Enter the lavish Boston Opera House and feast your eyes upon the plush curtain draped across the stage. It is just minutes until performance time and patrons are milling about and whispering with excitement. Little girls are adorned with tiaras and ruffled dresses, accompanied by doting parents. Diamond chandeliers hang from the ceiling, bathing the theater in a romantic glow. The lights dim and the crowd hushes: the show is about to begin and the ballerinas will take their places and exert their prowess.
Boston Ballet’s production of Swan Lake, which ran from Oct. 30 – Nov. 16, proved no exception in showcasing the unparalleled talent and capability of the company’s impeccable dancers. The production is a world premiere by the Boston Ballet artistic director Mikko Nissinen, who has choreographed some of the company’s other ballets including The Nutcracker and has commissioned works such as The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere and Don Quixote.
Swan Lake tells the story of a young woman, Odette, and her friends who are tricked by a sorcerer, Von Rothbart, and turned into swans, a curse only curable by a proclamation of love. A prince, Siegfried, is being pressured into finding a suitable bride to showcase at the upcoming ball. After a day of hunting by the lake, Siegfried spots Odette and falls in love with her as the sorcerer looks on. At the ball, Siegfried is dissatisfied with all his potential suitors until he sees a woman whom he presumes to be Odette disguised in masquerade attire. The woman is actually Rothbart’s sister who tricks Siegfried into falling in love with her, thus forcing Siegfried to betray Odette. Although Odette and Siegfried are ultimately reunited and defeat Rothbart, Odette and her friends remain trapped by the curse. Destined to be a swan forever, Odette dismally returns to the lake followed by Siegfried, who is solemnly overtaken by the waves.
The ballet featured stunning choreography commanded by masterful artists. Nissinen outdid himself with elaborate formations which proved aesthetically pleasing to audience members. The swan corps glided across the stage in circular weaving patterns which unraveled into rows of straight lines, formed sharp “V” shapes, and performed in concentric circles around their “swan mother,” Odette.
The partnering was also performed with much skill. The male dancers provided great support for their female counterparts, especially in daunting ponches where the females had to place blind trust in their partners (literally “blind” for they could not watch as their male partner counterbalanced their weight from behind by holding their hand as they leaned forward at a nearly 180 degree angle).
The male leads also exuded strength and effortlessness, appearing to defy gravity as they reached great heights in their jumps and beats. Rothbart, played by Sabi Varga, blazed across the stage with his leaping turns and commanding presence, while the prince, played by Eris Nezha, exerted control and finesse as Odette’s lover. While a few miniscule fumbles could be discernible to the expert’s eye, the ballet showcased the talent and stamina of its dancers.
Ashley Ellis, the female lead who played both Odette and Odile, was also very powerful. In her stunning court solo, she performed 32 consecutive fouetté (whip) turns. Her beautiful and articulate movements proved strong yet fluid in emulating swan-like qualities. Her quick feet and flowing arms stood out as staples of her character.
The cast of the ballet switched every performance, so that audiences experienced slightly different shows. Thus the lead soloists and corps alternated between different company members for each show. Odette/Odile was also played by Misa Kuranaga, Lia Cirio and Anaïs Chalendard; Prince Siegfried by Jeffrey Cirio, Lasha Khozashvili and Paulo Arrais; and Rothbart by Lasha Khozashvili, Yury Yanowsky and Bo Busby.
In addition to esteemed dancers and choreography, the ballet featured beautiful costumes and innovative set designs. For each performance, 127 handmade costumes were used and over 34,000 square feet of fabric was painted by hand in Massachusetts. The colorful ball scene displayed a variety of culturally diverse and lively ensembles. Most notably, Odile’s stunning black costume was composed of over 4,000 crystal jewels.
Odette and her swans also exuded grace and beauty in their stunning white tutus and sparkling feather headpieces, surrounded by an ethereal mist against the artful backdrop of a lake scene. The ballet’s final somber tone proved poignant as Rothbart lay dead on the shores of the lake and the swans solemnly bowed their heads after Odette and Siegfried disappeared into the darkness. Throughout the show, the sets were even so elaborate that the curtain would intermittently go down to allow for set changes.
A visually spectacular piece of artistry, combined with a classic story and Tchaikovsky score, made Swan Lake a notable contribution to Boston Ballet’s repertoire.
Don’t forget to check out Boston Ballet’s upcoming Christmas tale The Nutcracker, starting Thursday, Dec. 11. (You can even purchase student rush tickets for $20, but make sure to get to the venue at least two hours before the show because those tickets sell out extremely fast!)