"Swan Lake" holds many wonders for the audience. Chief among these must be Tchaikovsky's score, one of the most spectacular ever composed for ballet. And the dual role of Odette the Swan Queen and Odile the Black Swan ranks as one of the great beauties of classical ballet.
For the women who will dance Odette/Odile for Pacific Northwest Ballet, the role represents both lyrical dramatic possibilities and punishing physical requirements. It's not enough to be as lovely as a swan. The dancer also has to be in top athletic condition to manage the great traditions of the ballet, such as the 32 fouettes in Act III.
"It's the Mt. Everest of roles for a ballerina," said PNB principal dancer Louise Nadeau, one of five dancers cast for Odile/Odette.
Also returning to the role in this production is principal dancer Patricia Barker, while principal dancer Carrie Imler and soloist Noelani Pantastico will be dancing it for the first time. Principal dancer Kaori Nakamura danced Odile with the Royal Winnepeg Ballet in 1994, but dancing both roles at PNB will be a first.
"Essentially, I feel like I'm different person now than I was when I first danced it," said Nadeau, who became a mother in the intervening years; her 6-year-old daughter will be in the audience to see "Mom" perform. "My ap-proach isn't so different, but it's finding the energy to balance being a mom, going back to school and dancing the Swan Queen. It's quite a juggling act! But I'm pretty much able to walk into this building and shut off the other demands and use the time wisely in practice."
For Barker, who danced the role in 1992 and 1996, the key to "Swan Lake" is the fairy-tale story. An evil magician turns the beautiful Odette into a swan during the day, a woman at night. She can be freed from his curse only when a man stays faithful to his love for her. Enter a prince (of course), hunting swans, who promises in Act II to remain forever faithful, only to be tricked in Act III by the magician's "Black Swan," Odile, into declaring his love for the wrong girl. Act IV briefly reunites Prince Siegfried and Odette before she is doomed to eternal enchantment.
"You have to build the audience along with the story," said Barker. "In second act [when Odette meets her prince], it's a first date; you can't be too passionate, you've just met someone special. In third act you're deceiving him; you're the alter ego of Odette. Then you've got six minutes to change your clothes and get back into the other character. In fourth act, you know you're going to lose him, and because of that, it becomes very passionate."
The other dancers add to the reality of the story for Barker. In the second act, Odette and her prince are often surrounded by her flock of swans - more than 20 dancers in this production. "You know what's really interesting about that scene?" said Barker. "It's windy, all those dancers rushing past with those tutus, and chilly. But it adds to the reality of the whole story. I like to get lost on the stage, involved in the story."
PNB's version of "Swan Lake" is based upon the traditional choreography of Russian choreographer Petipa, but enhanced by that of PNB's artistic director, Kent Stowell. "There's a beautiful pas de deux in the fourth act that is Kent's choreography," Barker said. "It's such a poignant moment, when Prince Siegfried and Odette finally come together, and it's their last moment together. It's not about 'I'm sorry' or 'I wish I hadn't,' but it's truly about how pure their love is.".
As they prepare for the role, each dancer keeps her focus on what suits her interpretation best.
"When I first danced the role, I spent hours in the bathroom practicing the tilt of my head," said Nadeau. "What looks right for someone else might not look terrible for me."
"Yes, what Patty [Barker] does isn't necessarily what looks good for me," said Imler. "We're different physically, and you have to allow for that."
The PNB choreography uses the Act III fouettes, a fast, whipping turn on one foot added to the original choreography for Odile by Italian ballerina Pierina Legnani, the first Swan Queen in 1894. Legend has it Legnani could dance the 32 fouettes, one after another, in the circumference of a ruble, her toe never leaving the same spot on the floor. Ruble or no ruble, the fouettes became so famous that today it is unimaginable that the Odile sequence in Act III be per-formed without them. And there's always somebody in the audience counting to make sure the ballerina doesn't cheat and do only 31.
"Act III definitely has a different energy than the other acts. You have to be a bit more uppity as the character of the Black Swan, and then there's the fouettes," said Imler.
While all the PNB dancers mention the fouettes as one of the athletic challenges of the role, Barker finds the overall physical demands suit her interpretation of the story: "Out of all the full-length ballets, it's the best-paced for me. In third act, when you have to be strong, I'm warmed up and feeling strong. By fourth act, when you're getting tired, your character is supposed to be tired. I find you can use that to enhance your character. I actually find it very difficult to dance Swan Lake's acts out of order because of that."
Fouettes alone do not a swan make. Much of the role depends on the partnership between the ballerina and her prince. Prince Siegfried will be performed by principal dancers Stanko Milov with Barker, Christophe Maraval with Nadeau and soloist Batkhurel Bold with Imler.
"The hardest thing with 'Swan Lake' is connecting with your partner," said Barker. "I already have a storyline that I want, and Stanko's already done it with somebody else, so we have to talk a lot about approach in the beginning."
"Bold and I are old 'Nutcracker' buddies," said Imler, who finds that past experience dancing together helps smooth out the bumps of learning a new role. "We work out the steps first and then add a little bit each day to the acting part of it."
PNB's new production features sets by Tony-winning scenic designer Ming Cho Lee and new costumes by Paul Tazewell. The costumes currently fill all spare corners of the PNB's offices, the requirements of stitching that much tulle and feathers exceeding the normally generous space of the costume shop.
"The concept of the costumes is wonderful; it's very organic," said Barker. But she'll add one thing to her costume from her own jewelry box. "Dancers, and everyone else, all have things that make them feel good about themselves. I have a pair of earrings that were a gift from somebody very close to me. On opening night, no matter what they give me, I'll be wearing those."
Also new to the dancers is the performance space. This is the first time since the June 28 grand opening that the company has danced in McCaw Hall. Barker is looking forward to a full-length production in their new home. "It's incredible, and very exciting, [to dance in McCaw Hall]. I feel very lucky to be here during the inaugural season," said Barker, who likes how the hall's seating configuration and dark walls focuses attention on the stage. "When sitting and watching a rehearsal in June, I noticed that when people came in late to the performance, I couldn't see them. There was nothing to distract you from what was happening on the stage."
PNB's "Swan Lake" features the entire company of dancers and many students from the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Nadeau's daughter, who just started classes at PNB this fall, has already announced her intentions of becoming a Swan Queen some day. "I tell her that she's going to have to take some more classes and keep working on it," said Nadeau with a smile.
Dancing the roles of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried on PNB's opening weekend are: Barker and Milov (Sept. 25 and 27, 7:30 p.m.), Nakamura and Olivier Wevers (Sept. 26, 7:30 p.m.; Sept. 28, 7 p.m.), Pantastico and Jeffrey Stanton (Sept. 27, 2 p.m.) and Nadeau and Maraval (Sept. 28, 1 p.m.). "Swan Lake" continues through Oct. 5.
Due to strong ticket sales, PNB has added a performance Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. In addition, PNB has extended box-office hours to Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. PNB Box Office phone hours (441-2424) have also been extended to Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tickets for all performances range in price from $16 to $125 and may be purchased at the PNB Box Office at 301 Mercer St., at any Ticketmaster outlet, by calling 292-ARTS or 441-2424, or online at www.pnb.org or www.ticketmaster.com. Discounts are available for students, seniors, children and groups of 10 or more.
Freelance writer Rosemary Jones is a Queen Anne resident. She can be reached at qanews@nwlink.com
