SWAN LAKE
I t’s the most recognisable ballet music ever written. Play just a few bars from Swan Lake and most people, dance fans or not, will recognise where it comes from. And a stage full of tutu- clad ballerinas dancing in unison, while Tchaikovsky’s score brings a collective lump to the throat, is the archetypal image of classical ballet. In short, re-branding Swan Lake isn’t easy. But British choreographer David Dawson is about to do just that with his new production for Scottish Ballet. Dawson himself calls Swan Lake ‘the Mona Lisa of ballets’, and has had to push aside the four-act Lev Ivanov / Marius Petipa version which companies have been performing in one guise or another for over 100 years, and create his own two-act ballet.
At the heart of this romantic tragedy is the love story of Prince Siegfried and the vulnerable Princess Odette. Theirs is a love affair severely hampered by Odette’s transformation into a swan during daylight hours, due to a curse by the evil Von Rothbart. Or at least that’s how it used to be. Dawson’s version gives Odette far more autonomy over her own existence. Now she’s a strong woman rather than a victim, allowing principal dancer Sophie Martin more freedom to create a role she can believe in. ‘I think it will be easier to play her this way,’ says Martin. ‘I’m not sure how I would portray her the other way; there would be an awkwardness. David’s movement is quite free and that doesn’t i t with somebody who feels trapped, so it’s better if she’s not a victim. David sees her more as a goddess, so I’ll try to keep her soft but not boring!’
The l ipside to Odette is the seductive Odile, a ‘Black Swan’ who fools Siegfried into thinking (also she’s Odette The dual roles are played by Martin).
widely recognised
as being the toughest but most exciting challenge in classical ballet. ‘It will be the i rst time I’ve danced two characters in one night,’ says Martin. ‘Technically it’s a big challenge and I need to make sure I don’t get lost in that and still think about the storytelling. But the choreography will help me: I’ll be more coni dent as the Black Swan in act two and in the way I attack the solo. And of course the way I look will make a big difference.’ Ah yes, the costumes: a fundamental aspect of any traditional Swan Lake but shaken up here to the point where all the female costumes from the ‘big white’ scene can i t into one suitcase. This is all the better to see Dawson’s choreography and not get bogged down in what he calls ‘the velvet and the swag’. Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond stands Prince Siegfried, a character also in receipt of a much needed makeover. ‘I don’t see him as a prince,’ says principal dancer Christopher Harrison. ‘I see him as somebody who is very normal. He’s insecure, lonely, i nds it difi cult to make a connection to people but wants to be loved and to love somebody back.’
For both Harrison and Martin, taking on the roles of Siegfried and Odette is a career highlight, especially with Dawson at the helm. ‘It’s bizarre,’ says Harrison with a laugh, ‘because as a kid I watched amazing dancers perform Siegfried and to see my name next to that role is going to be pretty awesome. It’s a great opportunity. Swan Lake hasn’t been in the Scottish Ballet repertoire for such a long time, and with one of the best choreographers of his generation creating it, this is going to be an iconic production for the company.’
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 19–Sat 23 Apr; Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Wed 25–Sat 28 May.
Forget wicked spells and tutus as the world’s most popular ballet gets an exciting new makeover by Scottish Ballet. Kelly Apter speaks to its two lead dancers about the dual drama at the story’s heart
TWIN PEAKS 40 THE LIST 7 Apr–2 Jun 2016