PORT ANGELES — A dashing prince, an evil sorcerer and a beautiful maiden will pirouette on stage Sunday during a special presentation of “Swan Lake” by the Ballet Workshop of Port Angeles.
The performance is being produced in cooperation with the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts.
The ballet — written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in the mid-1870s — visually describes the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by the curse of Von Rothbart, an evil sorcerer.
Odette, living as swan by day, only returns to human form at night along the edges of an enchanted lake created from the tears of her mother.
It is here that Odette — portrayed by Martina Prefontaine of San Francisco — meets Prince Siegfried — portrayed by Sam Rodriguez of New York City — who might be her only chance of breaking the spell.
The curse can only be overcome if someone who has never been in love before swears to love Odette forever.
Rothbart — portrayed by Noah Long of Toronto — sees Siegfried falling in love with Odette, and fools him into choosing another maiden, the Black Swan — also portrayed by Prefontaine — as his bride.
“This is the first time that ‘Swan Lake’ will be performed on the Olympic Peninsula, and I couldn’t be happier to be staging it with our talented local kids,” said Kate Long, owner of Ballet Workshop of Port Angeles, adding this particular ballet was chosen for its ability to transcend time.
Additionally, “the story line provides for great soloist and partnering opportunities for our local teenagers,” Long said.
“The ballet is so high energy and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. It’s an all-round win for the audience and artistic growth of our local performers.”
Audacious undertaking
Sunday’s performance will be one of the most audacious endeavours ever attempted by the Ballet Workshop of Port Angeles, Long said.
“ ‘Swan Lake’ is considered one of the most difficult ballets of the classical era to perform,” Long said.
“The corps de ballet and principal characters must demonstrate exceptional stamina and versatility for the choreography. The sheer volume of technical memorization and character interpretation takes incredible focus and intelligence on the dancers’ part.”
For the performance, the ballet workshop auditioned and cast more than 65 local dancers, ranging in age from 5 to 20, as well as two adult theatrical artists, said Lindsey Casad, executive director of Ballet Workshop of Port Angeles.
The local talent shares the stage with three visiting guest artists, Long said.
Due to the wide range of experience offered by the participants, the staff chose to pursue an abridged version of the ballet, she said.
“The original full length version is a grueling four acts and two and a half hours,” Long said.
“The Ballet Workshop will be presenting an abridged three act version that summarizes the story line in a more palatable 90-minute package.”
This performance includes about 40 percent of the original choreography for the iconic pas de deux and solos of the lead dancers created by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov for the 1895 revival of “Swan Lake,” Long said.
“The rest of the ballet is my original vision and creation for an all-student cast,” Long said.
For many of the dancers, this production will be their first time ever on stage, Long said.
For others, she continued, “it’s a chance to soar in a leading role.”
Leading roles include Mia Tatum, 17, of Port Angeles as the Spanish princess; Emily Grubb, 16, of Sequim as the Italian princess; and Isabella Knott, 12, of Sequim as the Hungarian princess.
“There is so much action and drama,” Grubb said. “I love the drama.”
Kayla Avery Oakes, a faculty member at the Ballet Workshop, appears as Her Majesty the Queen, David Shargel dances the role of the Chancellor and Ava Johnson, a junior student at the Ballet Workshop, portrays the Court Jester.
The dancers will spin and twirl in front of vivid backdrops brought in from California paired with locally prepared props.
“We love our design for this production,” Casad said. “The backdrops and sets are so high lustre and three dimensional. They bring the stage to life.”
The backdrops were rented from a professional theatrical supplier in California, and paired “with existing scenery sets from our own inventory, all of which were made in-house by Port Angeles artist Blythe McGivern and craftsman Greg Tatum.”
Timeless story
“I wanted to do a timeless, familiar ballet that had never been performed on the Olympic Peninsula,” Long said, adding the old Russian tale remains relevant to audiences in the 21st Century.
“Dramatic medieval romance and tragedy seems to never go out of style,” she said.
“They’re a blissful modern escape — the plot twists and grandeur captivate us. No matter which century they’re told in, stories of love and heartbreak mirror the fabric of our fragile lives. They communicate something visceral that has a different relevance to each person.
And ballet, being such a “physical form of storytelling, only augments the propensity for that,” Long said.
Casad encourages the public to attend Sunday’s performance.
“We want our community to see our local young artists collaborate with prodigy guest dancers from American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet,” she said.
“It’s like the chance to watch a high school football team play an exhibition game with guest NFL players as their quarter back and running back. The caliber is raised so high. It’s a phenomenal experience for everyone.”
Tickets
The ballet is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Park Ave.
Tickets range from $15 to $35 for adults and $10 for children. They can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com, or in person at Port Book and News at 104 E. First St., in Port Angeles, or the Joyful Noise Music Center at 112 W. Washington St., in Sequim.
For more information, visit JFFA.org.
