Dawson’s take on Swan Lake… less spectacle but ultimately satisfying
Scottish Ballet – Swan Lake
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
★★★★
You don’t become the world’s best-loved ballet without having a few iconic tricks up your sleeve. For Swan Lake, it’s Tchaikovsky’s deeply emotional score, countless white feathery tutus, a sea of lofty arms, and a tear-jerking climax to name but some. In 2016, keen to gift the world a new take on this 19th-century classic, choreographer David Dawson dispensed with several aspects of the ballet. Yet the backbone of the piece remained, and more than enough beauty was retained to keep audiences happy, if not necessarily reaching for the tissues.
Back for another airing, Dawson’s production feels just as pared back but perhaps a touch more relevant and emotionally charged. In traditional Swan Lakes, the party scenes from acts one and three can feel over-blown; here, the pleasure felt by friends meeting up feels palpable. The lack of opulent sets also allows Dawson’s choreography, and Scottish Ballet’s delivery, to shine. So too in the ‘white’ acts, where the absence of tutus and tights, replaced by delicate leotards and bare legs, worn by a corps de ballet of just ten, puts hard work and technique front and centre.
Dawson’s swans are strong, confident women, so even the famous Pas de Quatre with its interlocking arms has been deconstructed, the four dancers now moving independently. While in the main roles, Bruno Micchiardi and returning guest principal, Sophie Martin cement the building blocks of love in act two, so we’re genuinely touched by their inevitable separation at the end. Gentle and loving as Odette, before blazing onto the stage in black as Odile, Martin is, as always, incredible – as is the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
Watching Dawson’s Swan Lake is like moving from a bustling metropolis to a small town that still has every amenity you require: less spectacle but ultimately satisfying.