Page 24 - The Noise September 2016

SWAn lAKe: rUSSiAn GrAnd bAlleT
if you’ve never been to the ballet, chances are you’re familiar with at least one of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s orchestrations now entombed into the popular meme. Swan Lake, together with The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, forms part of the “big three” of Russian 19th Century ballets.
Tchaikovsky, who originally went to school for civil engineering and opted for a career in music relatively late in life, premiered Swan Lake in 1877 as the first of his ballets.
Though it initially flopped with Moscow’s cultural elite, its revival 20 years later led to one of the most recognizable melodies the world over (Song of the Swans), and the entire work is considered one of the most popular ballets of all time. By many critical notes, Swan Lake raised both ballet music and dance as an art form to new heights, and it has since enjoyed a touring regimen seldom surpassed by other productions.
While moviegoers will remember the ballet as the background to the box office thriller Black Swan, theatergoers may recall the evocative themes of the original: the heroine who is transformed into a swan by a vengeful kidnapper, regains human form temporarily at nightfall, and may only break her kidnapper’s spell by finding a suitor who’ll remain faithful to her. The rest of the story, of course, is nothing shy of riveting archetypical theatre.
“There’s good reason why Swan Lake is so often called the‘ballet of all ballets,’”says Vladi- mir Troshchenko, whose troupe, the russian Grand Ballet, will be performing the piece Wednesday, October 12 at Yavapai college Performing Arts center. “The combination of pure romanticism, the story about love and deception and Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet music all continue to reach new generations of audiences.”
Adds the troupe’s Artistic Director, constantine Pinchuk: “We know the interest for Swan Lake is enormous ... It is an important part of the repertoire of all of the major classical bal- let companies in the world. Everyone can recall the main Swan Lake Theme and the Little Swans Dance Theme. It is a beautiful fairy tale, also full of technical and dramatic challenges.
“And it’s been said that dancing the lead in Swan Lake, for example, is like climbing Mount Everest or playing Hamlet. The principal dances two roles — the black swan and the white
by leOn GUlWicK
swan — and both birds go through a lot: changing from swan to human, falling in love and getting tricked and jilted, not to mention the duets and solos. At one point, the Swan Queen performs 32 fouettes. So, the bottom line is: Swan Lake is a masterpiece of classical ballet and in my personal opinion, it should be experienced at least once in one’s lifetime.”
A touring troupe 15 years in the making, the russian Grand Ballet was founded by grad- uates from the choreographic schools of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev. The company has established a reputation for talent and versatility with both full-length traditional bal- lets and shorter ‘divertissements.’ Its Ballet Master, Mr. Troshchenko, is highly dedicated to the tradition of classical Russian ballet, and he personally selected the principal dancers of the company, who came from the upper ranks of Russia’s great ballet academies.
Today, the Russian Grand Ballet is its own institution, with over 50 dancers. Following its successful US debut at over 25 theaters across the country during the 2015 Northern Ameri- can Tour, the troupe returns this year, with a stop in Prescott. “Prescott’s growing art scene makes it the perfect location for the Russian Grand Ballet’s Swan Lake performance. It is an incredible opportunity for both the younger and older generations to experience the arts and enjoy a ballet classic,” says Mr. Troschenko.
For Swan Lake, olga Kifyak is dancing Odile/Odette, with Eugeniy svetlitsa as Prince Siegfried. Both will be supported by Antonina radiyevskaya, Viktoriya Velasquez and constantine Mayorov performing Swan Lake Pas de Trois for the 35-city North American tour.
Based on Russian folklore and German legend, Swan Lake follows a heroic young prince as he works to free the beautiful swan maiden from an evil spell. The ballet is in three acts with two intermissions, with music by Tchaikovsky, choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and libretto by Vladimir Begichev and Vasily Getzer. Running time is approximately 21⁄2 hours.
Tickets for the October 12th performance are available now and can be purchased through YCPAC.com, by phone at 877-928-4253, or in person at the Box Office.
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