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SJ 'Swan' Alights

Ana Lobe leads the flock in SJ Cleveland Ballet's magnificent 'Swan Lake'

By Philip Collins

Pure magic was afoot at San Jose Cleveland Ballet's revival of Swan Lake at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts last weekend. Artistic director Dennis Nahat's adaptation drew discerningly from the 1895 choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and also brought innumerable new embellishments to bear that compliment and expand upon this ballet's staple dance numbers.

On nearly all counts, it was an exemplary production, exquisitely matched in design and execution, rampant with imaginative nuance and worked to precision--a feast for eyes, although unfortunately the ears had to settle for mere grub. Despite conductor Stanley Sussman's unswerving maintenance of tempi and mood play, the San Jose Symphony turned in a performance that was coarse and disheveled. Bright spots came mostly from the string section, in particularly the solo work of concertmaster Byung-Woo Kim during Act II.

Front and center, the show rode on the wings of Ana Lobe's magnificent performance of the work's featured duel roles: Odette, Queen of the Swans, and Odile the Black Swan. Lobe, in her second year with San Jose Cleveland Ballet, offered honed portrayals of these opposite characters, enlivening each with distinctly mirrored contrasts of the other. To both roles, Lobe brought a winged essence that emanated creature grace, right down to her fingertips. So complete was her embodiment of the swan that artifice fell away, and one felt witness to nature at work.

In her interpretation of the evil Odile, Lobe incorporated a fascinating array of subtleties. From her distorted facial grimacing--somewhat reminiscent of Balinese masks--to her grotesque finger articulations, Lobe created an Odile of frightening intensity, completely dichotomous to Odette's sweetness.

Lobe's tender resignation to death in the final moments in Act IV was so breathtaking that the premature outbreak of applause seemed inevitable. Anyway, it was clear as early as Act II that Lobe had already seduced the audience.

The second act's most famous numbers were honored superbly by Lobe. The point work of her entrance suspended time, and her supple limb movements caressingly entwined with Tchaikovsky's melodic variations.

As the sorcerer, Baron Von Rothbart, Ramon Thielen was captivating. His bravura and dynamism coupled delectably with David Guthrie's costumes--garishly hued capes--to make an imposing presence of supernatural dimensions. Thielen's every move exuded sexiness and malevolence. Whether in stillness or aloft in gravity-defying leaps, his poise was striking.

Olivier Munoz contributed sterling craft and adequate expression to his performance as Lobe's romantic complement, Prince Siegfried. During the first act, Munoz was particularly dazzling as the royal bachelor eyeing his prospects. He captured youth in his masterful leaps and turns, but the emotional dimension of Munoz' characterization developed little beyond this point, which became increasingly evident in light of the ballet's poignant unfolding.

The production overall moved at a gratifying clip, smartly incorporating technical effects where suitable, while making utmost use of Guthrie's breathtaking scenery. Nahat's atmospheric ensemble choreographies worked handsomely in relief against Guthrie's sets throughout, though most memorably during "The Dance of the Swans" in Act II. The dancers' carefully aligned bourées were that much more enchanting in front of Guthrie's enormous forest setting.

Tamara Del Giomo, Grethel Domingo, Laurel Skousen and Amy Smith, in their rendering of the Four Cygnets, could not have been bettered. The pointe work was impeccable, and the pas de chat (cat step) was so uniformly executed that it seemed like only one person was dancing.

Nahat's most apparent additions to Swan Lake's time-honored scenario began in the first act with a series of extended solos by four eligible maidens: Nancy Latoszewski, Julia Ortega, Lauren Schultz and Maydee Pena. Edits of Tchaikovsky's score cropped up subsequently, and the sorcerer, Rothbart, was newly incorporated early into Act II to interrupt Odette's solo.

The solos in Act I by Prince Siegfried's prospective wives were a welcome development. Each offered distinctive qualities and outstanding technique. Ortega's especially buoyant and dexterous performance drew accolades, although Latoszewski impressed this writer with her lithe step and feathery ease.

Few revivals capture the magic of a production's original allure, but Nahat's artful adaptation--bolstered by Ana Lobe's consummate performance of the Swan--must surely be counted among the finest of our day.

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