Richmond Ballet’s SWAN LAKE: A Valentine Treat
A Dance Review by Julinda D. Lewis
At: The Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace St., RVA 23219
Performances: February 14-16 @ 7:00pm; February 15 & 16 @2:00pm
Ticket Prices: $25 – $125
Info: (804) 344-0906 x224 or etix.com
It’s hard to believe that when the ballet Swan Lake debuted at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1877 that it was not well received. Times change, and with it, people’s taste and expectations. After many adaptations and variations – the current production has choreography by Nicholas Beriozoff after Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and Alexander Gorsky, with restaging and additional choreography by Richmond Ballet’s Malcolm Burn. Petipa and Ivanov choreographed the 1895 revival; the original choreography was by Julius Reisinger. One constant in the evolution of Swan Lake has been Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score, with all its drama and the familiar leitmotif, “The Swan’s Theme.” https://youtu.be/9cNQFB0TDfY
In addition to the music, Swan Lake is a visual treat with its three major sets: the lakeshore, the area outside the castle where Prince Siegfried begins his birthday celebration, and the magnificent castle ballroom. Credit for the opulent set and costume design goes to Jens-Jacob Worsaae.
Two dancers with the Chinese National Ballet, a company the Richmond Ballet has developed a relationship with overtime, were scheduled to dance the lead roles of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried but plans were changed due to fears about the coronavirus, which prevented Xu Yan and Li Wentao from traveling to the US.
The lead roles were performed by Sarah Lane and Cory Stearns, both principal dancers with American Ballet Theatre. The chemistry between the guests and the Richmond Ballet seemed organic, and both Lane and Stearns seemed to derive as much joy from performing their roles as the opening night audience on Valentine’s Day. There were audible ooh’s and ah’s each time the curtain rose, and extended applause for the guest artists as well as for the soloists.
Trevor Davis was pure joy as the Court Jester and Mate Szentes made such an impression as von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer, that people actually booed when he took his final bows. The most memorable dancing occurred in the ballroom scene in the third act and included a “Czardas” led by Melissa Frain and Ira White, a “Neapolitan” duet performed by Elena Bello and Marty Davis, and a “Russian Dance” that drew enthusiastic applause for Eri Nishihara. The Black Swan “Grand Pas de Deux” also occurs in the third act and Lane and Stearns did not disappoint. Their performance was elegant and enthusiastic.
BTW- While I understand the convention of applause after the pas de deux (and various displays of virtuosity), the dancers’ mid-performance bows break the flow of the dance and interrupt my enjoyment of the illusion the cast has worked so hard to create.
I always look forward to the big, classic ballet productions the Richmond Ballet offers each year around Valentine’s Day – except when the ballet is Romeo and Juliet because the I find the deaths of the young lovers depressing. Swan Lake has several versions – and endings – and I was happy to find that one of the happier endings was selected.
To clarify, Swan Lake tells the story of the beautiful Princess Odette who is turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer von Rothbart. (No explanation is ever offered, except that without this turn of events, there would be no ballet.) Prince Siegfried is celebrating his birthday with friends and his mother appears to tell him it’s time to get married and start adulting. This sends him into a depression, which he and his friends resolve to address with a hunting trip. Of course, he encounters Odette, who is allowed to appear in human form an hour each day, at midnight.
Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette and vows to break the evil spell on her with love. Von Rothbart will have none of this and shows up at the castle where the Queen Mother has assembled a half dozen prospective brides for her son to choose from – only von Rothbart brings his own daughter, Odile, disguised as Odette. Prince Siegfried falls for Odile and when he finds out he has been deceived; he rushes to the lake to reassure Odette of his love. This is where some versions have the lovers commit suicide, usually by drowning in the lake, but in this version Prince Siegfried battles the evil sorcerer von Rothbart (with some lovely lightening-like lighting effects), finally overcoming the spell and releasing Odette and the other captive swans from the evil spell. Odette returns to her human form, and she and Prince Siegfried live happily ever after.
Sometimes happily ever after is just what is needed. Swan Lake allows us to linger in the world of make-believe for nearly three hours (with two intermissions). It is a delight for the eyes, the ears, and the soul.
Julinda D. Lewis is a dancer, teacher, and writer who was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Eastern Henrico County.
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Photo Credits: Sarah Ferguson
