Grand Kyiv Ballet takes flight with ‘Swan Lake'

Boston Globe

20-02-2025

The csárdás is omitted from the act three lineup of national dances and the beginning of act four is abbreviated; running time Wednesday was just over two hours, with one 20-minute intermission. There's some reduction in forces, but six couples for the first act waltz and polonaise is ample, and so is the contingent of 18 swans in act two and the quartet of foreign princesses hoping to wed Siegfried. The adjustments that have been made to the Petipa/Ivanov choreography are not significant. As is common in Slavic productions of 'Swan Lake,' the court has a Jester to comment on the action; Siegfried's Tutor, however, is absent.
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The scenario offers some novel touches. Before receiving his birthday-present crossbow, Siegfried is knighted (by whom it's not clear) and given a medal by his princess-regent mother. When he enters in act two, swinging the crossbow in search of swans, Rothbart sneaks up behind him and stalks him. At the end of that act, Siegfried does not swear eternal fidelity to Odette. She bourrées off, drawn by Rothbart's invisible power; only then does Siegfried decide, making the two-finger troth mime, and once again, as the curtain falls, Rothbart appears behind him, as if to say, 'We'll see about that.'
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Act one is pleasing, if a shade underpowered; Grand Kyiv's 'Swan Lake' comes to life when the 18 swans enter in act two, crisp and quiet in their pas emboîtés and sautés en arabesque. Svitlana Svinko's grounded Odette is as much woman as swan, wary of Siegfried more as a man than as a hunter. From the outset, there's a touch of the tragic about her. Svinko shows off feathery sissonnes, dreamy développés, a razor-sharp passé-relevé sequence, and, even at a slow adagio, superb control in attitude and arabesque on pointe. Her Odile is arch and authoritative; standing unsupported on pointe for a few seconds is no problem. As Siegfried, Daniel Kish serves up high-flying cabrioles and scissor jumps, neat double tours, and eye-catching tours à la seconde, but what for me stands out is confident, unobtrusive partnering that makes Svinko look good at every turn.
Other highlights include a flawless quartet of cygnets, a Spanish dance with deep backbends, a zippy Neapolitan, and a back somersault from the Jester. The fourth act includes a quartet of black swans, perhaps referring to Siegfried's perfidy; that's a Slavic tradition, and so is the conclusion, where Siegfried frees the swans by tearing off one of Rothbart's owl wings. Tchaikovsky's score rises from B minor to B major at this point, so it seems only right that Odette should rush into Siegfried's arms as dawn breaks and the curtain falls.
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SWAN LAKE
Music by Petr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, adapted by Anatoliy Shekera. Costumes: Serhii Aleshyn. Lighting: Ihor Samarets. Presented by Grand Kyiv Ballet. At Emerson Colonial Theatre. Remaining performance: Feb. 20. Tickets $39-$89. 888-616-0272,
Jeffrey Gantz can be reached at