By Amy Baird
BYU Theatre Ballet and BYU Philharmonic Orchestra combine exacting precision and passionate emotion to bring to life Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Gerald Arpino’s Reflections and in Ballet in Concert: Swan Lake performed at the de Jong Concert Hall at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Even after 200 years, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake remains one of the most popular ballets of all time. The reason for its success is the timeless love story combined with the exquisite choreography that showcases the skill of the dancers. Prince Siegfried discovers a lake with swans and as dusk falls, the queen swan transforms into a beautiful woman, Odette. The evil Rothbart has cast a spell that keeps Odette and the others in the bodies of swans. Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette and hopes to break the spell by proposing at the ball. However, Rothbart presents his daughter Odile as Odette and causes Siegfried to propose to the wrong girl. Siegfried is heartbroken and runs to Odette. They both jump off the cliff and break the spell.
Ryan Hatch brings Prince Siegfried to life with sensitivity and strength. His dancing prowess is unmatched. Alex Marshall portrays Odette with elegance and grace. Alexander Gibson uses physical mannerisms and movement to portray the sinister Von Rothbart. Although her time on stage is brief, Addy Boll mesmerizes the crowd as Odile with her marathon of leaps and pirouettes. The ensemble brings the group numbers to life with elegance and grace. The Swan Corps de Ballet is visually stunning as the stage is filled with dancing swans. The ensemble’s precision and near-perfect synchronization is stunning to behold. The choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov provides a classic interpretation of Swan Lake.
The evening also features a performance of Gerald Arpino’s Reflections. These short performances are full of energy and life. The music by Tchaikovsky sets the mood. The most powerful part of the performance is the expert cello playing by Michelle Kesler. At some points in the performance, the only sound on the stage is the ballet slippers and the deep sound of the cello. The range of notes and the richness of the sound on the cello solos is phenomenal. I was not familiar with Reflections, but it ended up being my favorite part of the entire evening.
Pas de Deux #3 with Ryan Hatch and Sophie Kunzelman is a breathtaking love story danced with passion and emotion. The give and take of the dancers is beautiful to watch. Every dance in the Reflections series is marked by impressive lifts and impossibly high kicks.
Ballet in Concert: Swan Lake was the creation of Artistic Director Shayla Bott with assistant directors Ashley Ivory Parov and Hilary Wolfley. The combination of two dramatically different dance performances united by a common composer, Tchaikovsky, creates a rich, engaging show. The costume choices by costumer Priscilla Hao was carefully informed by the theme of the numbers. The simple, pure movement of the Arpino pieces are complimented by the simple leotards that maintain the focus on the clear lines while the ornate, gorgeous costumes of Swan Lake capture the elegance of the dance. The subtle lighting choices by lighting designer Michael G. Handley fit the mood for the various pieces.
The performance would have been wanting without the talented accompaniment by the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Kory Katseanes. The emotion and skill of the orchestra is unparalleled and enhanced the performance.
Ballet in Concert: Swan Lake showcases the excellence of the BYU Theatre Ballet and BYU Philharmonic Orchestra. The juxtaposition of Reflections and Swan Lake illustrates the range of the BYU Theatre Ballet. Reflections provides a perfect execution of Arpino’s signature style of ballet with its fast pace and high lifts. Whereas, Swan Lake illustrates the classic elegance of traditional ballet. The passion and precision of the dancers is spellbinding to watch. This is a family friendly production and especially fun for the little ballerina in your life, or the ballerina you wish you’d been.
BYU Theatre Ballet and BYU Philharmonic Orchestra present Ballet in Concert: Swan Lake, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Brigham Young University, De Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, 800 E Campus Dr, Provo, UT 84602
January 23-25, 7:30 PM, Saturday Matinee January 25, 2:00 PM
Tickets: Adult: $16, Faculty/Staff $14, and Children $9. No children under age 4 admitted.
Contact: 801-422-2981
BYU Theatre Ballet Webpage
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