs him by the neck from behind (which is so unlike her behavior in the first act). And Petruchio is clearly testing her – first he hides behind one of the columns (which have become trees thanks to video projection), then he lifts her upside down into risky support. However, when the heroine falls to the floor in exhaustion, he gently helps her to get up. Here Katarina throws away his hand, and repeats the leitmotif combination from the first act – she is not ready to accept the need for help yet. Running off to one side, then to the other, the heroine falls, but the hero catches her in time, although he immediately pushes her away. The performer of Katarina falls to the floor, reaches out to the dancer to get up, and he, first lifting her in high support, lets her fall again and only then gives his hand. Having risen, the heroine clings to the neck of the performer Petruchio, who is rapidly running across the stage, dragging her with him, but at some point puts her on the floor and leaves her alone, hiding behind the scenes.

     At the same time, seven masked robbers appear on the stage, one of whom is performed by Grumio. Obviously, it is implied that it was Petruchio who incited his servant to attack Katarina. The robbers surround the main character, lift her up in support, turn her over in the air and "throw" her to the floor, then lift her by her arms and legs. Grumio takes off her necklace, the others take off her full skirt (the heroine remains in a bodice and shorts, as during the variation of the first act). When Petruchio appears from behind the scenes and drives away the robbers, a robbed and frightened Katarina sits huddled in the middle of the stage. Beckoning with one hand to Grumio, the hero depicts a fight with him and, having won, gives his hand to Katarina. Then Petruchio takes off his shirt and covers the frozen girl, and she clings to his leg in horror. The dancer lifts the ballerina from the floor, hugs her, hugging her, after her smooth grand rond de jambe gently lifts and puts her on his knee, touching her head to him. As if waking up, Katarina jumps up abruptly and hits Petruchio under the knees. As in the first act, bouncing off with long strides, she swings her leg, the dancer dodges, but with the next blow she hits the target. As if frightened by her actions, the heroine slowly backs away and freezes, and the hero stops in front of her.

     After a short pause, Petruchio suddenly slowly kneels down in front of Katarina and holds out his hand to her (perhaps the final reconciliation of the heroes could happen). But the heroine convulsively pulls back her own and, rising on pointe shoes, covers her face with her brushes. The performer Petruchio turns away and moves to another part of the stage, and the ballerina drops to a full stop and relaxes her hands in exhaustion.

     The video projection of the forest, as well as part of the columns disappear from the stage, a staircase appears at the right backstage and the action is transferred to Petruchio's house. The performer of Katarina begins to cautiously wrap and unfold her feet, first one at a time, then two at the same time, and at this time her hands begin to cling to her chest – probably the heroine feels chilled, abandoned and completely defenseless in front of her husband in his house, as in Shakespeare's comedy:

But I haven't asked yet,

And there was no need to ask, and now

I'm hungry, deathly sleepy,

And sleep is disturbed by swearing, fed by shouting ^{[24, pp. 508-509]}.

     At this time, the performer Petruchio, being in another part of the stage, stretches out his hand towards the ballerina and seems to direct her movements by turning the brush. The performer of Katarina throws her hands to the side, crouching down as if something has knocked her down; turning, she wants to run, but stops and returns to her former place, pressing her hands to one part of her face. Bending down, she hits the floor with her free hand, jumps up (as if surfacing) and strikes again. In this solo, the dancer moves through the resistance as if she is underwater. Crossing her arms over her chest (as in the monologue after the duet of the first act), she slowly (and not abruptly, as in the first act) moves them, as if she is not so much restrained. At this moment, the performer Petruchio comes closer to the dancer and imitates that he supports her every movement, physically remaining at a distance. The performer of Katarina opens her arms wide, bending (as if revealing herself to meet something) steps back, puts her palms to her cheeks and throws something aside (without clenching her hands into a fist). Bending low, she begins to climb, as if on steps, shifting her arms and covering her face. Suddenly noticing Petruchio, she runs away from him (to the bed next to the stairs), but he stops her by taking her hand. Slowly turning around, the heroine returns to the center of the stage and opens her arms roundly; when the performer Petruchio touches them, she sharply bends her elbows at an acute angle and moves away from the partner pas de bourr?e suivis. Having "ducked" first under one of her hands, then under the other, the performer of Katarina now leans on the hands of the dancer, moving pas de bourr?e suivis in the other direction. He stops her by the waist, she bends over his arm, then moves away and touches the palm of her left hand with the third finger of her right. Having raised this construction above her head, the heroine freezes, looking at Petruchio, and then suddenly "loses consciousness", falling into his arms.

     Petruchio carefully puts the "breathless" Katarina on the bed. Holding his palm at a distance, he lifts first the heroine's hand (the effect of synchronized movements of the dancers), then his head. Lifting her other hand in the same way, he strokes her cheek, after which the girl's hand falls limply. Finally finding the strength to move away from her, Petruchio sits down on a chair in the lower left corner of the stage. Waking up, Katarina slowly rises. Squatting down deeply and stretching her leg to the side, the dancer carefully, as if stepping on thin ice, steps towards the performer Petruchio. Stealthily, she walks around him from behind. Meanwhile, the dancer, squatting down, blows in front of him, and then stretches out his hands and rubs them – obviously, he pretends that he is lighting a non-existent bonfire. Katarina approaches and stands in front of him, stepping "into the fire" – Petruchio roughly pushes her away. Then the heroine comes up and taps him on the temple with her index finger. Having received a blow again, she "stirs the fire" with a shortened foot (hits the place where it should be), but the performer Petruchio grabs her leg, forcing her to freeze. Then the performer of Katarina squats down and pretends that she is also "fanning the fire", which deserves an approving pat on the head from the hero. This is probably how Mayo interprets the words of the main character from the original source and her willingness to finally please her husband, even if she has come to terms with his quirks:

Well, let the moon, let the sun – whatever you want;

And call it a candle, I swear,

That it will be the same for me ^{[24, p.519]}.

     Sitting on the second chair (standing next to the first one occupied by the performer Petruchio), the performer of Katarina raises one hand, palm depicting a saucer, the fingers of the other joins together, as if holding a teacup (while one leg rests on the pointe, the other with a shortened foot is raised and bent at right angles – a very pictorial position). In this position, she slowly turns to the dancer and hands him her "tea". The performer Petruchio "takes" the cup (assumes the same position), nods in gratitude and brings it to his mouth. "Tea" is clearly not to the hero's liking: having dropped the position, he begins to cough and spit. Katarina's performer gently stretches out her leg, trying to reach the dancer, he puts his hand on her shoulder, she covers it with her own. Then the performer Petruchio takes it, and strokes his face. The heroine runs away (but without the hatred shown earlier), then the dancer lifts her by the armpits, and she gradually goes limp in his hands. Trying to escape to the chair, the ballerina is caught by the hand. The performer Petruchio carries her, putting her back on the chair, and kisses her neck. Katarina grabs his hands, bends over and, turning her back to the audience, takes off her shirt (again remains in a bodice and shorts). Turning away from Petruchio, she slowly walks towards the ramp.

     After a pause, the character of the duo changes dramatically: now it becomes an expression of the passion that overwhelmed the heroes. The first movement of the performer Petruchio who jumped off the chair is a high support, in which the ballerina bends back strongly, opening her arms wide. Grabbing the dancer, she lies on his back and, bending over, slowly slides to the floor. When the hero picks her up, she closes his arms around her waist and expressively throws out her legs, finding herself in support. Now the wide swings of the legs, reminiscent of the movements of the first act, carry a completely different meaning: after each of them, the performer Petruchio picks her up to hug her. At some point, the dancer lies down on the floor, and the ballerina begins to descend to his face, relying only on his hands – plastically, this support accurately reflects the physical tension growing between the characters. After the kiss, the performer of Katarina remains on her knees, and the performer Petruchio closes her hands around his chest and, without supporting her in any way, begins to pull. Lifting the heroine on one hand, he "throws" her to the floor and, grabbing her hands, begins to twist around himself. Once on their knees opposite each other, they maintain a short pause: Petruchio grabs Katarina and carries her to the bed. Grumio, who appeared from behind the scenes, covers the characters with a white cloth, the stage light is dimmed (moving silhouettes are visible under the cloth), and the light beam highlights the figure of Grumio, writhing in the most unthinkable positions in the center of the stage. This is how Mayo solves this episode: such a directorial technique is pictorial and truthful, but at the same time with a subtle taste allows you to show the passion of the main characters, which has changed so much (from the point of view of the choreographer) their attitude.

     It is worth noting that in the ballet, unlike the original source, no character violates the privacy of the main characters in Petruchio's house (except for the occasional appearance of Grumio), as well as no scenes involving other characters (Bianca, Lucentio, teacher, Vincentio, Hortensio) interrupt what is happening between them. Mayo gives most of the second act to the expanded duet of the main characters – this is how the choreographer interprets Shakespeare's verbal duels of the "taming" of Katarina. Few choreographers dare to develop such a long segment of stage action with the help of only two characters (this technique is often used in his performances by J. Neumeier, for example, in the second act of "Ladies with Camellias" or at the beginning of the second act of "Anna Karenina"). Here Mayo focuses the audience's attention on the plastic modification of the dance of Katarina and Petruchio. Multiple emotional states of two people, polarizing from hatred to passion, and suddenly developing into love, pass before the eyes of the public.

     The light beam highlights a bed with motionless figures under a white cloth – obviously, the first morning of the "new" life of Katarina and Petruchio has come. Grumio cautiously removes the cloth, and we see Catarina sleeping in Petruchio's arms. The heroine slowly rises – her movements are full of bliss and femininity. She gently strokes Petruchio's face, stands up, runs her hands over her body and gracefully steps on pointe shoes. Then he looks curiously at his hands (Mayo uses the absence of fists and tense fingers as a symbol of the heroine's transformation), which are now relaxed and elegant. Petruchio, who has risen, admires his wife with a smile. Approaching her, he also carefully examines her hands, and then squeezes them in his arms. The idyll of the heroes is violated by the performer Grumio, who appears with a letter in his hands. The main characters watch as he states in a funny pantomime that he delivered an invitation to the Baptista house for the wedding of Bianca and Lucentio. Petruchio, out of old habit, "kicks" the servant, and Katarina gently hugs her husband, and at that moment Grumio returns her necklace, allegedly stolen by robbers. The performer Petruchio carries the heroine backstage in his arms.

     The final appearance of Catarina and Petruchio takes place in front of all the characters of the play, gathered in the Baptista house on the occasion of the wedding of Bianca and Lucentio. Here the main character is dressed in a flared green skirt of medium length and a short green sable fur coat, her neck is decorated with a necklace; the main character is wearing a black tuxedo. After descending the stairs and describing a circle around the stage, he gallantly invites his lady, and she hurries to give him her hand. The main characters perform the further minuet deliberately competently from the point of view of classical canons: with emphasized V leg positions, pretentiously neat small movements (glissade s, pas embo?t? and battu). With an elegant bow, the performer of Katarina returns the necklace to Bianca, and when the performer Petruchio opens his mouth wide, pretending to yawn, delicately covers it. The dance ends with a kiss of the characters (in which the dancer is tilted parallel to the floor, like a Hollywood movie star), preceded by support, in which the ballerina seems to be walking through the air, being in the hands of a partner.

     The final monologue of Shakespeare's heroine Mayo does not stage: there is no solo by Katarina at the end of the performance. The final of the ballet is "the test of wives", interpreted by J.-K. Mayo is like a tea ceremony: each of the heroines must prepare an imaginary tea for her husband (apparently, in the eyes of the choreographer, it is a symbol of home comfort and warmth). All four couples sit on chairs opposite each other, and the light beam alternately highlights each of them. The performers of the main characters begin first – they repeat the leitmotif combination of "making tea" from the duet of the second act, only this time Petruchio remains very pleased with the result. None of the other couples manage to repeat it: The housekeeper "spills" tea on Gremio, the Widow "prevents" Hortensio from drinking it, and Bianca "cooks" Lucentio tea, and she still remains dissatisfied. The main characters are watching the whole pantomime from the center of the stage, and the former grooms throw themselves on their knees in front of Katarina, obviously regretting that they did not choose her. But Katarina approaches Petruchio standing calmly and the curtain closes after the hugs of the heroes.

     In his play, J.-K. Maillot interprets the trials that befell Katarina not as "taming", but as a test, after which Petruchio realizes that he was not mistaken, that this is exactly the woman he needs. And Katarina, next to Petruchio, realizes that it is with this man that she agrees to play submissive and deceive everyone around her by observing generally accepted norms of behavior. However, the society consisting of other characters of the Mayo play will never know what is hidden "behind the scenes" of the family life of the main characters. At the same time, the choreographer clearly shows the audience how tightly love has connected two extraordinary personalities who have found in each other not only a worthy rival, but also a partner.

     So, the new results of the study include a significant groundwork in the aspect of identifying both innovative and modernized classical artistic elements of dance language and staging developed by J.-K. Mayo (leitmotif plastic combinations, transforming movements-symbols, color accents in costumes). The detailed semantic analysis of the composition and choreographic development of the images of the main characters of W. Shakespeare's comedy "The Taming of the Shrew", interpreted by Mayo in the ballet of the same name, was the main tool for studying and allowed us to draw the following conclusions. The interpretation of the images of Katarina and Petruchio in the first act of the ballet is conceptually close to Shakespeare's text and slightly adapted according to the expressive potential of ballet art and the author's artistic tasks. In the second act, the choreographer shifts the compositional and plot emphasis, highlighting not the final scenes, but the expanded duet of the main characters, where, according to changes in their emotional states, the plastic solution of the parties is transformed. Thus, it is abstract and pictorial plastic thinking that individualizes the choreographic style of J.-K. Mayo becomes the basis for the choreographer's interpretation of the great plot of the comedy by W. Shakespeare.

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