Bolshoi means “big” in Russian. Besides literally being the largest ballet company in the world, the 228-year-old Bolshoi Ballet continues to be the definitive authority on classical ballet. But their run last week at Zellerbach Hall, giving performance of William Shakespeare’s timeless love story “Romeo and Juliet,” was big in a different way. On the Zellerbach stage, tutus and point shoes were replaced with slacks and bare feet in a radical departure from the Bolshoi Ballet’s longstanding tradition.

This tradition began in 1776 when the Russian government created the Bolshoi Theater of Opera and Ballet in Moscow. Throughout the years, the company has produced such masterpieces as “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty,” and of course, the ever-present “Nutcracker.” But with the end of the repressive Soviet era, the Bolshoi Ballet is now ready to redefine itself as more than merely the protector of the old.

With fresh young dancers, a new chief choreographer, and a completely new building in the make, the Bolshoi Ballet is now making the leap into the 21st century. The retirement of Yuri Grigorovich, the ballet’s artistic director for the last 30 years, allowed for the appointment of 35-year-old Alexei Ratmansky, one of the youngest artistic directors of any leading dance company.

In an unprecedented move, the company also hired distinguished British theatre director Declan Donnellan, with no previous dance experience, to stage this production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Not constrained by the Bolshoi’s past traditions, Donnellan has added a theatrical flare and modern dance appeal to the frequently staged classic.

From the outset, the audience is transposed into the flashy glamour of modernity. Romeo and Mercutio appear clad in business suits, complete with bow-ties, while the background transforms into a strip of neon blue glow.

Their acrobatic frog hops and Charleston-like steps leave the audience wondering, what exactly is left of the old-style Bolshoi ballet? Besides the familiar plot and Sergei Prokofiev’s instrumentation, performed wonderfully by the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, everything is clothed in the contemporary feel of today’s romance.

During the play’s famous ball scene, masked dames in gorgeous gowns seduce their partners with hip gyrations and pelvic thrusts not unlike what one might see in today’s clubs. Except, of course, these “clubbers” are some of the most talented dancers in the world, and their exceptional technique is apparent in every inventive movement.

Indeed, the dancers’ classical training is what allows the modern choreography of Radu Poklitaru to shine. With gorgeous lines and dynamic leaps, Maria Alexandrova as Juliet is fluid and graceful, even while performing such acts as jumping on her parents’ backs and biting her fianc?. Yuri Klevtsov is dynamic and expressive as the good-natured Mercutio, who shows up at the ball wearing a glittery flapper dress.

One of the performance’s most memorable moments is when Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time at the masquerade ball. The festivities are put on pause, and the two lovers chass? around frozen ball-goers, giggling and quivering as they find each other. In that one instant, the force of love and the strength of the individual triumph over the still outside world.

But soon, the moment is gone, and the corps de ballet once again assumes its ever-watchful, ominous presence.

Accompanying the lovers along their tumultuous path, the corps de ballet often takes the place of stage sets. Even the play’s most famous architectural structure, namely Juliet’s balcony, is formed by a slithering, gray mass of bodies. Forming a feisty wall around Juliet, they become more than just a material obstacle to the lovers’ meeting. They come to embody the eternal societal forces that so often impede individual passions from running free.

As the story draws to its tragic end, we are made to forget that what is being staged is a medieval Italian love story. In Romeo’s and Juliet’s untimely suicides, there is no pretense, no artificiality—just raw feelings that surpass all time and space, putting real tears in the viewers’ eyes.

Aware of the affecting power of Shakespeare’s story and its ability to adapt to any age, the Bolshoi Ballet makes a truly ingenious move. With passion and audacity that can only be equated to that of Romeo and Juliet themselves, this two-century old company completely outdoes itself in 90 minutes. It is this courage to change itself that makes the Bolshoi Ballet truly worthy of its “big” name.