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I had the pleasure of viewing a gorgeous performance of Swan Lake by the Oregon Ballet Theatre this past Sunday. Though I am often bored to tears by the formulaic nature of Petipa ballets, I found this version to be riveting not only for its technical proficiency, but also its modern take on an age-old classic.
Alison Roper, the principal who danced the lead role of Odette/Odile, is a tremendously gifted dancer; lithe and elegant, she makes the most difficult tasks (i.e. 32 fouettés on pointe, though she only pulled off 26 - but whose counting?) effortless. Her Odette embodied the mystery and allure of that character - a complicated woman, sensitive and loving, trapped between two worlds. Likewise, her Odile was sufficiently snarky - a bitchy vamp for the new millennium. The prince was mediocre, as most male leads usually are, but this seldom matters in Classical Ballets. They're just there to hold up the lady and do a few jumps. It helped that he was handsome and had the proper musculature to fill out his tights. And in a refreshing twist, he didn't die in the end, but rather collapsed on the floor in a miserable heap to live with the consequences of his actions. Finally, a realistic ending instead of a storybook fantasy!
The corps and soloists were equally impressive, executing the speedy and complicated steps with ease, breezing into the many formations without screwing up the lines too much. I was particularly impressed with the costumes and set design - OBT clearly has a sizable budget. I guess I'd better get started on moving CCIAE's incorporation from NYC to PDX, asap!