Watching Swan Lake is a rite of passage for art lovers all around the world. The ballet tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who turns into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. The spell can only be broken by true love. On the eve of his twenty-first birthday, Prince Siegfried encounters a lake full of swans, one of which transforms into the beautiful Princess Odette. She tells him that the evil sorcerer, Rothbart, has turned her and other girls into swans. The only way to break the spell is for Prince Siegfried to profess his unconditional love for her. As he proceeds to do this, he is interrupted by Rothbart who kidnaps the Princess. The Prince must figure out a way to get her back before she is transformed into a swan forever. For my family, it has become tradition to watch Swan Lake during Christmas. I have had the tremendous opportunity to watch Swan Lake as performed by the Mariinsky Ballet (Russia), Royal Danish Ballet (Denmark), the Universal Ballet (South Korea), and, most recently, at the National Ballet of Canada. Although the performance is the same in theory, the production differs dramatically depending on the choreographer. When I heard that Derek Deane was choreographing Swan Lake for the Shanghai Ballet at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, my curiosity was sparked. Derek Deane, the Artistic Director of the English National Ballet, is a god in the world of ballet. Currently, he lives a reclusive lifestyle at an old farm house in the south of France. I was surprised because Swan Lake with the Shanghai Ballet is his first work after nearly three years of absence; some believed he had retired completely from the world of ballet. Many dancers who have worked with him claim he has very little patience for those who do not push themselves to the limit.Derek Deane’s version of Swan Lake is a blockbusting spectacle. There is lights, sparkle, and action nearly every single moment. The dancers are in military-like synchronization. The word “subtly” does not exist in Derek Deane’s vocabulary. He is known for his perfectionistic attitude towards the corps de ballet. I have never seen such a well-drilled ensemble of 24 swans; their moves were perfectly in sync and in time – even their heights were identical. The set design was truly magnificent. The mist-filled lake from which the ensemble of swans gradually arose was mysterious and awe-inspiring; the only problem being that the grandness of the sets reduced the feeling of intimacy. However, I was impressed by the quick and smooth transition between the sets. If the pause between the acts is too long, it interrupts the flow of the performance – but in this case the transitions were flawless.Prince Siegfried was the star of the show. He jumped, leaped, and pirouetted perfectly in time and with incredible passion. In comparison, Princess Odette seemed too sedate and too contemplative. While her dancing was perfect in the technical sense, it lacked passion and seduction. If I had not known this ballet, I could have mistaken her for just another member of the corpsdeballet. The pit orchestra was excellent. It was a bit smaller than a regular symphony orchestra, and contained smaller string and brass sections; there were approximately 35 musicians in the pit. Notably, the woodwind section stood out as truly phenomenal. In the introduction of the ballet, the oboe and bassoon solo beautifully set the mood for the performance. However, I was disappointed by the brass section. I recognize that it is difficult to play a brass instrument in such an enclosed area, but the French horns failed to adequately project. Every time there was a French horn solo, the volume suddenly decreased and I was forced to strain my ears to hear. Of course, I do recognize that being a musician in a pit orchestra is difficult, for not only does it require innate spontaneity, but musicians must rely solely on the conductor’s gestures as they cannot see what is happening on stage. Since the ballet is live, elements change from show to show and musicians must know how to skip through their music to a new spot (without panicking) if the performer makes an error. In Act 3, Prince Siegfried danced with Princess Odette faster than he should have. I was impressed by how quickly the orchestra adapted to the faster tempo. I understand that classical ballet is a relatively new form of art in China. Also, I recognize that the audience should not be expected to know the subtle manners (e.g. no clapping between movements). However, there were other problems about my experience. Since I paid a fair price for the ticket (380RMB~680RMB), I wanted to enjoy the experience as much as possible; however, those around me talked incessantly and constantly took flash photography (despite signs clearly saying “No Cameras”). As a performer, I know firsthand how difficult it is to perform when camera flashes constantly blind your eyes. Also, a few older people hummed loudly every time they recognized the piece (e.g. Tchaikovsky’s Waltz from the Swan Lake Suite). At one point, a phone rang and the owner of the phone literally had a minute-long conversation during the performance. I was shocked.Every ballet company has their own distinct style. What is unique about the Shanghai Ballet is that they are technically precise and uniform. I could tell that they value perfection. The Shanghai Grand Theatre is designed as a world-class theatre, and in some aspects is better designed than New York’s Lincoln Center. Overall, it was a truly awe-inspiring performance. I was incredibly impressed by how well the Shanghai Ballet interpreted Derek Deane’s artistic vision. The dancers, the music, and the venue was excellent. I would highly recommend attending a show at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. This article was written by Joanne Chun. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Brian Harrington Spier (Creative Commons)