Add ballet to Tchaikovsky and what do you get? Well, actually, there are a couple but by far the most famous is Swan Lake. The story is based on the fairytale where the beautiful princess, Odette, is cursed by an evil sorcerer.
Act 1 unfolds as we see Prince Siegfried celebrating his birthday with his friends. As his mother arrives on the scene he is informed that he must choose a bride at the upcoming royal ball. Siegfried wishes to marry for love and is uninterested in the girls that have tried to win him previously. He and his friends follow a flock of swans, setting off for a hunt.
During Act 2, Siegfried is separated from his friends and arrives at a lakeside clearing. As he searches for his friends, he and Odette meet and fall in love. At dawn she is transformed again into a swan, the spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before swears to love Odette forever. Odette and her flock of swan maidens, who are under the same curse, return to the lake during the day as they must.
Despite having pledged his love for Odette, Siegfried is obliged to attend the royal costume ball and six young princesses vie for his attention. Siegfried is tricked into believing that the evil sorcere’s daughter, Odile, is Odette and he proclaims to marry her. Odette appears and he realizes his mistake and follows a distraught Odette back to the lake.
The swan maidens dance around her to comfort Odette but the damage cannot be undone. She chooses to die rather than remain a swan forever. Siegfried follows her as she leaps into the lake, breaking the spell for the other swan maidens as the two lovers, united forever, ascend to the heavens.
We meet for pre show drinks at Sean Connolly and although it’s a long show (3 hours with two intermissions) the raw emotion is only enhanced by the exceptional music and dance.
By the end I’m feeling a bit exhausted myself from the moving story and the emotive experience.
It’s a magical tale that is made even more magical by the Houston Ballet Company at Dubai Opera tonight. Good friends along with ballet and Tchaikovsky is a winning combination indeed.
Good To Know
Swan Lake is being performed at the Dubai Opera 24 – 27 October.
Would I Return?
Yes. Both to Swan Lake and the Dubai Opera, although the service at Sean Connolly for pre show drinks has suffered a bit since it first opened.
Thanks to Diana & Candida for contributing photos from the night.
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