By BRUCE DENNILL
Cape Ballet Africa: Swan Lake / Staging and choreography: Elena Glurjidze / Teatro, Montecasino, Fourways, Johannesburg
A highlight of its art form as dominant as Swan Lake is in ballet has the challenge, when it comes to each new production of the piece, of offering something that makes it somewhat different to the last version staged in that city (because it will have been on the programme fairly recently in any area with a decent arts programme). Cape Ballet Africa’s new production does that by bringing in Georgian-born, London-based choreographer Elena Glurjidze to add freshness to the staging and movement, the impact of which is felt in increasing measure throughout the piece.
This is a long version of the classical ballet, with very little pruning of the all-inclusive running time, and the build in dynamics and drama is gradual, with the first scene offering a standout pas de trois and scene two offering Paige McElligott added space to stamp extraordinary authority on her Odette. Act Two offers notably more energy and choreographic creativity, with a punchy Hungarian Dance and a spicy, arch Odile (McElligott again, now with a sneer and a raised eyebrow rather than the melancholy musings of her Odette portrayal) before the dramatic Prince/Rothbart showdown that brings the story to its conclusion.
McElligott is masterful throughout. The lead in Swan Lake is an opportunity to show off an enormously wide range of techniques and elements and in every department, McElligott displays physical control and awareness of character traits that makes her a commanding stage presence and a joy to watch. As the Prince, French guest artist Aubin Le Marchand gets relatively little to do in terms of solo work, but he is a superb partner, incredibly attentive and attuned to McElligott’s movements. Elsewhere, Joshua Williams and Maryana Pobuta are consistently excellent in supporting lead and ensemble roles.
As ever, Cape Ballet Africa excel at precise corps work, with the flow of elegant swans onto the stage during the lake scenes and the large-scale, criss-crossing choreography being dependably thrilling and accurate, bar occasional differences in raised arm positions.
Tchaikovsky’s score defies cliché to be as exhilarating as ever, with a great recording almost matching the output of a live orchestra, except in the bass regions, where the most dramatic moments are a touch thinner than they would be with live contrabass, timpani and the rest. Visually, Marcel Meyer’s costumes add considerable colour and texture – Rothbart’s wings! – to proceedings.
A strong addition to a proud canon.