All photos by Carolyn Teo/Coconuts
Another interpretation of one of the greatest romantic ballets of all time has graced Singapore’s stage once again and our inelegant self sure will not miss it.
Coconuts got dibs on opening day to see Swan Lake, one of the world’s most-loved ballet, at Sands Theatre in Marina Bay Sands last night.
Except this reporter knows nothing about ballet.
But I was game to sit still and try to fit in for the 161-minute performance that brought together the finest award-winning dancers from The United Ukrainian Ballet, which consists of dancers from Ukraine’s ballet houses such as The National Opera of Ukraine, Kharkiv Opera Theatre and Odesa Opera and Ballet Theatre.
Timings are extremely limited with only five showtimes throughout four days till Sunday. Each includes two intermissions, three acts and four scenes.
While there are way more qualified people that should be critiquing this instead of one whose only “prep” was rewatching Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan days before, we will go further than saying the classical ballet was filled with lots of twirly-whirlies and tippy toe-action, as the performance deserves.
I’ve never seen any adaptation of Swan Lake or a swan before. Unlike them, I’d like to think I am graceful in other forms.
A full page of the tale’s synopsis was given to every audience member prior to the show which we were expected to infer only from the dances.
TL;DR: Swan Lake is a coming-of-age story where Prince Siegfried, who just turned 21, is unsatisfied with life until his mother, the Queen, gives him a nifty crossbow and an ultimatum to choose a wife from a line of women he does not love in exchange for the heir to the throne. Unsurprisingly, he concedes and wanders off (not forgetting his crossbow) to find the Swan Queen aka Princess Odette, who had been cursed and turned into a swan. It can only be broken by a man who pledges his heart to her. But of course, that doesn’t come easy and a whole lot of trickery happens after.
The highly-acclaimed ballet originated from the jarring score of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who also composed for famed ballets like The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. It first premiered in Moscow in 1877 and became one of the most popular ballets of all time.
While there are countless adaptations since, this particular one has a commendable story of how the Corps de Ballet (what you call a team of ballerinas) fled their homeland in Ukraine to the Netherlands to continue dancing.
The show’s artistic direction is led by Igone de Jonge, former prima ballerina of the Dutch National Ballet with over two decades of ballet experience aka a pretty big deal. After the Russia-Ukraine war broke out early this year, Igone started The United Ukrainian Ballet Foundation to bring other Ukrainian dancers to the Netherlands for safety and to continue pursuing dance.
The more than 50 dancers have been living and rehearsing together at the former Royal Conservatoire building in The Hague supported by the Netherlands government.
It is already tough to keep audiences peeled throughout a regular two-hour play so imagine how mentally and physically demanding this close to three-hour performance with nonstop ballet and zero dialogue is.
Also, it might be challenging for the average audience to appreciate the art form to the fullest but the constant movement paired with the riveting score makes it easier to keep fixated. There was always something or someone you gravitated toward, whether it was the cheeky jester or Odette quietly appearing for a flash in the background.
And it’s not all just twirly-whirlies and tippy toes like we joked, there’s the impressive formations, the synchronized group performance where legs get crisscrossed while they were all interlocking their arms, and Odette pirouetting continuously for at least 20 times straight.
Throughout the show, every single one of the dancers swooped in and exited gracefully with minimal stomping on the ground.
Dialogues were replaced with lots of clapping after each individual or group performance. You’ll know when to do so as they proudly curtsy to the front and strike a pose.
Not to mention, the incredibly detailed costumes that acted as an extension of their dance. Tutus were bedazzled, headdresses screamed chic and the skin-tight leggings that one can’t help but stare at.
The multi-layered stage design brought everything together and made the stage seem even bigger, capturing the beauty and grandeur of the story. The scenes were set in a terrace garden, a lake and a ballroom of a Royal Palace.
The 161-minute show might have been slow at the start, repetitive at times, and could have expanded more toward the end but what do I know?
All I’m aware of is that while this was no Black Swan, nor should it be compared to, I fully appreciate the hard work of bringing an old tale to life and am grateful for ballet to take the stage once again for Singapore audiences. It has given me, and probably some other noobs, a newfound respect for ballet. And ballerinas are true athletes, that I’m sure.
Tickets start from S$55 with four more showtimes till Sunday.
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