Compare and Contrast Swan Lake performances by the Moscow Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero and Matthew Bourne’s
Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets in repertoire; it also is a ballet which many choreographers and ballet masters have re-staged. These three performances have presented Swan Lake in different ways. Moscow Ballet presented a performance which was traditional in its costume and choreography. Whereas Les Ballets Trockadero was a parody of ballet although it used the traditional costumes and choreography because all parts where played by men it created a farce. Matthew Bourne’s interpretation of Swan Lake however, moved the furthest away from the traditional ballet. Its performance was more like a theatre production because the stereotypical elements of a ballet where not used the point shoe and tutu which; have come to define ballet productions. Bourne whilst having a mixed cast of male and female he has chosen to cast the swans as only men;
‘The idea of a male swan makes sense ... the strength, the beauty, its enormous wingspan of these creatures suggests to the masculine of a male dancer more readily than a ballerina in her white tutu.’ (Bourne)
Consequently through this essay I wish to contrast the way each production has presented Swan Lake and which is most successful in doing so.
The choreography of the Moscow Ballet was based on the classical choreography of Swan Lake; it had the classic male and female partnership between Odette and Prince Siegfried. There was however, a lacking in energy throughout the performances, after watching the performance with Margrot Fonteyn one cannot compare the technical skill of her Odette to the Moscow Ballet. The use of mime to tell the story was throughout the production as all classical ballets. This style contrasts with the way Les Ballets Trockadero use the choreography to create a farcical performance. Although they ‘follow the original choreography, then unexpectedly toss in a pratfall and some slapstick.’ (Hyde) This is the remarkable thing about the Trocks when they fell comically they get up instantly and continues dancing highlighting their skill as dancers. The way they used the mime was comical and almost pantomime. They used over the top gestures and smiles which would have never been used in a classical performance of Swan Lake. Matthew Bourne’s Swan however, contrasts greatly in its style of choreography it was more contemporary. During one of the scenes in Bourne’s version they watch the performance of a romantic ballet like the Trocks they make it satirical although they are not ‘skewering ballet but the vanity of the ballet dancers.’(Norman,2011) How ballet bases its stories in fairy tale worlds whereas Matthew Bourne creates productions with more depth than just fairies.
The way each production presented the Cygnet dance highlights the difference in choreography and style. Matthew Bourne highlights the animalistic side of the swan through the looks and gestures of the dancers; the movements reflect the freedom of the swans which is what draws the Prince to them. He creates a comical piece by highlighting the youth and playfulness of the Cygnets. The movement and choreography instead of being ballet based, show the character of the swan. Les Ballets Trockadero also uses the Cygnet dance to show comedy however, they are not creating the comedy through characterising the swan rather highlighting ‘the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance.’ (www.trockadero.org). They exaggerate the head movements of the swans and are out of time. The smaller dancer also danced the whole time with a huge grin on his face and waved when he left the stage highlighting the ‘... jealousies of competing ballerinas.’ (Norman, 2011) In contrast the Moscow Ballet took themselves seriously each dance step and head movement was at the same time thus highlighting the grace of the swan and the beauty of ballet. However, unlike Bourne it does not show the character in such depth because these are young birds therefore they can be clumsy and silly.
Although the storyline between the Moscow Ballet and Les Ballets Trockadero is based on the classical Swan Lake they presented the characters in different ways. Les Ballets Trockadero made the male roles less masculine making them seem like wimps especially the male attendant. The swans are portrayed as much stronger and less gentle as they strangle the male attendant and slap him.
The emotions in the Moscow Ballet was lacking compared to the, portrayal from the Trocks. The way the Prince and Odette danced their final dance showed how they couldn’t bear to leave one another whereas with the Moscow Ballet there was no convincing passion. The character of Von Rothbart was not scary enough for the audience yet Trockadero had managed to create a figure with a dramatic stage presence even if the audience laughed at him. Bourne however creates a production which ‘is pure theatre the impression it makes on the psyche and soul is indelible.’ (Roberts) There is not that magical feeling to the production which is essential to the traditional Swan Lake; I feel this is particularly highlighted by the scene when he first encounters the swans. It is set in a park with no eerie mist over the lake. Rather the base of the story is about the prince and how he feels trapped and unloved. Bourne creates dramatic scenes full of emotion; the scene between the Prince and his mum the way he wants to hug her to feel that emotional bond however, she completely rejects him. In contrast to how Odette and the Prince danced in the Moscow Ballet was the scene in the park with the Prince and Swans (Bourne). The swans here are not scared of the prince rather he is scared of them but intrigued by the way they move. As he dances with the lead swan the audience can feel the emotions between them. The swan is allowing him to dance and hold him in contrast to his mother; there is this feeling of freeing for the Prince. In further contrast is the figure of the black swan in Bourne’s production his character of temptation and lust is expressed through every movement and gesture. Whereas the performance of Odile in the Moscow Ballet ‘took us unnecessarily close to pantomime’ (Amey) she made it too obvious that she was not Odette and did not dance with enough enticement to draw in the Prince to this lie.
The costumes of the Moscow Ballet and Les Ballet Trockadero reflected the classical style of the ballet whereas Bourne’s where far more theatre based. The Moscow Ballet had tutus however; they were not as tightly pleated as Odette’s costume in the Trocks production. The Moscow Ballet tutu’s reflected the feathered dawn of the swans. The costumes of Les Ballet Trockadero reflect the style during the 1930s when Margot Fonteyn preformed Swan Lake. The corps where in romantic tutus so their costumes moved more softly and Odette wore a short pancake tutu. The costume for Von Rothbart for Les Ballet Trockadero created a far more dramatic character through using black and red in his costume. Whereas in the Moscow Ballet they used a bright purple for his cape which failed to create a scary character it needed to be a darker colour to reflect his evil. The costumes in Bourne’s production were beautiful but not at all like the traditional ballet costume they were elegant without being over the top and highly decorated. The Queen’s costumes reminded me of the 50s style the circle style skirt. I liked the way they altered the costumes so that they went from being servants to courtiers, just by changing the accessories. The costumes were unified in the colour palette of blacks, whites, reds, and purples this meant that the whole performance has one style unlike the first Swan Lake we saw were the colours went from being pastels to bright colours. The male swan costumes where masculine although we didn’t get the full impact of how the tassels moved because we watched it on film.
In conclusion watching these productions has expanded and challenged my view on ballet before I had only seen classical productions of Swan Lake although I still enjoy that genre. It was fascinating to see Bourne’s production which I had heard described as the ‘gay’ Swan Lake however he has found ‘a story...more universal than the original 1877 Tchaikovsky... Swan Lake’ (Roberts). At first I was a little shocked by Les Ballets Trockadero; to see these men perform en travesti the roles of both male and female however, in the end I did enjoy the parody as it was incredible to see the men on point. Bourne’s production created far deeper characters compared to the original Swan Lake however; I will always prefer the original because when being performed well the audience are lost in the production. I also enjoy the delicacy and grace which shapes the movements of the ballet dancer.
Bibliography
Amey, R. (2012) REVIEW: Swan Lake, Moscow Ballet – La Classique, at Pavilion Theatre, Worthing. [Online Review] Available From: http://www.worthingherald.co.uk/lifestyle/entertainment/review-swan-lake-moscow-ballet-la-classique-at-pavilion-theatre-worthing-1-3691049
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Crompton, S. (2009) Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at Sadler’s Wells, review. [Online Review] Available From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/6859314/Matthew-Bournes-Swan-Lake-at-Sadlers-Wells-review.html
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Eshel, R. Tutu Much. [Online Review] Available From: http://www.trockadero.org/haaretz1.html
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Hyde, P. The Trocks Bring Mix of Fun, Footwork to Peace Center. [Online Review] Available From: http://www.trockadero.org/greenville-news.html
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Norman, N. (2011) Les Ballets Trockadero de Monto Carlo. [Online Review] Available From: http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/31605/les-ballets-trockadero-de-monte-carlo
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Roberts, D. Swan Lake. [Online Review] Available From:
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Wikipedia. (2012) Swan Lake(Bourne). [online] Available From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake_(Bourne)
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