Swan Lake

Swan Lake
Colorado Ballet
Ellie Caulkins Opera House
Denver, CO
October 7-23, 2016

Just the mention of Swan Lake brings to mind ballerina’s in fluffy white tutus, beautiful music and high romance. The Colorado Ballet production brought all of these images into dazzling reality.

The setting gives the feeling of impending tragedy throughout. The darkened stage brilliantly showed off the gorgeous costumes. The menacing perch of the villain Von Rothbart demonstrated his control over the fates of the characters.

The choreography for the ballet was often breathtaking. The ensemble sequences featured variations among the dancers which brought complexity and depth to the scene. The swans moved elegantly around as one would expect and they often completely filled the stage. The Swanelles were stunning in their perfectly synchronized steps across the stage.

The solo performances were beautiful to watch, but they often became repetitive. The structure of the ballet features many solo performances while the rest of the company watches. At times, the length of those designated dances detracted from the story.

The costumes throughout the staging were stunning.  The swan maidens were exactly what we would want to see – feathery white tutus. The members of the court were richly attired to demonstrate their station. The exception was the Prince, whose costume was much plainer than everyone around him. 

This production delivered everything an audience expects from a classic ballet. The music was beautifully performed, the dancing seemed flawless, the emotional responses were real. The beauty of the performance even seemed to balance out the tragic ending.