It was so inspiring, knowing that the last time I saw Swan Lake, it was the middle of audition season, and I was desperately vying for a ballet school place. This time, I was in New York City, a summer intensive student of the Joffrey Ballet School- with a Ballet West place for September. I am so grateful to have such supportive friends and family- and the most amazing ballet teacher I could ever wish for- who help me to achieve my dreams.
Anyway! I particularly enjoyed the act 1 pas de trois in Swan Lake, and the entrance of the corps de ballet swans, as I knew the choreography for both scenes. The dancer who performed the first solo in the pas de trois had an interesting sense of musicality; she seemed to dance through the music on the opening section- echappe releve, attitude devant, derrière, entrechat six- as opposed to using the counts and holding each releve.
I was delighted to see Misty Copeland- who yesterday became the first woman of African-American descent to ever become Principal of American Ballet Theater- dance in the Cygnets pas de quatre. Her stage presence was phenomenal; she danced with effortless strength and grace. It is so inspirational to know how Misty defied the odds; she doesn't fit the "ideal ballerina" stereotype, but she was determined to succeed- so she did.
Isabella Boylston's Odette had a beautiful sense of sensitivity and vulnerability, her first pas de deux with Seigfried was enchantingly delicate and emotive. Personally, I preferred her as Odette rather than Odile; in the act 3 pas de deux, her turns lacked the vitriolic dynamic of the black swan, and although she neatly executed the iconic fouetté turns in the coda, she travelled significantly, lacking the spectacular virtuosity of dancers such as Tamara Rojo or Miko Fogarty.
In contrast, Danil Simkin dazzled in Seigfried's act 3 solo: his leaps had spectacular ballon, and he attacked the pirouettes with a vivacious sense of determination.
The ballet's ending was considerably more tragic than that of the Russian version; both Seigfried and Odette died in the lake, followed by Von Rothbart's demise, as unconditional love vanquished his evil powers.
As the spine-tingling chords of the final theme played, an image of a slowly rising sun illuminated the backdrop, as the corps de ballet swans grieved for Odette and Seigfried, immaculately precise in their positioning. With no image of Seigfried and Odette reunited in heaven, the sunrise seemed despondent, bearing the truth that even love cannot overpower deceit and evil; life goes on, bearing no regard to human sorrow.
Nonetheless, although the ballet was deeply emotional rather than uplifting, it was phenomenally inspiring, to see one of the best companies in the world perform in such an incredibly beautiful theatre.
No comments:
Post a Comment