For ballerinas, Swan Lake is a sought-after, tough and rewarding double role: Odette the good swan and Odile the evil swan. But It all began with the music. In 1877 Tchaikovsky got the commission from the Bolshoi for a full-length ballet based on the Russian folk-tale of an enchanthed swan and the handsome prince who falls in love with her ; he composed a lush symphonic score that offers choreographers both languid melodic lines and lively melodies. (Familiar plot: boy meets swan, boy betrays & loses swan, swan commits suicide, boy despairs.) The Swan Lake we know today--indeed, the whole notion of ballerina-as-swan (one speaks of "a ballet of swans")--evolved from this specific piece of theater, grounded in the 19th century conventions of classical ballet, with its reliance on a rigid sequence of dances (waltz-solo-march-action scene).
In 1975, when they were at the Frankfurt Ballet, Kent Stowell and Francia Russell created their own Swan Lake. In 1981 they brought it to their new home at PNB, and in 2001 they came up with a new production (off-kilter set, colorful costumes, and a more dramatic, if ambiguous, ending).
At Opening Night, Kaori Nakamura danced Odette/Odile with exceptional grace, partnering with a stalwart Lucien Postelwaite. Subsequent performances will feature five other couples; PNB is nothing if not an equal-opportunity casting director. (The legendary Louise Nadeau performs on Saturday.) Also deserving of mention are Jonathan Porretta's antic acrobatics as the Jester and Olivier Wevers's looming presence as the evil Baron von Rothbart.
We've fallen out of the habit of roasting our own swans in this country. We do better by turkey, but it's a pity. By all accounts, swans are delicious. Certainly this is a delicious production, giblets and all.
Pacific Northwest Ballet presents Kent Stowell's Swan Lake, through April 19th at McCaw Hall. For tickets ($30-$150) call 206-441-2424 or go online.
Cygnets on parade. Above, Nakamura and Postlewaite. Photos © Angela Sterling.
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