This year, the Finnish National Ballet is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Its first performance was seen on January 17, 1922, when the ballet master George Gé brought his own version of the Swan Lake. Gé had become acquainted with the Swan Lake in St. Petersburg before the Russian Revolution. The National Ballet has begun its anniversary with the same ballet, with choreography by David McAllister of Australia. The world of the ballet is very international: today 2/3 of the 76 dancers are of foreign origin. HERE you find a list of all the dancers, in case you wish to take a peek.
Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus situation, all performances have been canceled until the end of February. But the gala premiere was televised without audience on Saturday, January the 29th. The black and white swans are normally performed by the same dancer, but in the live broadcast, the dual role was divided between these two dancers: Hanako Matsune from Japan and Violetta Keller from Germany. As a result of the exceptional arrangement, there were also two princes: Michal Krčmář from the Czech Republic danced with Matsune and Jun Xia from China with Keller.
I watched the performance on TV, of course it didn’t compare to a live show, that I have seen years ago at our old opera house. I think the staging and costumes were wonderful and the pair of Violetta Keller & Jun Xia were dazzling. All the photos of the post are from the press.
Choreography: David McAllisterMusic: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Conductor: Bejamin Pope, Matthew Rowe
Production, costumes: Gabriela Týlešová
