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Swan Lake redux

HIGH DRAMA Greta Hodgkinson, Rex Harrington and Aleksandar Antonijevic in the world premiere of Swan Lake in 1999; illustration by Maurice Vellekoop.

The National Ballet of Canada’s eye-popping, heart-stopping production of Swan Lake, choreographed by the inimitable James Kudelka, opens Sat, Nov 9. I was there 14 years ago for the world premiere. It was a night of high drama: the moon disappeared momentarily during the opening tableau in a lighting snafu, a corps member collapsed on stage, and a near riot of tut-tutting erupted when an audience member refused to stand for the Lieutenant Governor. But nothing could detract from the amazing artistry on display that night. I teamed up with illustrator Maurice Vellekoop to cover the action. Not bad for a scrappy paper like Xtra. I mean, just five years prior, Vellekoop had been sent to Paris by American Vogue to cover the autumn couture shows. I always thought I had a little Anna Wintour in me.

I love the piece of comics reportage that Vellekoop and I did – the first of many collaborations (not least of which includes our 11-plus year relationship).

I also wrote an earlier preview piece where I interviewed the ballet’s male stars, Rex Harrington and Aleksandar Antonijevic, who debuted the roles of Rothbart and Siegfried. Kudelka’s version depicts Siegfried’s court, with its armor and skeletons, as a hide-bound, militaristic realm – a chilling echo of the wider world at the time. Canada, as part of NATO forces, was participating in near nightly bombing raids over what was formerly known as Yugoslavia. In my story, Antonijevic expresses his dismay over the military action; his family lived in Novi Sad, one of the hardest hit cities. 

My preview also includes a discussion of the National’s long, rich history with this revered ballet.

The 2013 opening night of Swan Lake will star Xiao Nan Yu as Odette/Odile, McGee Maddox as Siegfried and Etienne Lavigne as Rothbart. national.ballet.ca.