Dance is a negotiation. As with any translation, the adaptation of a story into dance is based on compromise. In ballet, this results in a negotiation between technique and the conveyance of emotion. A director will attempt to strike a balance between the two that results in a happy audience. In some forms of dance, this may weigh heavier upon the emotive end of the scale. In classical ballet, the scales tend to be weighted toward technique.
The birds
Dance is a negotiation.
As with any translation, the adaptation of a story into dance is based on compromise. In ballet, this results in a negotiation between technique and the conveyance of emotion. A director will attempt to strike a balance between the two that results in a happy audience. In some forms of dance, this may weigh heavier upon the emotive end of the scale. In classical ballet, the scales tend to be weighted toward technique.
Swan Lake is the quintessential 19th century classical story ballet. Despite having a story to tell, the focus is traditionally placed upon the execution of technically superb performance, with the plot in a secondary position.
Oregon Ballet Theatre’s production, choreographed by Christopher Stowell, looks primarily to the 1895 version of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov as inspiration. This time-honored interpretation coupled with Tchaikovsky’s score, as conducted by the talented Niel Deponte, makes for a stunning three hours of dance.
Swan Lake is the story of Prince Siegfried, danced by Ronnie Underwood. The first act focuses on his birthday celebration.
Numerous dances commemorate his maturation. As a humorous element, his tutor, played by a wonderful Kevin Poe, drunkenly toasts the celebratory day, tips glasses upside down for wayward drops of wine and lifts his skirts jauntily while dancing with the little girls of the village.
The Queen, Damara Bennett, also makes an appearance. Placing emphasis upon Siegfried ‘s newly achieved status as a man, the queen bestows both a crossbow and the heavy burden of responsibility upon her son. Seeking refuge from both the revelry and the responsibility, Prince Siegfried runs into the forest, crossbow in hand, to hunt the swans flying overhead.
Before Prince Siegfried arrives in the woods, the audience watches as Baron Von Rothbart, Artur Sultanov, creeps about, spreading bad vibes to the general populace. His costume is based primarily on a very tight pair of pants coupled with the largest cape in all of modern dance.
Apparently, Rothbart has transformed a group of women into swans and they can only return to human form between midnight and dawn. As the audience senses, these may be the best hours for falling in love. Prince Siegfried enters the woods, only to find Swan Queen Odette, Yuka Iino.
With her, he experiences perfect love. She explains that only the man who swears eternal fidelity can break the curse that binds her and her maidens to their bird forms. Von Rothbart returns and magically pulls Odette from the prince’s arms.
The following act is Siegfried’s birthday ball. The queen arranges for Siegfried to meet and dance with a number of prospective brides, but his mind is still upon the lovely Odette. Unfortunately, the baron has sensed Siegfried’s allegiance to the Swan Queen and the danger it marks for his spell.
In an effort to undermine the lovers, Von Rothbart disguises himself as a count and his daughter, Odile, as the Swan Queen, Odette. Yuka Iino also dances the part of Odile. As dancers from around the globe entertain the guests, Odile ensnares Siegfried. Once he has pledged his love to her, the baron reveals the treachery and the court is plunged into chaos.
Returning to Swan Lake to find his love, Siegfried finds a terrible storm brewing. Odette forgives his lapse in fidelity, but she is doomed to remain a swan.
The sets for this production are beyond belief. No, literally.
This was my first ballet performance at the Keller Auditorium, and though I was initially confused by the three intermissions, it soon became clear that they were needed in order to install some of the most amazing sets I have ever witnessed in live performance.
According to other viewers of the ballet, the Underwood/Iino pairing which performed on opening night, is the more technically proficient pair filling those roles. And, the Sultanov/Roper pairing on alternate performances falls on the emotive end of the spectrum. Though I would argue that the show is worth seeing twice, if you can, unfortunately, only manage one performance, you may want to seek out the leads who you would prefer to see populating one of the finest stages this city has ever rendered.
Swan LakeOregon Ballet TheatreThrough Oct. 18Matinees at 2 p.m. Evenings at 7:30 p.m.Student tickets $22.50 and up
