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Swan Lake, Reinvented

03.10.14

By Kelley Moody

On Friday, March 7th the Segerstrom Center of the Arts hosted the American premiere of Les Ballets de Monte Carlo’s LAC after Swan Lake, directed and choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot. This modern reinterpretation of the classic tale heightens the drama and expresses the fight between good and evil in the fluidity of the dancers’ actions. The story follows the Prince on his journey to find pure love while resisting temptation and deception from Her Majesty of the Night and her wicked daughter, the Black Swan. This particular production revitalizes the plot of the ballet, leaving the audience defenseless to the magic of the story.

The dancers moved in synchronicity with the powerful orchestration utilizing symmetry throughout the complex routines. The interactions between dancers and their physical connections kept the audience’s eyes wandering about the stage, absorbing each relationship between the characters. The turns and leaps impressed to no end, and the smooth lines held by the dancers appeared effortless as they glided about the stage.

The production actually begins with a video that is projected on to the minimalist and linear set of the stage providing the audience with a silent short film giving context to the plot. The performance then moves between the royal palace of the king and queen and the Lake of Tears, where the White Swan is kept as she is bound to an eternal life as both bird and woman.

Maillot’s vision was portrayed melodramatically through his choreography and staging. The visual spectacle left the audience awestruck from start to finish. The symbolic colors shifted between dark and light, and the crafted theater elements gave performance higher meaning. The ballet was powerful, exquisite and thoughtful from start to finish.

Greer's Girls

Swan Lake, Reinvented

03.10.14

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