SKU: p1544
Sooner or later, every ballerina worth her salt will want to perform in famous act of the world's most famous ballet; that is, Act 11 of Swan Lake, of course. It is the creme de la creme of ballet roles, the part to which every ballerina aspires.
It is in Act II that Odette, the beautiful Swan Queen, first appears. The scene is set beside a lake made from the tears of Odette's mother, on the occasion of the villanous magician Von Rothbart having cast a spell on her daughter. Odette is allowed to be a woman only from midnight till dawn each day. At all other times she is the lovely Queen of the Swans, and the spell can only be broken when a man promises to love her and no other for eternity.
When Prince Siegfried sees the Swan Queen, he falls in love at first sight and pledges his eternal love to her. He invites her to the ball to be held the following night, at which he must select a bride. This romantic solution will both end the spell Odette is under and allow Siegfried to marry the woman of his choice.
In the meantime, the huntsmen of Prince Siegfried's party have descended on the Swan Queen's charges, the other enchanted swans. They aim their crossbows at the dancing swans, when suddenly Siegfried and the Swan Queen come rushing in to save them. They stand before the assembled swans and Odette begs for mercy from the huntsmen. Siegfried then explains that the swans are really maidens under a magic spell, and the huntsmen lower their bows.
All this is told in some of the most intricate ballet styling known to classical ballet. The role of Odette requires that a ballerina be able to convey with infinite finesse the duality of the Swan Queen; she is both beautiful bird and woman, too. It is probably
A fascinating story
Actually, there is a fascinating story behind the choreograph¬ing of this famous second act. In 1894, a year after Tchaikovsky's death, a memorial program for the composer was held at the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Lev Ivanov, second ballet master of the Maryinsky, staged the second act of Swan Lake, with the role of Odette danced by the Italian ballerina, Pierina Legnani.
This shortened version of the ballet proved such a success that ballet master, Marius Petipa, ordered a repetition of the performance. Only he placed his own name ahead of Ivanov's as choreographer. When this second performance was even more successful than the first, Petipa decided to revive the entire ballet.
And that is where the problem arises. Since that time there has been considerable speculation as to which choreographer staged which part of the revived ballet. Occasionally Petipa has even been credited with the entire ballet, in the form we know it now. But this is almost surely inaccurate. Most authorities now agree that Petipa choreographed Acts 1 and III, and that Ivanov choreographed Acts II and IV.
Ivanov was very innovative in his choreographing of Acts 11
and IV of Swan4.ake. Previously, the choreography of classical ballet had tended to be highly stylized, designed to display the technical virtuosity of the dancers. But Ivanov staged the dancing more to fit the music than to demonstrate technical proficiency. This seems simple and logical to us now, but at the time it was a revolutionary change in the choreography of classical ballet.
And in another daring departure from tradition, Ivanov did not make the ballerina the central focus of the ballet, with all the other dancers merely satellites of her. Instead, he choreographed so that the ballerina was one of an ensemble, either alternating with the other dancers or dancing with them. And when she dances a solo, the other dancers are choreographed to accompany her rather than remain motionless in the background.
Overall, the Swan Lake that we are familiar with owes much to the innovations of choreographer Lev Ivanov.
A very dramatic moment
Artist Shell Fisher has painted the moment from Act II when Prince Siegfried and the Swan Queen stand before the assembled swan maidens to protect them from the huntsmen. It is one of the most dramatic moments from this very dramatic act. I think the painting expresses very well that aura of heroic tragedy which surrounds the Swan Queen. She stands on point, with her arms extended gracefully in a gesture echoed by the swan maidens behind her. Prince Siegfried holds her gently around the waist, as she leans slightly away from him. In the background is the forest, forebodingly dark and mysterious, from which the huntsmen have appeared earlier.
I think, looking at this painting, one cannot help but experience some of the magic and mystery and high drama of this most famous of ballets. It captures that sense of doomed romance which makes Swan Lake perhaps the world's greatest classical ballet.
