Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Angel Corella’s traditional SWAN LAKE for Philadelphia Ballet is inspired by the choreographer’s ABT roots but is also distinctly his own

• By drediman
• March 6, 2022
• No Comments

Also down in Philadelphia this weekend, I had the opportunity to take in Philadelphia Ballet’s production of Swan Lake at the stunningly beautiful Academy of Music, one of the venues at the Kimmel Cultural Campus. Choreographed by Angel Corella (who is also the ballet company’s Artistic Director), the 2018 production is based – like most iterations of the ballet – on the underlying choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, which is a distinct departure from the production it replaced (i.e., Christopher Wheeldon’s conceptually daring 2004 staging, which was boldly set in a dance studio).

Mr. Corella’s production is very much in the traditional mold of Kevin McKenzie’s painterly fairy tale production for American Ballet Theater, where Mr. Corella enjoyed a long, fruitful career as a principal dancer. That being said, he has put his own distinct stamp on the warhorse ballet. Namely, he’s expanded the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart from being merely a miming role to one that incorporates substantially more dancing – the character is now given a good amount of lake-side choreography, as well as a brief solo in Act III – and streamlined the ballet both in plot and choreography, to varying degrees of success (Mr. Corella’s production efficiently runs only just over two hours, including one intermission). Although there’s a certain pronounced elegance to this simplified approach, I found that at times the allure of the ballet’s mystery and romance – as registered both through the steps and attention to narrative – have been glossed over (e.g., Act IV is oddly rushed).

The matinee on Saturday was solidly performed, particularly by the principal dancers. In the dual role of Odette/Odile, Yuka Iseda was wonderfully alive. A petite but commanding dancer with an exquisite back and perfect feet – in addition to spectacular flexibility – Ms. Iseda handled the technical challenges of the part with lightness and ease (although her arms tended to be overly fluttery). As her prince Siegfried, Ashton Roxander has all the technique you’d expect from a principal-type dancer, but he is as of yet somewhat lacking in his dramatic abilities. The orchestra was conducted by Beatrice Jona Affron, whose refreshingly slow, deliberate tempos made me appreciate more keenly the construction of Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.

RECOMMENDED

SWAN LAKE
Dance
Philadelphia Ballet at the Academy of Music
2 hours, 10 minutes (with on intermission)
Through March 13