Spellbound by Swan Lake

By BERNADETTE RAE

Mention the word "ballet" and most people think of Swan Lake. Mention Swan Lake to people in the ballet world — and the memories come flooding.

It is the ballet with everything that makes classical dance endlessly magical: enchanting young lovers stalked by evil and inevitably doomed, but together forever in their mistily swirling lake ... fluffy white tutus in sylvan glades ... the pageantry, pomp and richness of a right Royal court ... music of magnificent familiarity, of course, by Tchaikovsky.

And the Royal New Zealand Ballet's production goes for it in all its traditional splendour — not a bald head or crossdressing boy in sight, as some of the wildest contemporary readings of the work have seen it.

Artistic director Gary Harris has restaged Russell Kerr's highly successful 1996 production, with a little judicious trimming but an otherwise light hand on change. Five guest artists from China and Japan bring a sparkling new focus.

Zhang Jian as Odette/ Odile and Han Po, as Siegfried, principal dancers from the National Ballet of China, made opening night in Wellington spectacular.

It has been announced, since then, that the cultural exchange with China will continue with the RNZB going on tour with Swan Lake at the end of the New Zealand season, performing in Beijing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Changsha and Guangzhou from August 20 to September 14.

The Chinese connection is making Ou Lu smile. Now assistant director after an illustrious on-stage career, during the last decade with the RNZB he has clocked up 200 personal performances of Swan Lake.

He has no regrets now, at watching from the audience, and is delighted at what he sees.

Zhang Jian and Han Po are former students of the Beijing Dance Institute, where he also trained, first as a dancer and later as a ballet master. Han Po was his student there, some 11 years ago.

The other guests are Sun Jie and Zhu Yan, also principals from the National Ballet of China, who will replace Zhang Jian and Han Po in the latter part of the season, including the Auckland season. The fifth guest artist is Japanese dancer Yurie Shimomura.

Ou Lu was also a principal dancer at the National Ballet of China.

"It is a difficult ballet to dance," he says of Swan Lake, "especially if you are used to some of the more contemporary productions we do in this company. It demands absolutely precise technique which the young Chinese guests have. Our dancers in the lead roles — well, they are getting there. They have made huge improvements during the rehearsal period."

What Ou Lu sees as outstanding in the New Zealand production are the costumes and Kristian Fredrikson's stunning design.

"When we did the work in 1996 I didn't ever see it from the audience. Now I realise how beautiful our production is. I have seen so many different companies in Swan Lake but I have never seen costumes as beautiful as ours."

Gary Harris' first experience of ballet was with a record, featuring excerpts from Swan Lake, and a new record player he received for his eighth birthday. He remembers "staring and staring" at the record cover with its line-up of ballerinas in their white tutus, tights and stage makeup. Around the same time he had a ballet book with a huge illustration of Swan Lake's villain Rothbart, sporting huge red wings.

His first viewing of the ballet live was disappointing — because that production's Rothbart did not appear in such crimson splendour.

Harris' graduation performance, from the London Arts Educational School, was as Siegfried in Swan Lake. It was also one of the first productions he appeared in as a junior member of the Festival Ballet .

"That experience made me lastingly aware of the huge ballet tradition we have to hand on," he says.

His first visit to New Zealand coincided with the 1996 production of Swan Lake. "I went home with the impression of a lovely production, a good company with great production values and a really professional approach."

Russell Kerr remembers being an extra "holding a spear in the back row" during an early 1950s Sadlers Wells production of Swan Lake, and witnessing Rowena Jackson making her debut.

"It all felt so grand," he says. "I remember thinking if nothing better ever happened in my life, I would be forever satisfied."

With 50-plus years of professional dance behind him, he sees Swan Lake as a work that seemed to mark the various stages of his career.

In 1964, while Kerr was artistic director, the RNZB performed the second act with Russian star Svetlana Beriosova. "Everyone was captivated," he says.

In 1996 he lived and breathed Swan Lake to create the current production.

Douglas McCubbin, one of the RNZB's rising stars, plays the role of Siegfried for the first time this season, partnering Jane Turner, in the third cast. McCubbin also danced the lead in Dracula in 2000 and the role of the dashing Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame this year.

But he was surprised to get this princely opportunity — and challenge.

"Swan Lake is the epitome of classical ballet," he says. "I love training in classical ballet. It is a huge discipline and a challenge in itself. To perform an important role like this — it is really hard. You have to make it look clean and easy while it is unforgiving dramatically, and technically totally demanding."

McCubbin was a new recruit in the corps de ballet in the 1996 season of Swan Lake. "I was 20," he says. "Russell Kerr thought I was a bit of a horror then ..."


* Swan Lake, Aotea Centre, June 19-23