A remote acquaintance with the world of ballet means that the person has stumbled upon a creation that is Swan Lake. One deliberately calls it a creation and not a production. It was composed by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a Russian composer from the romantic era. An epic in its own way, Swan Lake is to the ballet world what Mahabharat is to the Indian classical dances. For those unfamiliar with this, try remembering the unerring and surreal Natalie Portman in Black Swan. The film showed us layers of human behaviour and emotions through one single choreography. But unlike the film, Swan Lake has nothing from the 21st Century. In fact, it was composed and staged for the first time in 1875. But one can say that it was light years ahead of its time.
Over 140 years later, Swan Lake finally finds its way to India in the coming week. The lead Swans would be played by ace ballerina Kozachenko Kateryna and the show is directed by Anatoliy Kazatskiy. Kazatskiy is a renowned ballerino, the director and producer of Royal Russian Ballet and a disciple of the celebrated Mikhail Satunovskiy.
In an e-mail interaction, Kazatskiy says, “Swan Lake is appropriately known as the world’s most famous ballet production and the key to its success lies in the universal and timeless appeal of its central theme – that love conquers all. The Swan Lake story is as compelling today as it was when it was premièred for the first time. Moreover, the technical perfection that a production of Swan Lake requires makes it an absolute visual treat. This is precisely why the ballet enjoys the cult classic status the world over.”
Interestingly, the world’s most famous ballet wasn’t received well by the critics and the audiences the first time. The composition was criticised for being too complex for ballet. Back then, Tchaikovsky's music was deemed “too noisy, too Wagnerian and too symphonic”, until its revival in 1895. “It was only after Tchaikovsky’s death that the virtues of the ballet began surfacing and that its composer was propelled into the hall of fame as one of the most important masters of his art that the world had ever produced. All aspects of the ballet, from its music to its intricate choreography and immaculate performance have made it a benchmark for all the art forms in the world,” says Kazatskiy. From a failed project, Swan Lake thus became the world's most popular ballet.
Three forms of art
Dinesh B. Singh, founder of Navrasa Duende, the production house that is hosting Swan Lake says that this is the first time that a full scale ballet performance is being premièred in the country. “Apart from the one exclusively staged for diplomats by a troupe from Russia, some time in the 1980s, this could be the first commercial show of ballet in India. We are expecting a turn out of about 10,000 people. Ballet is something which appeals to anyone from the age group of five to hundred. Typically, three forms of art are integrated in a ballet — music, dance and drama.” says Singh.
As an art-form, ballet started in Italy during the Renaissance and spread thereafter. Swan Lake owes its popularity to the fact that it has blended Western and Eastern European dance and music forms. Before Swan Lake was conceived, the productions would have a fixed storyline, to which the music was composed. “But Tchaikovsky composed something and wanted it to be choreographed. As a result, he created a symphony, and not exactly ballet music. It gives the appeal of a classical music concert along with all the elements of ballet. It is very popular as an audio too. The music he created was innovative and fresh, with varying moods, and made people experience extreme emotions, to the extent that it was incomprehensible. It was only later that directors saw its speciality. That is why it has always been a project in construction. Swan Lake definitely has a secular place in that genre,” says Singh.
Swan Lake challenged ballerinas world over on their portrayal of both the Black and the White Swan – representing the good and the evil. Initially, the roles were taken on by two different ballerinas until they began to be portrayed by one single dancer. A ballerina’s calibre is often measured based on how well she portrays both the Swans.
“One has to go through a rigorous training process to be a part of Swan Lake. Artists are also required to be extremely careful of their physical and mental well-being. The training of the principal ballerina is most important because she has to perform two roles which are totally in contrast to each other. Her physical and mental training has to be impeccable so that none of the other characters are able to overpower her performance and so that the dichotomy of Swan Lake is able to manifest itself beautifully. As far as challenges go, I think the primary one would be that on overseas tours, we need to pay extra attention to every minute detail of the stage setting such as stage size, curtain arrangements, lighting and sound provisions, green room facilities, costume co-ordination, etc. Similarly, maintaining a strict lifestyle and diet while travelling to perform one’s best on stage can be a bit of a challenge,” says Kazatskiy.
Kazatskiy has taken his productions such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, Romeo and Juliet, etc to most of Europe, USA, South Africa, Korea, China, the UAE and Japan. He seems excited about venturing into the Indian subcontinent for the first time. “A country with a diverse culture and multiple art forms, India is always a real place for an artist to perform. We also believe that Indian sensibilities towards dance and ballet are very evolved thanks to the rich cultural legacy of the country where many forms are either inspired by ballet or have inspired international ballets. We are very optimistic about its success in India. In terms of expectations, as artists, our primary objective is to offer a superb artistic experience to our audiences. And it will be really thrilling for us to see the response of the Indian audience as we get set to perform in the country for the first time,” adds Kazatskiy.
(Swan Lake will be staged at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi from Sept. 22 to 24.)