Review: Swan Lake at Ellen Eccles Theatre

Once upon a time in Salt Lake City, I was cast as Odile in a junior production of “Swan Lake,” and the younger version of me was able to realize her dream of being part of the arguably most famous ballet. Odile, the Black Swan, has a very fun albeit tiring evil solo, so that’s what I was on the edge of my seat ready to see when I had the opportunity to watch the production by Grand Kyiv Ballet on March 8 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre.

Her solo did not disappoint. None of it disappointed. In fact, it was ravishing.

“Swan Lake,” composed by legend Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger, tells the story of Odette, a beautiful princess who is cursed by evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. She and other maidens turn into a swan each day and become their human forms at night.

I really enjoyed watching Grand Kyiv’s rendition of this iconic ballet, which was led by artistic director Oleksandr Stoianov.

Grand Kyiv Ballet is a Ukrainian ballet founded by Stoianov in 2014. They have toured across the world, performing for royal families, politicians and public figures.

As the war continues, they also partner with charities and other companies in Ukraine. They have conducted charity tours in multiple countries to raise money for Ukrainian causes and participated in a gala in 2022 where 300,000 euros were sent to the Alliance Urgences in Ukraine. Donations were also taken at the performance and made available online to help fund the Kyiv State Choreographic College and provide housing and ballet lessons for Ukrainian children.

Their commitment to providing support for emerging artists as well as the people of Ukraine definitely made this performance special. However, they stayed true to the charm “Swan Lake” has held for almost 150 years, paying homage to the splendor of this ballet.

While Odette is busy being cursed, Prince Siegfried has stumbled into the typical Disney dilemma: He has to choose a bride, and dang it, there are beautiful women with presumably good personalities who want to fill the role! Siegfried, however, believes that a happy wife does not equal a carefree life, so he runs out of his own party.

He decides the best way to console himself is by hunting swans. Once the swan he attempts to hunt turns into Odette, the two fall in love. It’s a typical “Romeo and Juliet” of people unable to be together, but this time, it’s because one is fully a swan during the day and the other literally hunts swans to calm himself down. I can’t imagine good conversation between the two, but Odette needs to be married because it’s the only way to break her curse. She says she’ll attend Siegfried’s ball the next day so he can choose her, and he’s okay with it now because of love.

However, Rothbart takes his daughter Odile to the ball and prevents Odette from showing up on time. The sorcerer beautifies his daughter — sorry, Odile — to look like Odette in order to trick Siegfried into being with her instead. This way, Odette will never be married — I mean, she’s not really going to try, but that is how it feels being single sometimes — and so the curse for Odette and all the other swans will never be broken.

Siegfried accidentally promises Odile he’ll marry her, realizes his mistake and runs to Odette. Then there’s an epic battle between the prince and Rothbart while the swans lowkey just watch. The music during all of it, but especially here, is stunning.

Another special part of the performance was the end they chose to dance — it was full of hope, which is very different from the “Swan Lake” productions I’ve seen.

When I was Odile, we did an abridged version of the ballet, and we had a corps of white swans and black swans battle it out. The black swans, led by my crowning force, reigned supreme. While this isn’t always how companies do it, western productions of “Swan Lake” often have evil win out in some sense. Typically in professional companies in the U.S., Odette and Siegfried end up dying in “Romeo and Juliet” fashion because he can’t break the spell and they don’t want to live without each other. Their ascension to heaven together breaks Rothbart’s curse, and everyone else is set free.

However, Grand Kyiv chose to do a happy ending of the tale, with Siegfried breaking the curse and he and Odette sealing their marriage with neither of them as a dead or alive swan. I didn’t realize the happy ending was more typical in Eastern European ballets until watching this production, and I liked the hopefulness the company chose to showcase.

What stood out to me the most about this production, besides the stunning lines of each dancer, the unison of the swan corps and the exquisite partnering between Siegfried and whichever girl he thinks he’s interested in, was the costumes. They were breathtaking. I was in awe watching each unique outfit move on the stage, capturing the light perfectly and depicting the beauty that is “Swan Lake.”

While the soloists were phenomenal, many other dancers had a chance to showcase their talents, and it was clear Grand Kyiv has no weak links. Every dancer on that stage was full of artistry, obvious passion and clean technique, all of which is necessary to turn a dancer into a true performer. This version of the ballet highlighted a jester in the prince’s court, and he showed immense talent, incredible character work and even humor, which is often hard to come by in ballet.

To the dancers at Grand Kyiv Ballet, I say “bravo” to a stunning performance of “Swan Lake.” Their emotion, musicality and connection with each other reminded me what it is to be a ballerina and even had me missing my time as one. To dance is to tell the stories of humans. When they dance, they tell the stories of worlds.