Swan song

July 9th, 2012 at 4:42 pm.

I had never been to the ballet before but I had always wanted to go. You know how it goes: you either don’t have the time, or the money, or when you ring for tickets they’re sold out in the category you can actually afford. My dreams of being a ballet-spectator were put on hold.

But no more. Last Saturday I had a ballet date with my great-aunt. We went to see the Moscow City Ballet’s version of Swan Lake and let me tell you: it was glorious.

The picture above is principal Liliya Oryekhova who danced the double role of Odette/Odile in our performance. I was a bit concerned for her very (I mean really very) thin arms whenever prince Siegfried would hold her by the wrist though. But what she did with those arms was magnificent. Her technique, elegance and the pure intensity with which she danced was absolutely captivating. She outshone every other dancer on that stage, even the ridiculously clean corps de ballet.

My favourite part however was when Oryekhova did Odile in Act III. That smile on her face that was equal parts mean girls/diva/Poison Ivy was brilliant. Talk about embodying a character. Brava!

Have you ever been to the ballet? Which ones would you like to see? On my to do-list are The Nutcracker (such a classic) and anything Nijinska-choreographed I can get my hands on (we saw an extract from Les Noces in art history and it was so fascinating).

6 cups of tea ( Reply )

  1. The Life of Clare
    Jul 10, 2012 @ 2:33 am

    I’ve never been but like you’ve I’ve been trying for a long time! It seems like such a glamorous and wonderful night out!

    Reply

    • Karen
      Jul 10, 2012 @ 8:48 am

      It was lovely. Unfortunately some people had obviously never been in a theatre before as they took pictures with their iPads or with their digital camera’s with flash. Luckily there were no more in act III and IV.

      Reply

  2. Jenmarie
    Jul 10, 2012 @ 5:57 am

    I am so happy you were able to go! Ballet is really a beautiful form of art. My brain has been a little fuzzy today so I can only remember one ballet I have been to (and that might very well be the only one), which was The Nutcracker.

    Reply

    • Karen
      Jul 10, 2012 @ 8:49 am

      I’d love to see it. I’ve seen parts of a recording but it’s just not the same you know. I loved hearing the sound of the pointes when the ballerina’s jumped and landed. Makes it more real, like you’re more in the world they’re portraying.

      Reply

  3. Casee Marie
    Jul 12, 2012 @ 1:46 am

    Aww, this makes me so happy! (As I’m sure you can imagine, since you probably know from my ramblings that my sister has been a ballet dancer for twenty years.) Swan Lake is a beautiful choice for your first experience, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I’m always fond of the “storybook” ballets, such as this, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, etc. One of my favorites is Le Corsaire, but unfortunately I’ve only been able to see the full ballet on videotape. I just love the story – ballet is a fairytale all its own, so adding a pirate to the love story pretty much seals the deal. I’ve seen La Sylphide and Gisele, but they’re probably my least favorites. Oh, Don Quixote is a wonderful one, too! I saw Nina Ananiashvili perform it with the Georgian Ballet a few years ago, which was spectacular. I’ll stop now. ;)

    Reply

    • Karen
      Jul 12, 2012 @ 9:57 am

      I had a feeling you’d be happy for me. It’s wonderful.
      Thank you for the recommendations :)

      Reply

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