Of love and feathers

Jennifer K Mahal

Of all the fairy tales ballet companies deal with, there is something

about “Swan Lake” that makes it a standard.

“Almost every choreographer who follows classical dance, their dream

is to do their own ‘Swan Lake,”’ said Judith Morr, executive vice

president of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

The ballet to appear Tuesday at the Center, opening its 2002 dance

season, is the dream of Kevin McKenzie, artistic director of the American

Ballet Theatre. It will be the second ABT “Swan Lake” to appear in Orange

County. Mikhail Baryshnikov’s version had its world premiere at

Segerstrom Hall in 1988.

Set to music by Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky, “Swan Lake” tells the story

of a beautiful girl, Odette, who is cursed by the sorcerer von Rothbart

to live out her days as a swan. Only true love can save her.

Unfortunately, when true love comes around in the shape of a prince

named Siegfried, the evil enchanter tricks him into betraying Odette by

substituting her for a devious look-alikenamed Odile. The prince realizes

his error too late, cursing them both.

“If you look at fairy tales, there are those which everyone has known

and grown up with and for whatever reason have grabbed the imagination of

the public,” said Victor Barbee, assistant artistic director at ABT.

“Swan Lake,” with its mix of the supernatural and the human, captures

the imagination of audiences.

“It appeals to them,” said Barbee, who has been with ABT since 1975.

“It has some reality, some fantasy and some need to overcome adversity

and cope with life. Then there is the ever-present aspect of true love.”

It is that last part that often finds resonance with modern audiences.

“You have characters that are willing to overcome all things that came

before in the name of love,” Barbee said. “Love that overrides whatever

station in life you’re born in, or what the color of your skin is, or the

social status that society dictates.”

Morr said she thinks now is an especially good time to do “Swan Lake.”

“Everyone seems to want to have some magic and beauty in their lives,”

she said. “Ticket sales have been evidence of that.”

Julie Kent, Paloma Herrerra, Nina Ananiashvili and Irini Dvorovenko

are among the principal dancers who will perform the dual role of

Odette/Odile on alternating nights in Orange County. Prince Siegfried

will be portrayed in part by Julio Bocca, Marcelo Gomes and Jose Manuel

Carreno.

Barbee, who has danced von Rothbart in previous incarnations of the

ballet, said Odette/Odile is the most difficult role of a ballerina’s

career.

“The dichotomy of a dancer’s life is that by the time a ballerina gets

to the age to peak artistically due to life experience, very often she

starts to lose her physical abilities,” Barbee said. “A ballerina for

that role has to bring all the aspects together quickly and give a

portrayal that resonates strongly.”

In part, McKenzie’s version is more difficult than some because it

fuses the first two acts and the last two acts into one each -- making a

four-act ballet into a two-act piece with set changes.

McKenzie’s version brings the classic beauty of the ballet out, Barbee

said. In an era that has seen traditional stories transformed by modern

costumes and settings -- like the show that had the Swan Queen arrive in

a Cadillac -- McKenzie has taken a page out of the book of past masters.

“We’re proud of it,” Barbee said of the production that premiered in

2000 at the Kennedy Center. “Sometimes you do productions and they work

out well, and sometimes you have to tinker with it a lot. This one did

not require tinkering.”

SH FYI

* What: “Swan Lake”

* When: 8 p.m. Tuesday to Feb. 16 and 2 p.m. Feb. 16-17. A preview talk will be given an hour before each performance, with the Friday

preview interpreted in sign language.

* Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

* Cost: $20-$75

* Call: (714) 556-2787