Last night, as the temperature plummeted to -2 to -3 degrees, my mum and I got all bundled up in faux fur coats and hats and went off to the theatre. We had tickets to see Swan Lake and we have been looking forward to it for months now. In the past couple of years we have booked tickets to see Swan Lake twice, but both times the performance was cancelled, firstly due to covid, then secondly because it was the Russian Ballet who were not allowed to tour the UK after the Russians invaded Ukraine. So it was something of a relief that this performance actually went ahead!
It was well worth the long wait. Swan Lake is my favourite ballet of all and I have seen it a few times. In fact, I try to get tickets whenever it is performed in my home city as I just love it so much. In my opinion, it is the very best ballet there is. You can't beat the classical ballets and Swan Lake is the best of the best. I also like that this particular ballet has different endings, so you never know which one you're going to see. The performance last night featured the original variation, where the Prince kills Rothbart, thereby breaking the spell and allowing Odette a happy ending. It was simply beautiful and I had tears in my eyes by the end.
The performance was given by the Varna International Ballet, which originated in Bulgaria, I believe. The costumes were obviously diaphanous and to-die-for gorgeous. The staging of the ballet was quite ethereal and imaginative. They had a huge screen as the backdrop on which were projections of a lake under a full moon, with swans flying and gliding along on the water. They also used a pretty pale blue-tinged lighting system and a fog machine, to give the stage the illusion of misty water. It was like gazing into a Scottish loch at twilight - so magical and enchanting.
Odette/Odile was danced to perfection by Martina Prefetto who spun like gossamer, gracefully casting a spell all of her own. The handsome Prince Siegfried was danced by Vittorio Scole and I was quite swept away by him. In this performance, the Prince is reading a book of fairytales about swan-maidens, so when he meets with Odette and her swan-maids, he is open to the magic she brings into his life, despite the difficulty of the curse that is laid upon her.
My favourite part of the ballet is always the swans and the Lake scenes. The sight of so many ballerinas all dressed in feathers and tulle, standing en pointe is like a vision from the Otherworld. Of course there is the iconic pas de quatre, or Dance of the Four Little Swans, which is well-known and very beautiful to watch. In this Varna variation however, there was also a stage full of black swans too and they looked amazing! I don't recall seeing this before in other versions of the ballet - usually all the swans are white, with the exception of Odile, most famous for her 32 fouettes. Seeing so many black swans dancing in formation was breath-taking and not something that I will ever forget. It was just so surprising and I love it when a Company do something a little bit different to a well known ballet, and make it work so well. So although it isn't part of the original ballet, it made sense that Odile would also have her own black swan-maid companions. I loved it!
It was an amazing performance. I did manage to get a couple of video clips, including the ensemble of black swans, so you can see it for yourself on my Twitter. My mum and I came out of the theatre smiling from ear to ear and not even the freezing weather could dampen our spirits. I got a program and some lovely souvenirs which all have a swan theme - a pretty silver hand mirror bearing a white swan on an icy blue lake, a matching pink blush compact featuring pink swans and the matching White Swan eyeshadow palette with white swans on the top and pinky-nude eyeshadows inside. All very pretty and whimsical additions to my vanity and lovely reminders of a fabulous, girly night out. They will give me a little sprinkling of the Swan Queen's magic each time I do my makeup.
And now its time to hibernate and start writing my next book, but for tonight I'm going to snuggle down by the fire and watch my Black Swan DVD, to try to prolong the exquisite enchantment of the Swan Queen and her sacred Lake. If you ever get a chance to see the Swan Lake ballet then I urge you to go. It really is the most beautiful ballet in the world, in all its variations. It should be on everyone's bucket list.
Serene Swan Blessings
Marie x
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