ENB Swan Lake Reviews all ENB reviews ENB performances ENB in InterViews, News

Since its first outing, Swan Lake has been tweaked here and there. Most notably out go the ramps at the sides to get dancers on stage from below. A shame, I thought they worked rather well. I'm not sure if Rothbart's entrance has changed but it all happened centre stage and using a trap-door to great effect. Someday I suppose an EU twit will ban traps (and fireworks also) and our lives will be all the safer if much duller. 19th Century ballets were full of all manner of impressive stage tricks and they still appeal to the most of us. Let others search for the deepest of meanings in everything and shiver at what they see as common. The rest of us can just enjoy the show secure in the knowledge that the original Swan Lake was designed to impress too!

The last opening night we all had our eyes on Altynai Asylmuratova, without a shadow of doubt one of the very best ballerinas in the world, and her young partner Roberto Bolle. This time the opening went to Thomas Edur and Margaret Illmann (replacing an injured Agnes Oaks - Mrs Edur in fact). In the event Illmann, who seems only to guest these days, looked rather ill at ease. Perhaps it was the floor causing problems - at the rehearsal earlier that day Tamara Rojo was said to have had terrible problems with it and for the second night the floor was relaid. Whatever the reason Illmann did not really seem to 'connect' with the audience and what looked like a party piece in the 32 fouettees, of putting her hands on her hips for some turns, did not really come off, and she lost her footing a number of times. Edur, as people never tire of saying, is the Prince personified. He doesn't act it, he is it. And, as people again never tire of saying, what marvellous technique. Once or twice I thought he moderated himself, I suspect because of the floor again - it was very noisy.

Any small problems aside everybody seemed to enjoy the opening night and while Illmann did not perhaps sparkle, Paul Lewis as Rothbart made everybody shiver and the corps of swans looked particularly impressive having honed their patterns and timing on the recent Far East tour. Two years ago there was much talk about whether ballet could really be effective in the round, but it didn't really enter my mind this time. The reality is that good dancers look good from almost any direction and in any case Derek Deane's production often doubles or quadruples up on soloists' roles so you still get to see many things straight on, if that's important to you. The other thing to mention is the lighting (Howard Harrison) which does a very good job of making such a big space magical and intimate.

The second night featured Tamara Rojo and Patrick Armand.

Rojo should need no introduction and was everbody's 'find' last year when she did the opening night Juliet. Since then she seems to have been mysteriously underused.

Armand used to be with London Festival Ballet/ENB in the 1980's but then went walkabout, mainly working in Boston, but also guesting with many companies around the world. The ENB Artistic Director, Derek Deane, always feels free to talk controversially, especially if it helps with publicity for a season, and this years heartfelt 'wind up' was to talk about British ballerinas having the wrong body shape, being too 'bummy' and 'titty' for the needs of modern companies. Fine, I suppose - but why on earth does Deane then go out and hire a dancer with the male equivalents of what he detests?! If you have not seen Armand I think I would describe him as not tall and not lean.

Armand had a pretty terrible time and I think many of us witnessed some of the heaviest landings we have seen and heard for years. He also looked ill at ease with Rojo and is possibly a little short for her. Even the most unseasoned ballet goers - of which there are many in the audience - could see that this was not how things should be. But it was not all grim and in the softer parts of the choreography Armand was very mannered in his technique and one could start to appreciate how he won the Prix de Lausanne back in 1980. Perhaps the floor was causing problems again.

Tamara Rojo acted her heart out and, unusually, was equally good as Odette and Odile. And there were no sign of the problems people had mentioned in rehearsal. She is frighteningly naturalistic and touching and like last year the audience really got behind her.

Hindsight being a marvellous thing, it's now obvious that an opening night of Edur and Rojo would have been just amazing. For those planning to see ENB in Manchester or Birmingham, there could be a treat in store because they are currently scheduled to dance some performances together.

I've naturally tended to concentrate on the dancers since they effectively represented the new in Swan Lake for me and if some were some good and some had problems, none of that detracts from what is a fine production that pleases people.

Next year the company are doing Sleeping Beauty and one suspects that more international touring will follow at some point - the recent Far East tour seemed to go very well. Hopefully all of this is generating some money for the company, money which I hope goes into new work and a wider repertoire. I'm very supportive of ballet doing populist things and reaching out to new audiences in new ways. But the populist things of tomorrow are the new things of today and some energy and money needs to go into renewal and pushing the art and audience forward. The concern is that ENB may become too hooked on todays success.

None of this should be seen to detract from ENB's obvious success at a time when other institutions, with far greater subsidy, have done not so much for the wider ballet and dance cause.