San Francisco Ballet
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| San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson's Swan Lake Photo © Erik Tomasson |
Swan Lake
War Memorial Opera
House, San Francisco
April 15th,
2017
Opening nights hold such
special promise – expectation, anticipation and excitement for what is about to
come. But what about closing chapters? What do they bring to the table?
Wistfulness, reflection and perhaps even some sadness. In some cases, also an
equal sense of celebration and commemoration. San Francisco Ballet’s Saturday
evening performance was one such event: the final showing of Swan Lake, and two company retirements,
principal dancers Vanessa Zahorian and Davit Karapetyan. It was a memorable
night, to be sure, beginning with a tribute video to these two amazing dance
artists, followed by their stirring portrayals of Odette/Odile and Prince
Siegfried.
Choreographed by
Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson in 2009, Act I of
the classic narrative begins with a prologue, where the maniacal Von Rothbart
(Sean Orza) captures Odette and transforms her into a swan. After that brief
contextual introduction, the first ensemble scene unfolds, taking place
‘outside the palace’, as the program notes explain. Village settings are a
staple in story ballets, but for me, they tend to go on a little too long in
most cases. The same is true when it comes to Swan Lake, though the choreography in this particular version does
help to move things along. The men’s pas de cinq conveyed sharp and precise batterie
as well as unmatched, spot on unison. Apart from some squeaky shoes, the
featured pas de trois was charming. Koto Ishihara’s vast echappés delighted, as
did Lauren Strongin’s sissone/assemblé combination. Esteban Hernandez dazzled
with turns that finished with the accent up and jumps that took him soaring
into the atmosphere. And of course, there is the introspective solo towards the
end of the Act, where Siegfried contemplates his existence, in terms of duty
and responsibility.
Act II is all about the
swans, and appropriately full of en dedans spins, or as they are affectionately
known, lame duck turns. And it was magical. Siegfried encounters Odette for the
first time – he is immediately entranced, while she is rightfully fearful (at
least initially), her pulsating boureés communicating apprehension. And then,
the flurry of corps de ballet swans overtakes the stage. Despite a few spacing
issues and some more squeaky shoes, the technique was something to behold, led
with aplomb and expertise by Swan Maidens Dores André and Sasha De Sola.
Zahorian and Karapetyan’s main pas de deux was sheer artistry. From colossal
pencheés to quieter moments, like when she delicately brushed his hand, the
duet inspired with luxurious, rich dancing. And the cygnets (Isabella DeVivo,
Jahna Frantziskonis, Julia Rowe and Natasha Sheehan) handled their famous
variation with confidence, power and exactitude.
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| Vanessa Zahorian and Davit Karapetyan in Tomasson's Swan Lake Photo © Erik Tomasson |
Swan Lake closes with Siegfried’s quest for forgiveness and redemption, which
then leads to his and Odette’s final choice. In the end, they are together, but
in another realm. And that is what this entire performance was from start to
finish – transcendent. As soon as Zahorian and Karapetyan took the stage for
their bows, the entire War Memorial Opera House leapt to their feat in a
lengthy and deserved ovation, a time of gratitude and well wishes for two incomparable,
otherworldly artistic souls.
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