Saturday, January 21, 2012

Swan Lake: Pure Magic

On Friday night, I went to see the ballet of Swan Lake featuring the Voronezh State Ballet Theatre of Russia. This was my first viewing of the actual ballet. My only experience surrounding the Swan Lake story was through the film, Black Swan, and so I was rather curious about seeing the full ballet and learning more. I was not disappointed.

I've seen several other ballets over the past few years, but this was by far the most prestigious and advanced company I have seen perform. I was fascinated by the prima ballerina, Svetlana Noskova, as her Odette/Odile floated across the stage. She made it all seem so effortless. The fact is that the entire company danced impeccably throughout the evening. I was struck with their precision and the beauty and passion that seemed to emanate from their movements.

I was mesmerized by Tchaikovsky's music and discovered that I knew more of the score than I thought I did. It was hauntingly familiar and beautiful.

After the show, it took us nearly 3 hours to get home from Wabash due to the accumulating snow on the roads, but I think it was well worth the effort to see such a sensational performance and to experience the beauty and music that is Swan Lake.

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