If you’ve never seen “Swan Lake”, now’s the time! Cork City Ballet is back, and the company’s first full length production of this ballet lays claim to a legacy that extends back to its premiere at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1895.
But even if you think you know “Swan Lake”, arguably the world’s most beloved ballet, few in Ireland will be familiar with CCB’s new version, which features six male swans in a corps de ballet of eighteen dancers.
Speaking at the recent launch of the company’s production, Artistic Director Alan Foley said: “unlike the unalloyed tragedy most people cherish, this version ends with a fairy-tale twist. I and Yuri Demakov have re-produced the original Petipa/Ivanov choreography where the prince destroys the evil sorcerer Rothbart, and is joyfully reunited with the Swan Queen”.
Cork City Ballet’s new production promises to be spectacular, from the opulent costumes to the alluring sets, especially the opening scene’s gold-tinged, tree-framed park in the shadow of the great castle and lake.
All the well-loved elements are still in place including the “white acts”, with the famous cygnets dance for four girls; the exquisite white swan pas de deux; and the Act 3 climactic Black Swan pas de deux complete with thirty two fouettes. But the most surprising thrill is in the corps de ballet where Foley and Demakov have used the male soloists to great effect including a new version of the big swans dance performed by men. They display impressive technical facility and stylistic cohesion, and seem to breathe as one, dancing as if the music is in their bones.
Swan Lake opens at the Cork Opera House on Wednesday 24th November at 8pm until Saturday 27th November, with a matinee on Saturday at 2.30pm, and concludes with a special Gala performance on Saturday evening at 8pm.
24th October, 2010
