Ballet vs Circus

Although the programme notes state that Swan Lake is a ballet in 3 acts and 4 scenes, the version we watched last night at the Playhouse Opera Theatre was a trimmer 2 act 4 scene version; lasting for 3 hours instead of the more traditional 4. Tchaikovsky's thrilling musical fairy tale about Prince Siegfried’s love of the sometimes-human/sometimes-swan Odette was danced by Russia’s St Petersburg Ballet Theatre.

Robbie and I had excellent seats (though not quite as good as Ilan and Sandra because they booked months before we did), and we sat awe-inspired from the moment the prima ballerinas appeared on stage. With seemingly effortless elegance and grace the dancers (whose names I can barely pronounce) glide and ‘fouette’ (a fast whipping turn on one foot, of which the lead ballet dancer does 32) across the stage dancing the most popular ballet in the world and one I have loved since I first saw it on Beta Max video at the age of about two.

There were a few moments during the show where I found myself traveling back in time to Las Vegas’s Bellagio Hotel where we watched Cirque du Soleil’s uber-impressive ‘O’. For those who have not had the magnanimous pleasure of seeing ‘O’ imagine this: the stage is at times liquid, for high-divers and swimmers, and at times solid for dancers, gymnasts and clowns- One minute it's dry land and the next it's all water! It is difficult to describe this magical and surreal performance piece which uses aspects of theatre, from the simplest street performance to the most lavish of operas, and where anything is possible. Robbie described it as seeing his dreams alive on stage.


So for a moment or two I was ‘transported’ to the red velvet seats of the Bellagio’s huge theatre with a dramatic red curtain, where a few months ago we watched the circus. This circus, with acrobats, clowns and lively music (but no animals), was also like a ballet of sorts. In ‘O’ there were airborne, death-defying flips and in last night’s ballet some gravity-defying leaps. Both of these magnificent pieces are visual art where the bodies and costumes create a kind of living tapestry. Both have expressive body movements and the suggestion of a narrative without words, reminding us that music and movement speak their own language (basically my honours thesis). Both were beautifully staged shows where traditional forms of performance prove they are alive and thriving. Both are performed by unbelievably talented and supple bodies that have probably been training since they left the womb and can absolutely never indulge in a piece of cheesecake.

Now as for opera…