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OLD SWAN, NEW TRICKS
by Karen Dacko

[Written for the Greensburg/Pittsburgh (PA) Tribune-Review, but not printed because of complications resulting from a reorganization of the newspaper]

Since 1984, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 4-act production of Swan Lake, set by German Zamuel and Valentina Moukhanova, had become corrupted with
ill-conceived choreographic alterations, including an inept finale. Consequently, artistic director Terrence S. Orr, who inherited the repertory last year, opted to inaugurate PBT's 29th season with a credible retooling, rooted in the 1895 classical opus choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov to P.I. Tchaikovsky's monumental score.

While some PBT stagings have favored a storybook happy ending, Orr prefers the traditional scenario - the lovers drown in the raging lake, breaking the spell. Subsequently, he has interpolated music (familiar from a Kirov production presented at Virginia's Wolf Trap Farm Park, some years ago) to accompany the Act IV adagio. Most intriguing are the pirouettes. Here, the ballerina independently takes initiative, as her cavalier later steps in to support the multiple rotations.

On 10/29/98, Laura Desiree danced the role of Odette/Odile with Stanko Milov, who offered a fully developed characterization of Prince Siegfried. Desiree's evocative Odette is ever-skillful and her newly amplified use of upper body, head and arm gestures - previewed at an outdoor showcase last August - have become second nature. From her first skittish encounter with Siegfried through the coda's rapid footwork, hers was a performance that captured both the vulnerability and strength of the role.

In Act III's grand pas de deux, delineated by swooping arabesque penchées, unsupported balances and falls, Desiree and Milov won an enthusiastic ovation. Desiree's Odile, deliberate and controlled, has improved in theatricality, but still lacks a seductive predatory edge.

Regrettably, this production omits the Russian character dance, but of the four dances included, the Neapolitan, led by Erin Halloran and Alexander Nagiba, with its sprightly tarantella-esque movements, was outstanding. New in this version, the fiancées introduce each divertissement, otherwise the scene is fairly standard.

Returning to a much earlier staging, the role of Benno has been reinstated, while the acrobatic jester, who leapt into prominence in the 1984 production, has been excised from Act III; his boisterous antics, watered down. Act I includes a new variation for Siegfried
(choreographed to discarded Act III music) and some adjustments to the Pas de Trois staged with obvious alterations in the coda and final pose. Jiabin Pan, technically one of PBT's finest, excelled in Benno’s
solo with its signature air turns. Lauren Schultz brought style and color to the first variation through her good epaulement.