On Saturday, Feb. 18, the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake, a ballet in three acts, premiered at the Keller Auditorium.
With only a few seats empty, the packed auditorium came to a standstill and only the classical music of Pyotr Tchaikovsky and clicks of pointe shoes could be heard. Fingers tapped to the melody of the music and eyes stayed glued on the stage, only lifting with the heightened leaps of the dancers.
Act I introduced us to our principal player Siegfried, the young prince played by Peter Franc.
In the story of Swan Lake, young Siegfried’s father the King, played by Colby Parsons, becomes ill and creates a magical illusion for Siegfried featuring a young princess, since he is to meet a young woman who will become the Queen.
Siegfried falls in love with Odette, only for her to quickly run away after their first dance. The illusion ended and Siegfried came out of his dreamscape.
Act II came at a perfect time—the illusion of the princess created by the King is over, and it is time for young Siegfried to meet eligible women to be his future
The eligible princesses and ladies humored the audience with their hilarious attempt at impressing the prince. Some dancers purposefully fell flat on the stage with their pointe shoes sliding out from underneath them, successfully lifting the audience’s spirits.
The humor came to a halt in Act III as did a principal player’s life. The mystery continues, as King Siegfried wonders if the enchantment on his dream princess Odette will be lifted. By this time in the night, however, there is no mystery as to the beauty of this dramatic ballet.
To see for yourself and find out what happens between this illusional princess and young Siegfried, head to the Keller Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 23, through Saturday, Feb. 25 for your final chance to catch the beautiful drama.
