The United Ukrainian Ballet. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 9 Nov 2022
The program notes start with a heart-felt and eloquent message from the producers Andrew Guild and Simon Bryce. They remark that “Before the dancers of The United Ukrainian Ballet even step upon the stage today they have triumphed. ….. As we present and perform Swan Lake, tragedies continue to unfold in Ukraine. We pray for a just end to the war. In working on this project, the gravity of the situation rarely leaves us. However today we celebrate. Today we dance.”
The United Ukrainian Ballet was formed barely six months ago from displaced Ukrainian dancers, and this begs the question why would they tour at all and why Swan Lake rather than something else? Perhaps it is because Swan Lake is one of the most popular and best known ballets ever to have graced a stage. Perhaps it is because the essence of the storyline is the triumph of good over evil. Perhaps it is because Swan Lake has political significance in Russia: it has been broadcast on Soviet-era radio and television at various times in the 1980s to point to the death of leaders in advance of any official word from the Kremlin. We can only hope. Perhaps it is for all these reasons, but whatever the reason, this evening’s opening night performance in the Adelaide Festival Theatre was indeed a triumph.
The storyline of Swan Lake has been tinkered with over the years to include a range of endings, and so for this production to use the ‘they live happily ever after’ conclusion was perhaps wise. The production was a joyous, beautiful, and stirring display of humanity at its best, and the final curtain call, at which immeasurable national pride and inspiring defiance was on full display, is something that will live in the hearts and minds of the emotional and cheering audience for a long time to come.
This reviewer is far from being an aficionado of dance and technique. Indeed, differentiating between a pirouette and a fouetté is a personal struggle, and the difference between a pas de trois and pas de quatre is just about the numbers, isn’t it? What this reviewer can say, unequivocally, is that one cannot help but be impressed with the beauty and athleticism on display from the dancers. Kateryna Chebykina in the dual roles of Odette and Odile is grace and beauty personified, as she breathes individuality into both characters. Oleksii Kniazkov dances Prince Siegfried alongside her and convincingly portrays the lonely royal who must marry for the good of the state rather than for love. Kniazkov is regal but also appropriately boyish when he is first smitten by the sight of Odette. Chebykina and Kniazkov are perfect together, and their duets are a highlight of the production.
Oleksiy Grishun plays Rothbart with great menace and guile. Although he is smaller in body compared to Kniazkov, his strength of characterisation threatens to diminish all those around him.
But no one on stage eclipses the Jester, nimbly performed by Pavlo Zurnadzhi with great humour and presence. In the great tradition of Falstaff, the Jester’s antics and insolence is tolerated by the court, and Zurnadzhi imbues the role with comical arrogance has he leaps and scampers his way around the stage, and encourages the audience to applaud, but he didn’t need to!
Ganna Surmina as the Queen and Viktor Lytvynenko as the Tutor dance their roles with assuredness and dignity.
The ‘signature’ dances of Swan lake are performed with great style and skill, and delight the appreciative audience who react with spontaneous applause.. The Dance of the Little Swans, danced by Anastasiia Bakum, Polina Dzhura, Alvina Krout and Daria Manoilo, is just beautiful. They dance with precision but also with tenderness and innocence. The Pas de Trois in Act 1 is performed by Daria Manoilo, Nikita Potapchuk and Vasylysa Nykyforova, and it too meets expectations with exquisite lines, balance, and poise. A joy to behold. The Big Swans are elegantly and strongly danced by Ella Mansford and Lara Paraschiv.
Also impressive is the corps de ballet, and their performances of the Spanish, Hungarian and Neapolitan dances, and the Mazurka, brim with life and joie de vivre.
This is a very traditional production of Swan Lake. The sumptuous sets comprise painted back drops that are richly detailed. Pleasingly, for this reviewer, not a giant LCD screen is in evidence! The costumes are also traditional and beautifully constructed with a rich palette of fabrics and finishes. On a less positive note, the company danced to a recorded soundtrack of Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, but it lacked dynamic balance and was at times languid. To the credit of the dancers, the absence of a conductor in front of a live orchestra largely did not matter, with perhaps the exception of several of the adagio routines in which perfect synchronisation of movement was occasionally lacking.
This production is a triumph of the human spirit, and it is also great art. Igone Jongh, the artistic leader of the company, has succeeded in realising her vision, and the dancers of the company have our admiration.
Brava!
Kym Clayton
When: 9 to 13 Nov
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: premier.ticketek.com.au
