La Bayadere (or The Temple Dancer) is a ballet by Marius Petipa. Set in pre-colonial India, the story focuses on the love affair between Nikea (the titular temple dancer) and soldier Solor. However various figures around them scheme to end their relationship by any means necessary so the High Brahmin can have Nikea to himself, and Solor can be forced into marrying Princess Gamzatti. Things don't turn out too well in the end, except for the lovers.
Solor and Nikea meet in secret at the temple she serves at and swear eternal fidelity over a sacred fire. Unfortunately they are seen by the High Brahmin, who wants Nikea for himself. Meanwhile, the Rajah intends for Solor to marry his daughter Gamzatti so the High Brahmin immediately lets him know of the affair in the hopes he will have him executed. To his horror, the Rajah decides Nikea is the one who must die so Solor can be free to marry Gamzatti. Gamzatti overhears and attempts to bribe Nikea into letting Solor marry her, but Nikea is so incensed that she almost murders the princess (and is only stopped by the intervention of Gamzatti's maid). After this Gamzatti joins her father in plotting to murder the temple dancer.
La Bayadere contains examples of
- All Just a Dream: Act 3 is one long dream where Solor imagines visiting the Kingdom of the Shades due to him smoking a lot of hookah to cope with Nikea's death.
- Anti-Villain: The High Brahmin is horrified when the Rajah announces his intention to have Nikea killed, not only because he wants her for himself but because her murder could bring down divine vengeance.
- Gamzatti attempts to find a more peaceful solution by bribing Nikea to leave Solor alone due to the High Brahmin's warnings. After Nikea's murder, she becomes very uncomfortable with her actions.
- Betty and Veronica: Solor swears a vow of eternal fidelity to Nikea (Betty) over a sacred fire but faces a lot of pressure to marry Gamzatti (Veronica) because her father is the Rajah. Nikea is murdered but when Solor is forced into marrying Gamzatti, the temple collapses on top of everyone so he can be reunited with Nikea in the afterlife.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Gamzatti initially has no intention of harming Nikea because she is a temple dancer and killing her risks the wrath of the gods. She falls into villainy after Nikea almost murders her. However, it's clear in Act 4 she is not happy about her part in Nikea's death as she is more than a little uncomfortable with the wedding bouquet.
- Dance of Romance: Solor and Nikea have one in the Kingdom of the Shades, the night before he is due to marry Gamzatti.
- Foreshadowing: Gamzatti's refusal to hold her wedding bouquet as it is identical to the one used to kill Nikea. By the end of the Act, everyone in the temple is dead.
- I Gave My Word: The main obstacle to the upcoming marriage between Gamzatti and Solor is his vow to love Nikea, which was done before the gods so it is incredibly binding. In some versions, Solor tries to get out of the wedding this way, prompted by the shade of Nikea but it does no good because both the Rajah and the High Brahmin force his hand- until the temple collapses.
- Karmic Death: The wedding ends with everyone in the temple dying due to the gods wrath over Nikea's murder- which took place at the engagement party.
- Light Feminine Dark Feminine: Nikea is the light, as she genuinely loves Solor and does whatever she can to get him to hold to his vows. Gamzatti is the dark as she simply wants Solor because he's considered the most eligible man in the kingdom and has a hand in murdering Nikea.
- Multiple Endings: Some productions end the ballet at Act 3, where Solor has no choice but to prepare for his wedding, implying he goes through with the marriage to Gamzatti and ends up with an Awful Wedded Life.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Nikea attempts to stab Gamzatti after the latter tries to bribe her to leave Solor alone. Once Gamzatti's maid stops her, Nikea comes to her senses and is so horrified with herself that she flees the palace.
- Nasty Party: Solor and Gamzatti's engagement party is a trap for Nikea as she's given a bouquet that hides a poisonous snake.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Had Nikea not attempted to stab Gamzatti after the latter tried to bribe Nikea into relinquishing her claim on Solor, Gamzatti would not have agreed to help the Rajah kill Nikea, although the Rajah might still have managed to murder Nikea.
- Oh, Crap!: Gamzatti on her wedding day, when a bridesmaid offers her a bouquet identical to the one that killed Nikea. She refuses to hold it and knows that the festivities are not going to end happily.
- Our Ghosts Are Different: The shades act more as spirit guides, leading Solor to Nikea when he enters their kingdom. Similarly Nikea appears at Solor's wedding to remind him of his vow to her, and warning him not to go through with marrying Gamzatti.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Nikea is the passionate Red, taking Gamzatti's bribe as an affront to both her faith and her love, and attacking her in a fit of rage. Gamzatti is the more calculating blue, only choosing murder after Nikea attacks her, and plotting with her father to accomplish the feat. Interestingly, Nikea will often wear pale or dark blue in the first half of the ballet (due to being a temple dancer), while Gamzatti will wear reds and golds.
- Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: The temple collapses and kills everyone inside as Solor and Gamzatti are about to exchange vows.
- Suicidal Sadistic Choice: The High Brahmin gives one to Nikea in Act 2. He has the antidote to the snake bite but will only give it to her if she frees Solor from his vow to her and gives her love to the High Brahmin instead. Nikea chooses death.
- Snakes Are Sinister: The Rajah and Gamzatti have a venomous snake hidden in a bouquet and then have the bouquet given to Nikea. When she holds it up to her chest, the snake bites and eventually kills her.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Solor and Nikea because both of them have a romantic rival in a powerful position, putting their relationship (and their lives) in jeopardy.
- Together in Death: Nikea appears at the very end to guide Solor to the afterlife so they can finally be together without any outside interference.
- Villainous Crush: The High Brahmin has one on Nikea but his actions are what starts the chain of events that lead to her death.
- Withholding the Cure: The High Brahmin has the antidote to Nikea's snake bite, but he refuses to give it to her unless she gives up Solor and loves him instead.
- Yandere:
- The High Brahmin told the Rajah of Solor's vow to Nikea in the hopes of getting rid of a romantic rival. It backfired because the Rajah decided to have Nikea murdered instead.
- Downplayed with Gamzatti as she attempts bribery first and only resorts to murder when Nikea attacks her.
