Swan Lake 2004
Five years since we first presented Swan Lake, we embarked
once more on a mammoth production of this popular ballet.
The cast was huge. A few of the dancers, now taking soloist
roles, had been junior corps in the first production. For
the majority, however, this was a new experience and a journey
into the magical world of Tchaikovsky’s music. There
were twenty-six swans who displayed a well-drilled procession
resulting from the ballet mistress’s excellent coaching.
The costumes were sumptuous. Parents spent hours creating
swans’ headdresses of white feathers for the “adult”
swans and black feathers for the delightful little black cygnets
who appeared in Act IV. Our wardrobe team and dressmakers
stitched until their fingers were sore and helped to achieve
a stunning visual spectacle
Our guest artists danced the roles of Odette and Siegfried
with precision and a well-honed technique. Mary Beth Arringrton
and Eric Bourman came from Houston and Los Angeles. Chikka
Temma and Zhanat Atymatyev dance with Ballets Russes from
Swansea. We were fortunate, indeed, to have such stellar quality.
Our cast rose to the occasion and distinguished themselves
with the precision and élan with which they danced
the various roles assigned to them. The orchestra also excelled
themselves with their application to such a long and difficult
score and their performance added a special polish to the
whole production .
A large and enthusiastic audience of over four thousand people
attended the performances. We also raised £3000 for
Macmillan Cancer Relief, which included contributions from
ticket sales on the Gala Evening. .
The success of this production was a tribute to all those
who worked so hard for so many months.
|
