When people think of ballet, they quickly think about Tchaikovsky. He is famous for composing the famous ballets Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. He is also considered to be the master of 19th-century dance music.
Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with a beautiful swan, Princess Odette. She and her companions were transformed into swans by the evil Baron von Rothbart, who with Odile, his daughter, helps him operate under evil as the black swan.
The curse can only be broken if someone who has never experienced love swears an oath to undying love, Siegfried professes his love to Odette vows to be loyal to her forever.
The National Ballet of Guatemala (Ballet Nacional de Guatemala "Christa Mertins") prepared this traditional performance for their 2022 season. Three performances were done on Aug. 12, 13 and 14 at the Gran Sala Efrain Recinos del Centro Cultural Miguel Angel Asturias.
Abigail Miranda and Daynier Rivero, two foreign, professional ballerinas, were the main stars of this classic performance.
As a longtime supporter for the arts, especially ballet, I took this opportunity to watch this classic. I remember watching bits and pieces of Swan Lake via online video. The last time I attended a ballet performance was several years ago, when I went to see The Nutcracker from the Houston Ballet at Wortham Theater.
Overall, the Swan Lake performance by Ballet Guatemala was polished and well-rehearsed. The costumes, especially the sparkly white tutus of the swans, were consistent with the traditional storyline of the ballet. And the theatrical backdrops and props brought the audience into focus, as if they were in the real Swan Lake story.
The music, composed by Tchaikovsky, of Swan Lake brought me some nostalgia, even though it was the first time I have seen a Swan Lake performance in person. Among those were the Waltz from Act 2, the Dance of the Cygnets and the Swan Theme from Act 2.
If you are someone who is really into watching a ballet performance, Swan Lake (and even Tchaikovsky's other ballet classics) is definitely worth watching for the first time, or even the hundredth time!
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