NYCB Reviews 'Swan Lake' reviews

If Balanchine’s Jewels is the first 3 act plotless ballet then Martin’s Swan Lake is very first 4 act no plot ballet. Perhaps that is an exaggeration but it is certainly a highly dance-focused ballet. The dancing comes at you at a fast and furious pace. Some critics have called it the Swan Express! Nothing is allowed to get in the way of the dancing. The sets and costumes are kept to a bare minimum and most of the drama is stripped away. . Rothbert and the Queen have become little more then walk on roles.

The break neck speed (and only one intermission) have made possible for the New York City Ballet to utilise the entire score of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Only the alternate pas de deux (used in Balanchine Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux) is left out. This is contrast to most productions that eliminate the Pas de Six and the Russian Dance. This is a very welcome development as it is Tchaikovsky music more then anything else that makes this a great ballet. He deserves nothing but the full realisation of his great music.

It is a thrilling roller coaster ride of a Swan Lake, which will keep you on the edge of your seat. But it is done at the expense of feelings and emotional intensity. This is not a criticism. The emphasis on dance is a conscious artistic decision. I think balletomanes will have less of a problem with this. They are so familiar with the story that they could not care less if most of it is stripped away. But for those who are unfamiliar with Swan Lake will miss a lot of the emotional impact classical ballet can deliver. This is not Swan Lake to cry over.

This Swan Lake is primarily based on the Kirov production (with Jesters etc, goblet dance, pas de Trois etc) but has a lot of additional choreography by Martins. The divertissements are totally revised and some on Balanchine Act 2 version of Swan Lake has been incorporated. Overall I thought the new choreography was successful. There were some weak bits especially in the first act waltz. Even more disappointing was the rarely performed Russian dance! In fact it has become an Arabian dance! Its starts off well as the solo violin can convey an exotic atmosphere. But as the music gets faster the Arabian dance looked out of context the music.

However there were many good points. I particularly liked the “Pas de six” – actually a pas de Quatre danced to the pas de six music. The 6 Princess dance and the divertissements were also very effective. But the highlight of the evening was seeing the corp de ballet in Act 2 and Act 4. I think Balanchine did a very good in breathing new life into act 2 of Swan Lake in his own one act version. So I was very pleased to see a substantial amount of it in this production. Act 2/4 demonstrated the true glory of the New York City Ballet. The dazzling speed of the corp combined with superb choreography and the minimalist designs resulted in a quite amazing sight.

Perhaps towards the end of evening I began to find the dancing too much to take and my attention began to drift. It is like a dish with too much meat and not enough veg! This is certainly not the Northern Ballet Theatre!

The weakest point of this production was the design and costumes. I did not much care for the costumes in the first act. The sets in act 1 and 3 looked rather bare. But the worst dressed was the jester in hideous red or green jump suits. However most of the other costumes were so simple and light that it did not detract from the dancing.

The dancing of the New York City Ballet was outstanding at all levels. Few companies can field such a strong team of dancers and the NYCB. I particular liked Miranda Weese as Odette/Odile. She has great technical ability and a strong underlying lyricism in her steps. Despite the need to move through her steps at great speed she never lost her gracefulness or at all seemed rushed. Peter Boal was a very elegant Prince very much in the style of Sir Anthony Dowel. I also particularly liked Christopher Wheeldon in the Pas de Trois and Jennie Samoygi in Pas de Quatre.

So overall this one of the best Swan Lakes I have seen either on video or live in the theatre. I think that those who are not familiar with this ballet could do better. But if you are not fussy about plot or elaborate sets and just want to see lots of dancing this Swan Lake is for you!