Swan Lake at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Chun Wai Chan every bit Siegfried and Yuriko Kajiya as Odile, in the Houston Ballet production of Stanton Welch'south Swan Lake, June 23-July at Jones Hall.
Photo by Tim Rummelhoff.
Connor Walsh every bit Siegfried and Barbara Bears as Odette in the Houston Ballet production of Stanton Welch's Swan Lake. Photograph by Amitava Sarkar.
June is a busy calendar month for Houston Ballet with Play taking over George R. Brownish'southward General Assembly Hall June eight-ten for an in -the-round performance. The flavour ends with Swan Lake, June 23-July i at Jones Hall. This cherished ballet almost the supernatural world of maidens transformed into swans is a mainstay of virtually large companies. Stanton Welch was only iii years into his tenure equally Houston Ballet's artistic director when he mounted his outset Swan Lake in 2006. It had been some 39 years since the visitor had a new Swan. (Ben Stevenson had created 2 productions: 1 in 1977 and a new version in 1984.)
Welch already had 2 full length ballets nether his choreographic belt before coming hither: His whimsical Cinderella and gorgeous Madame Butterfly were created for the Australian Ballet while he was still dancing. Houston needed a fresh Swan and Welch was the man to exercise information technology.
Although dance companies often share other productions, this generosity doesn't extend to Swan Lake. A company's Swan Lake is like its signature—they need their ain. Welch considered Swan Lake the "Everest of ballet, a career criterion and a challenge for choreographers…Every company needs their own Swan," Welch told me dorsum in 2006. And he was right; on opening dark, Mayor Bill White welcomed Houston's new production of Swan Lake as a ballet that belonged to the city.
Welch'south Swan was an instant hitting. He tweaked the story to give it more emotional heft, also giving it a more contemporary step. Houston Ballet Ballet Master and Odette veteran Barbara Bears explains, "Stanton has the audience see Odette as a maiden, which adds a groovy bargain more than depth to the role. Siegfried falls in honey with Odette as a maiden only to discover she is also a swan. It makes Odette and Siegfried's story that much more tragic."
Yuriko Kajiya every bit Odile, Chun Wai Chan every bit Siegfried, and Christopher Coomer as Rothbar in the Houston Ballet production of Stanton Welch'southward Swan Lake.
Photo past Tim Rummelhoff.
The production features New Zealand designer Kristian Fredrikson'south scenery and costumes inspired by pre-Raphaelite painter John William Waterhouse's painting, The Lady of Shalott. Fredrikson, who had designed many Swan Lakes over his stellar career, passed away in 2005 before the ballet premiered. Houston Ballet's product would exist his terminal Swan.
Making his role debut every bit Prince Siegfried was a 19-yr quondam soloist, Connor Walsh, who partnered Bears. "Barbara was without a doubt one of our most experienced and thoughtful artists," recalls Walsh, who was promoted to primary the adjacent year. He has danced Siegfried several times at present. "I'd like to think that every twelvemonth I get a stronger partner," he says. "The more I revisit ballets the more I am able to anticipate my partners' needs and non just react. I'm at a place in my career where I am less interested in replicating the dancers of previous generations and more interested in discovering how I can insert myself into this work. I want to find my own voice."
Bears retired in 2009 and joined the artistic staff equally a Ballet Primary in 2016. She outset danced the office of Odette in 1991 with Li Cunxin. "I was a immature member of the corps at the time, so I was thankful to be dancing with a seasoned principal," says Bears. "When I danced Stanton'south new production with Connor he was a young fellow member of the company and at present I was the seasoned chief."
Although principal Yuriko Kajiya had danced the Swan Lake pas de deux before, the company'south performance on tour in Minneapolis was the starting time time that she danced the entire ballet. Kajiya finds the challenge in the fact that she dances three roles: Maiden, Odette and Odile. "It'due south really very difficult," she says. "It's always hard to acquit the emotional arc from beginning to terminate, but information technology's also so rewarding. Stanton's Swan is such a spectacular ballet."
The visitor's newest main, Chun Wai Chan, is growing into the prince role. "There'south always room for improvement in dancing and partnering, but interim is definitely the hardest part for me," says Chan. "I have researched and studied several versions of Siegfried, and the existent claiming is beingness able to tell his story well while not sacrificing my own fashion."
As for bringing Welch's Swan back correct at present, there is a multitude of sound reasons. "When I scout the ballet at present I see how much the company has grown since 2006," says Welch. "I tin see the wealth and depth of our talent."
Connor Walsh and artists of Houston Ballet in Stanton Welch's Swan Lake. Photo by Amitava Sarkar.
Only nine dancers remain in the company from the premiere in 2006. Keeping a ballet live through functioning is key for the health of any ballet. Walsh explains, "The transmission of data from coach to dancer is something that is uniquely beautiful about ballet. I've had the pleasure of working with some top coaches and I look forward to the solar day it is my responsibility to pass on what I've learned to a younger generation."
Welch is excited to take his new ingather have a good run with his ballet. "You volition encounter Swan Lake at Miller next flavour and so it volition be around for a while," adds Welch. He finds that as the years go by, the coaching process becomes more than streamlined, peculiarly when it comes to the acting and pantomime sections. "Nosotros know what works now and we get meliorate at the speed and accuracy of coaching the ballet. We can really fine-melody all the things around the steps."
Bears finds the coaching process incredibly inspiring. "Equally a dancer y'all will never stop working on Swan Lake," she says. "It's a beast, technically and artistically. I am excited to see our new Odettes abound. The Odette yous dance at 22 is not the Odette you will trip the light fantastic toe when you are 35. Even though I am no longer dancing, I am still discovering new things. The steps are the same, but each swan is unique in her own mode. That's the dazzler of seeing unlike casts, no two are alike." Welch agrees, "They are all very private and they adapt the ballet to make the best fit."
In that location's much to be excited about with this product with visiting artists Frances Chung from San Francisco Ballet and Victoria Jaiani from The Joffrey Ballet. And finally, what better mode to conclude a trying and triumphant post-Harvey season than a archetype ballet nearly honey, the supernatural and transformation.
—NANCY WOZNY
Source: http://artsandculturetx.com/then-and-now-houston-ballets-swan-lake-returns-to-jones-hall/
0 Response to "Swan Lake at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts"
Postar um comentário