June 3- 9, 2004

art

Under a Spell

Lake, superior: Christopher Wheeldon (right) observes Alexei Borovik and Dede Barfield as they rehearse his new "visualization" of Swan Lake. He says, "I can see the whole thing almost like tracing paper over the stage." Photo By: Michael T. Regan

The Pennsylvania Ballet lets a world-renowned choreographer work his magic on a new, million-dollar Swan Lake.

by Janet Anderson

"I've created a Swan Lake for people who've never seen it before," observes Christopher Wheeldon, the megatalented 31-year-old choreographer who "re-imagined" ballet's greatest story for the Pennsylvania Ballet.

"Everyone who knows ballet comes to Swan Lake with their own baggage. I understand them. I was 11 years old when Anthony Dowell created a new production for the Royal Ballet, and I've never been able to let go of it." Wheeldon shrugs. "My Swan Lake isn't for these people." He pauses. "I want my Swan Lake to be the one people remember."

Wearing flip-flops or socks (even while rehearsing with dancers in the studio), T-shirts and jeans, the slight, mild-mannered Englishman gives off none of the hauteur associated with world-class choreographers. Yet he's the first person to be named resident choreographer at the New York City Ballet since the deaths of its founding genius George Balanchine and ballet master-in-chief Jerome Robbins.

Two years ago PAB Artistic Director Roy Kaiser called Wheeldon to ask if he'd come to Philadelphia to create a new Swan Lake. The budget was $1 million, and the production would be completely Wheeldon's creation. "The call came out of the blue," he says. "I thought if I don't do it, I won't know if I can."

Wheeldon mentally moved Swan Lake out of its traditional Grimm's Fairy Tale setting, and into the late 19th century, the actual period of the first Swan Lake production. Visually he saw it as Degas' ballet-rehearsal paintings blending with Toulouse-Lautrec's cancan girls -- the idealized and the gaudy all scrambled together.

"At first I saw the entire ballet as happening in dream sequences of two dancers in my fictional 19th-century ballet company whose lives are completely re-created in the Swan's story," he says. "But Tchaikovsky's music pushed me back to the original version. I felt the music is so fairy tale and magical that it doesn't really work not to use the original story.

"So," he continues, "I merged my concept with the original scenario. Now it all goes on in Siegfried's imagination. Sometimes it's in the fantasy, sometimes it's in the reality."

Wheeldon did not create the term "re-imagined" that appears in the ads, saying, "I hate it actually." He calls what he's doing "visualization." He says, "I can see the whole thing almost like tracing paper over the stage."

He also trimmed Swan Lake down to two and a half hours after cramming four acts into three. This required snipping away at the famous score. Virtually at every rehearsal, he called out, "With all due respect to Mr. Tchaikovsky, we won't use that part."

Everything about this production is guaranteed to ensure that Pennsylvania Ballet receives the critical notice and attention it deserves.

Jean-Marc Puissant, a French designer and Wheeldon's friend from Royal Ballet days, created the costumes -- more than

100 of them, all designed, made and sent from London. But there isn't one feather on any of them.

Not the "white" of traditional Swans, these tutus are shades of gray, and longer, in the 19th-century style. "My swans," Wheeldon elaborates, "are beautiful but not very happy. After all, they are enchanted under a spell they resent." He smiles wryly, "And swans are rather murky in real life."

Another friend, Adrianne Lobel, designed the flexible set. Expect no mysterious forests or glittering castles. It's a single set that changes in mood and shape through lighting designed by Natasha Katz.

It's been constructed in lightweight materials of fabric and aluminum so it can travel. And portable is good:

Pennsylvania Ballet owns this production and wants to tour it; eventually they will rent it to others.

Every single person in the company will be onstage in this huge production. All the retired PAB dancers still with the company will perform, including old favorites Jeff Gribler and Tammy Hadley. Even Denise Venuti, who's actually PAB's public relations manager, will perform as a first-act seamstress.

This is a stupendous undertaking for a midsized, relatively low-budget operation (PAB is normally at 42 dancers, augmented to over 50 for this production). Only huge companies like the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre (both about 150 dancers each ) and England's Royal Ballet create their own Swan productions. When Wheeldon was asked to choreograph for Pennsylvania Ballet, all he knew about the troupe was "it had a good reputation." PAB is bidding to upgrade that general assessment spectacularly. People will be coming from all around the city and the world to see this, and the company has even added a performance to meet demand. In an odd coincidence, the national Dance Critics Association meets in Philadelphia at the same time. The production already has received advance notice in Time magazine and The New York Times Magazine, and this is just the beginning of what will be a tidal wave of reviews and articles.

Three fine ballerinas -- Arantxa Ochoa, Riolama Lorenzo and Dede Barfield -- dance ballet's famous dual role of Odette/Odile. As Odette, she's a woman transformed into a swan by evil Rothbart, free only for a brief period after midnight. As Odile, she's Rothbart's daughter, a beautiful seductress leading Prince Siegfried astray from his promise to break Odette's enchantment.

For Barfield this is a personal swan song, her last performance after a 20-year career with PAB, and the third version of Swan she's danced. Barfield says, "It's an honor and a joy to do anything with Chris. I just want to give the best performance of my life and go out on top."

Since this Swan happens in Siegfried's imagination, the Prince's role will be unusually important. Three men -- James Ady, Zachary Hench and Alexei Borovik -- partner the Swan Queens. Wheeldon brought unusual attention to the details of Siegfried's character.

Wheeldon also was a dancer, so he doesn't strangle individual performances. "The steps are now set," he told his leads at one rehearsal, "but that doesn't mean I don't want you to add details of characterization. I want you to do that and make this your own."

Does Wheeldon like being called the "new Balanchine"?

"Well," he replies gracefully, "I can't say it isn't flattering to have the attention and I'm not going to say otherwise. But I try not to take it on as added pressure." He heads off to the studio. "When you start work on a project," he says over his shoulder, "you never know if it's any good until the curtain goes up."

Swan Lake, Pennsylvania Ballet, June 4-13, $19-$96, Academy of Music, Broad and Spruce sts., 215-893-1999.