>>PREVIEW
SWAN LAKE
National Ballet of Canada
Choreographed by James Kudelka
Runs September 16 and 17
Jubilee Auditorium
James Kudelka’s dark and dazzling interpretation of the classic Swan Lake is coming back to Calgary after its debut performance in 1999. And senior principal dancers of the National Ballet of Canada, Greta Hodgkinson and Aleksandar Antonijevic, who originated the lead roles in Kudelka’s version six years ago, will be here to dance the lead characters for the September 16 performance.
The acclaimed pair has toured the show several times, refining and integrating all the aspects of the former artistic director’s demanding choreography.
"There’s certainly more artistic freedom in our performance now that we don’t have to think so much about the technical parts," says Antonijevic.
Kudelka’s energetic, fast-paced and technically demanding choreography has given the traditional Swan Lake a new twist –it’s darker, more sensual and highly emotional, powerfully wedded to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s rapturous score. The performances are complemented by amazing sets and costumes (worth $1.6 million) created by famed designer Santo Loquasto, as well as evocative lighting by Robert Thomson, which together create the visual illusions and mythic ambience necessary to fully bring this fairy tale to life.
Its story of love, betrayal and death unfolds as the melancholic Prince Siegfried celebrates his 21st birthday surrounded by friends, locals and his mother the Queen, who are imploring him to marry. Unhappy with this proposition, Siegfried leaves the party and goes hunting swans. There, he encounters a radiant and beautiful white swan, Odette, and they fall in love. However, Rothbart, a menacing figure who holds the swans under a spell, disrupts their courtship and the two lovers must part.
In the second half of the show, four princesses dance for Siegfried, each hoping to win his heart and hand in marriage. Rothbart appears with another princess, Odile (the black swan), whom Siegfried marries, believing her to be his beloved Odette. The betrayal of his true love brings a disastrous flood that destroys the royal court, leaving Siegfried as the lone survivor. He seeks refuge by the lakeside, where he and Odette are reunited, but Rothbart reappears with a violent storm and eventually kills Siegfried, leaving Odette to mourn her lover’s death.
"Kudelka’s version of Swan Lake feels quite different from the traditional interpretation," says Hodgkinson. "The storyline is different, the drama and the emotion feels different, but the underlying theme of love and betrayal is the same."
The celebrated Canadian choreographer has also condensed the ballet into two acts (compared to its original four acts), which makes it more demanding for the dancers. "Kudelka likes to create tension in the body, which makes it very compelling to the eye. To achieve this effect, he has added many more steps and movements to the choreography," says Antonijevic.
But the hard work has paid off. In 2000, Hodgkinson was nominated for the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse and was hailed as giving the best performance by a female dancer by Dance Europe magazine for her role of Odette/Odile. "I like performing both roles because both are challenging in their own way," she says. "The white swan’s adage (slow, flowing movement) takes incredible stamina in the legs, while dancing the black swan requires a more technical whiz kind of thing."
While Hodgkinson and Antonijevic have fine-tuned their bodies and technique independently, years of dancing side-by-side has created a flawless synergy between them. Both say that they can tell each other just about anything, sometimes make fun of each other and share lots of laughs. But most importantly, both have the utmost respect for one another and approach their art with great integrity.
"We’ve spent so much time rehearsing together and we’ve grown through the ranks together. As a result, we’ve developed a very special connection and chemistry onstage," says Hodgkinson. "After 10 years of dancing together, we’ve reached a level of great comfort with one another – we can anticipate each other’s moves and take more risks."
"When we’re onstage," adds Antonijevic, "it feels spontaneous and fun." |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.