Miami City Ballet’s North American premiere of famed choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s “Swan Lake” opened to rapturous applause and critical acclaim last weekend at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami.
Performed to live orchestra with lavish sets and costumes, the renowned troupe will next bring the production to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach Feb. 19-20 and the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale, Feb. 26-27, where, due to popular demand, a third show has been added on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. Tickets start at $37 and are available at miamicityballet.org/swan.
Katia Carranza and Renan Cerdeiro in Alexei Ratmansky’s production of “Swan Lake” by Miami City Ballet. (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
In addition, special guest artist Viktorina Kapitonova will perform select shows at the Kravis Center, courtesy of Boston Ballet. Alexei Ratmansky personally selected and coached the acclaimed Russian dancer who originated the role of Odette/Odile at Zürich Ballett when it premiered in 2016. Viktorina is currently a principal dancer at Boston Ballet.
“Swan Lake” features the choreography of renowned dancemaker Alexei Ratmansky, who reconstructed this production based on historical notations and archival material dating to the 1895 Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, Mariinsky Theatre premiere. What audiences will experience in this production, as Ratmansky explains, is, “a historically informed” presentation of the iconic classic.
Here, the humanity and storytelling of the original ballet is restored along with visual attention to the time. Tutus are bell-shaped rather than jutting out from the hip and the swan maidens wear their hair down, adorned with crowns rather than feathers, for they are women first.
The sets are as grand as a medieval courtyard and as haunting and still as a misty lakeside at midnight. A timeless story, it deals with themes of love, romance, betrayal – real emotions that are part of the human condition.
Around the May pole in Act I of “Swan Lake.” (Photo by Alexander Iziliaev)
