English National Ballet, Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall, June 2013

[alison]

No.

 

I suppose it's not on the cards for next year, and might not make it back to the RAH for a year or two.

[aileen]

Graham Watts suggested that this would be Daria's last *in-the-round* Swan Lake. It may be her last Swan Lake of any kind if the proscenium version is not performed for a while. I saw the performance tonight. There was terrific chemistry between Daria and Vadim and the swan corps was stunning. Vadim's solo in Act 1 was a thing of beauty. I don't think that there are many dancers who could dance it as well. His control and fluidity was breathtaking. Every movement by him (however small) on stage was elegant.

 

As for the production itself. The scale of it is jaw-dropping and the 60 swans bourreeing (I hope that's the right word) into all sorts of formations among the dry ice and under the blue light is an incredible sight. However, it is hard for the leads to make a real impact in their solos and pdds in the huge space. Smaller dancers are at a definite disadvantage IMO. Vadim succeeds because of his tall elegant physique and the sheer beauty of his dancing. Tonight he made an immediate impact upon his first entry when he crossed the whole length of the arena, turning as he went, at top speed but with incredible fluidity.

[Michelle_Richer]

I enjoyed the Saturday afternoon performance as all the decent seats we gone for the evening show when I accessed the website. In saying that, all in my box as we were in the grand tier, thought it was a fantastic show.

However I personally have a few reservations, firstly the choreography to accommodate a circular stage was brilliant, however I thought there were a few essential ingredients missing , mainly the in the entrance of odette there was virtually nothing in the way of odette’s mime, something all swan lakes have previously had. It helps tell the storey, otherwise its just dancing.

 

Act 1 first variation, the music started, I recognised it, I was sat on the edge of my seat, and then the performance fell flat. I know there were four rather than one performing to cover all angles of the audience, but when it came to the sissone / temps de fléiche combination, the sissonne was there but no temp de fléiche.

 

The entrance of the swans looked like little walks rather that petti jeté, the Waltz of the swans did not have the high développé walk of the four centre swans.

 

My thoughts at the end of the day, that the performance was not as technically challenging to the dancers as I had hoped, and for that I was a little disappointed as that is a ballet school that I belong.

[Thecatsmother]

Not sure where you are getting a temps de flèche in the act 1 solo or petit jetes in cygnets?

[Anna C]

I'm pretty sure that anyone dancing 8 shows a week of Swan Lake in the round would find it sufficiently technically challenging!

[aileen]

Michelle, I suspect that the mime was reduced in this production because of the in-the-round staging. There is more mime in the proscenium version. I'm not sure which Act 1 variation you are referring to. Regarding the choreography for the swan, if it is less technically challenging than in other productions then I imagine that this is more than compensated for by the challenges of moving into position for all the different arrangements of the corps and the huge size of the arena (that's why they sometimes had to run into the arena).

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Balleteacher

I’m sorry but I’m not sure what the scene is called in the ENB version, however I was thinking of its equivalent in the RB version. The Choreography is very very similar other than we have four dancers rather than a soloist as in the RB version.

 

As for Cygnets they were fine, I never mentioned them, It was entrance of the swans (Act 2) again I’m using the description of the RB version, but never the less it’s clearly identifiable, that walk is difficult to do with the height of the petit jete’s in the RB version and again that is something my ENB teacher has helped me with. The Kirov ballet uses a less demanding petit jete height for the same walk.

 

Aileen

I don’t think the point's I raised would not have compromised moving position in that large circular stage. Don’t get me wrong I still think it was a very good performance but I wouldn’t rate it as outstanding. If it had been my first Swan Lake the I guess I would have found it outstanding as I had nothing to compare it too.  I’m also down to see Bolshoi at the beginning of August, I wonder how they will compare.

 

 

[LinMM]

Am trying to remember choreography now off the top of my head but I believe there is a combination where the swans do something like step temps leve and then three petit jetes across the stage I can hear the music for that but not sure if Ive missed out any in between steps. I can't remember whether this comes just before the big pas de deux or in fact just after!! Without going to Youtube of course.

 

I have never seen the big Royal Albert Hall spectacular but I'm sure it's enjoyable in its own right as a spectacle which is what those swan lakes are about and if it attracts in some new ballet goers so much the better.

 

The usual Swan Lake will be a bit different as will be for smaller stage etc and therefore some of the poetry of it all may get lost in the big in the round production.

Last time I went to RAH was to see Shirley Bassey. She looked tiny from where I was sitting but boy did her voice travel amazing show!!

[Jan McNulty]

The thing is that every production, however much it may say it is based on the Petipa/Ivanov, is different!  They may all have the same components and the choreography will look similar but never-the-less there will be differences.  That is part of the joy of seeing different productions as well as different dancers in the same production.

 

Derek Deane translated his in-the-round production for proscenium performances (or the other way around) and they will look different.

 

People may enjoy some productions more than others but I prefer to go and see something without too much reference to other productions of the same work before I go.  If I do think about it too much I can find that my enjoyment is reduced because I am being too analytical about the differences.

 

I had an email from a friend this morning who had seen the performance last night (Klimentova/Muntagirov).  She said it was sensational!

Edited June 23, 2013 by Janet McNulty
Edited to change one word and show the lead dancers who performed

[capybara]

.

 

I had an email from a friend this morning who had seen the performance last night (Klimentova/Muntagirov).  She said it was sensational!

 

If it was, indeed, Daria's last performance in Swan Lake it was a wonderful way to close. The reception they received at the end was phenominal.

 

Regarding Ian's question (above), every ballerina must surely reach a stage where they no longer wish to dance the big classics but I'm hoping for many more years of Daria's magical partnership with Vadim.

[LinMM]

That bit of choreography in my above post may come in the last act come to think of it. So may not be bit Michelle is referring to.

[alison]

in the entrance of odette there was virtually nothing in the way of odette’s mime, something all swan lakes have previously had.

 

 

Generally speaking, not if they are Russian ones.

[LinMM]

No just found on YouTube it is the entrance of the swans in Act 2. And as described. Perhaps they were doing running steps instead of the jetes because of the stage area they had to cover at the RAH . Has somebody already said this getting déjà vu feeling

[aileen]

Lin, it was me who mentioned running and the size of the arena. I can't remember what they do in ENB's proscenium version.