The Australian Ballet. Festival Theatre. 26 May 16
The audience murmurs as the orchestra pit is lit up and the hum of wind instruments begins to play. The curtain rises revealing a palace terrace by a dark and mysterious lake; the water’s edge glistening in the full moonlight.
The magic of Tchaikovsky’s score, the archetypal characters, and of course the dancing, is what has drawn audiences to Swan Lake for the last 100 years.
In 2012 Stephen Baynes adapted the Swan Lake of the 1890s, reinventing the choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov whilst maintaining the moments most loved by audiences; including the Danses des petites cygnet. Blending the traditional with a modern undertaking definitely gives the ballet a more cohesive storyline that runs through the four acts.
Artistic Director, David McAllister wanted a traditional production to stand beside the Graeme Murphy reinvention of the last decade. Stephen Baynes admittedly abides by the traditional choreography for Act II, and the Black Swan Pas de deux of Act III, otherwise the rest is all him.
The most outstanding reinvention by Baynes is undoubtedly Act IV: The Night. The Lake, where the swans lift and hover en pointe, gliding across the stage like birds in flight. The corps de ballet swans are exquisite and exude elegance and grace as they perform pirouettes with precision, swaying through arm movements; croise, croise devant, ecarte, ecarte devant, efface, and efface devant with such simplicity and beauty it leaves the audience gasping for more.
The dual role of Odette/Odile is the pinnacle role for any principal ballerina, the role requires the principal to channel various different sensibilities; she must embody a swan, a tragic princess, and a scheming seductress. Amber Scott does not disappoint as Odette/Odile. She embodies all of these qualities and fascinates the audience with the state of peace with which she performs each sequence. Adam Bull as Prince Seigfried is a strong male lead who executes grand jetes with amazing technique and skill.
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra under guest conductor Andrew Mogrelia are outstanding. The orchestra epitomises the melodious and imaginatively constructed dramaticism of the ballet, accompanying the storyline like a graceful pas de deux partner.
The Australian Ballet Company's Swan Lake does not disappoint and further reiterates why audiences will continue to flock to see it for the next 100 years.
Jaymi Humphreys
When: 26 to 31 May
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: bass.net.au
Photography by Daniel Boud & Kate Longley
