Swans

I had the impromptu opportunity to watch the sublime production of the classic Swan Lake by one of the world's most renowned companies, the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Ballet.

My friend Rante, an intern for a posh OC lifestyle magazine, was advertising an extra ticket he had, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Ballet is a genre of dance that inspires me because I've attempted it, and realized how difficult it really is... equal parts athleticism and grace is hard to manage.  Plus, this traveling production also featured live music by the full Mariinsky orchestra ! As a child who probably lost a lot of hearing ability to her dad blasting Tchaikovsky through elaborate vintage audio systems, the classical aspect was just another thing that drew me back to Irvine late on a Wednesday night.

I've never seen Swan Lake in its entirety, only pixelly youtube clips and vague references to the full ballet in Black Swan (which, though terrifying at parts, was also really beautiful). Now that I have, I feel like I have checked a major bullet point off my lifelong bucket list.

#n: Watch one of the most famous ballets, by one of the most famous ballet companies. ☑

One of the most beautiful scenes was when the prince first sees Odette, the swan queen, and is blown away by the way she moves. Her dance is clearly swanlike; the choreography transforms her slender arms into wings.  In another scene the prince breaks the wall by staring up into the ceiling above the audience, his eyes following an imaginary arc as the musicians hold an extended note. It doesn't take long for the audience to understand that his eyes are following a flock of swans, and that his hand is reaching out to her as she flies away.

Something else that really had me awestruck was the corps de ballet. I have never seen a production with such a large dancer body... the lake scene was stunning not only because of the set, the music, and the choreography, but also the sheer number of performers, entering the stage in perfectly synchronized rows.

The classic fairytale story, which was told through a brief synopsis in the program, was unfolded a million times over on stage. You know how they say "a picture is worth a thousand words"... well, a ballet is probably worth a grillion. Music and dance are two universal languages, and combined, the two have enough power to put someone near tears.

from the Segerstrom online album