ballet explained: la bayadère, act III {finale}

It’s wedding night at the temple. Monks, bayadères and an assortment of guests have gathered to witness the union of Gamzatti and Solor. A golden idol dances. Solor isn’t high at this point, so I guess it’s real.

Solor has a major opium hangover, and like a big baby, begins pulling a lot of faces that indicate he doesn’t want to be there. It’s one of awkward affairs where everyone is laying odds on how long the marriage will last, and a few drinking games take off among the party guests. (Do a shot every time Solor rolls his eyes, drink whenever Gamzatti yanks him by the arm, etc.) People start handing the DJ clever song requests like: Hit the Road Jack, Tainted Love, and Who Let the Dogs Out?

Gamzatti pulls Solor into a wedding dance, but he is terribly distracted when he begins seeing visions of his favourite shade, Nikiya. Solor is having a little trouble figuring out what is real and what isn’t, and begins to pay more attention to his dead fiancée than his living one. (Dammit, Solor!) Gamzatti is ready to dropkick him, of course, but they continue with the wedding because at $175/plate, cancelling simply isn’t an option.

As Solor and Gamzatti stand in front of the temple, before the High Brahmin, they begin to recite their wedding vows. (Kudos to HB for setting aside their differences to wed the duo.) The couple is blessed by the High Brahmin which, unfortunately, unleashes the vengeance of the gods. The earth begins to shake, the temple fills with smoke and fire, and all the celebrants are destroyed.

That’s the thing about ballet. We’re not afraid to kill off every damn character you might have even remotely liked.

Nikiya, Solor and their huge scarf are once again united in eternal love. Shhhhhh. I know, I know. Somehow Solor gets elevated to divine status and is allowed to stand alongside Nikiya’s shade in the heavens. I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT.

The end.

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la bayadère | trailer | prefatory remarks | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 |