Last night I went to see Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. It was absolutely riveting. The dancing performances, especially by the male swans, were emotionally charged and some scenes were literally breathtaking. When the performance was finished I felt frustrated at having a lack of words to describe what I had just witnessed. Not only is the choreography wonderful, but the set design is above anything I have witnessed so far. I thought I was impressed with the set of Cinderella on Ice, but Bourne’s Swan Lake out did even the ice-skating extravaganza.
But to return to the male swans, rather than the usual ballerinas that portray the swans: Something that has often bothered me about some of the ballerinas that portray swans are that they just do not exhibit the “bigness” of these great graceful and also powerful birds. Often, instead of looking like swans, the ballerinas in their silly tutus look like chickens. The tall male dancers look less like plucky chickens and more like swans.
Swan Lake is supposed to be based on the German myth of Ondine; however, Bourne’s Swan Lake reminded me of the Grecian myths of Zeus & Gaymede and Zeus & Leda. Gaymede, the young man from Troy, was abducted and raped by Zeus in the form of an eagle. Zeus also transformed himself into a swan and raped (or seduced) Leda. For some reason these connotations with Zeus were never made during my prior exposures to Swan Lake, but was very strong while watching Bourne’s version. The sexual intensity of Bourne’s Swan Lake is probably much stronger and more reminiscent of the Grecian myths than the German fairytale. What I appreciated about the ballet is that although there is a clear sense of erotic energy and seduction, the two main dancers are never depicted in any overtly sexual way. The choreography suggests seduction, but never sex. This ensures that the performance stays beautiful and tasteful.
I love dance. Or rather, I love the body in motion. I guess that is in part the reason I enjoy the martial arts so much. There are very few things in life as beautiful as the art of a dynamic body.
No comments:
Post a Comment