Despite a visually attractive production, the Russian National Ballet Theatre’s “Swan Lake” staged at the Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts on April 17 failed to impress emotionally.
Though the principal dancers possessed great technique, they lacked expressiveness in their steps. Ruslan Mukhambetkaliev’s turn as Prince Siegfried was stiff and without passion—his dancing simply felt too rehearsed.
Ekaterina Egorova’s clean execution made for an elegant and beautiful Odette, but her dancing similarly failed to elicit much visceral reaction within. It looked too much like they were going through the motions without conveying the emotions their characters felt.
Nevertheless, there were several redeeming factors. Didar Sarsembaev’s jester was playful and full of comic relief, his challenging leaps and jumps delighting the audience throughout the show. The evil sorcerer Von Rothbart was convincingly danced by Evgeny Rudakov, whose ominous presence led us to apprehend his every entrance.
Though the principal dancers possessed great technique, they lacked expressiveness in their steps. Ruslan Mukhambetkaliev’s turn as Prince Siegfried was stiff and without passion—his dancing simply felt too rehearsed.
Ekaterina Egorova’s clean execution made for an elegant and beautiful Odette, but her dancing similarly failed to elicit much visceral reaction within. It looked too much like they were going through the motions without conveying the emotions their characters felt.
Nevertheless, there were several redeeming factors. Didar Sarsembaev’s jester was playful and full of comic relief, his challenging leaps and jumps delighting the audience throughout the show. The evil sorcerer Von Rothbart was convincingly danced by Evgeny Rudakov, whose ominous presence led us to apprehend his every entrance.
