The HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera’s most anticipated ballet, Swan Lake, will return to the Saigon Opera House in August. — Photo courtesy of HBSO

HCM CITY — The timeless ballet masterpiece Swan Lake, the most anticipated performance staged by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO), will return at the Saigon Opera House this month, accompanied by a full live orchestra.

The four-act ballet, composed by Russian composer Tchaikovsky in 1876, is one of the most popular ballets of all time.

Nguyễn Phúc Hải, head of the HBSO Ballet, said, “Swan Lake is a production that every dancer has heard of and watched. And every audience has known its name.”

Based on Russian and German folk tales, the production portrays the tragic love story between Prince Siegfried and Princess Odette, who is transformed into a swan by day by an evil sorcerer’s curse.

Their love faces obstacles caused by Odile, the sorcerer’s daughter, who takes the form of Odette to trick Siegfried. The prince declares to marry the wrong “Odette” and breaks his oath of true love to Odette.

The ballet was first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1877, and became one of the most performed ballets ever.

Young dancers Đỗ Hoàng Khang Ninh and Lê Đức Anh play Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried. — Photo courtesy of HBSO

HBSO invited Norwegian choreographer Johanne Jakhelln Constant to choreograph a full-length production of Swan Lake, and design sets, costumes, and lighting for the ballet.

Constant said Swan Lake was one of the most iconic ballets, and anyone who heard of the ballet knew about Swan Lake. For HBSO, it was a great occasion to showcase the dancers' talents and create a valuable opportunity to collaborate with other dance organisations in HCM City, such as the Intermediate Dance School and Sasa Ballet.

She said that she created an entirely new version of the ballet with original choreography because HBSO was a slightly smaller company with not as many dancers as big companies, such as Paris Opera Ballet.

She emphasised that she wanted to feature HBSO dancers and their strength, and felt excited to create something new from something old to see new sides of something that has existed for a long time, and maybe to see it in relation to things happening in the world today.

The choreographer also shared that Swan Lake in Việt Nam was not just a replica but a work reborn in a new context, bearing the spirit of the times and the unique identity of HBSO.

Constant, who earned a Master of Fine Arts in classical ballet and modern dance from the University of Iowa in the US, began working with HBSO for the classical ballet The Nutcracker in 2011. She has also staged new versions of the ballets Coppélia and Cinderella for the troupe.

The full-length production of Swan Lake premiered at the Opera House in October, becoming the HBSO's most anticipated show last year. Every performance was sold out very quickly.

The ballet will star Đỗ Hoàng Khang Ninh, who will play Odette.

Ninh said, “My peers and I have practised with Johanne for six days a week. It’s too difficult to portray a swan.”

She added that she must learn to glide through the water like a swan and act like an elegant and powerful queen.

Ninh received a scholarship to study at the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, and participated in cultural exchanges in Korea. She has performed in the ballets Giselle, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Ballet Kiều.

Japanese dancer Chika Tatsumi portrays Odile. — Photo courtesy of HBSO

Japanese dancer Chika Tatsumi, a soloist of Arabesque Việt Nam, a neo-classical and contemporary dance company in HCM City, will portray Odile.

Tatsumi began studying ballet when she was three. She joined the Secondary Dance School affiliated with the Shenyang Conservatory of Music at the age of 13.

She graduated from the Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2013. She has been working as a principal dancer with the Lonneke van Leth Production in The Hague for three years, and in 2015 she joined Arabesque.

The ballet will also feature Lê Đức Anh, Sùng A Lùng, Phạm Thế Phương and dancers from the HBSO Ballet, the HCM City Intermediate Dance School, and Sasa Ballet.

For the first time, the ballet's entire score will be performed by the HBSO Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Lê Ha My, HBSO’s Director.

My said the seamless harmony between the live orchestra and the dancers promises to deliver moments of pure emotional euphoria.

“Staging a new production is not only delivering a world classic to the audience but also spreading dancing to the next generation of dancers and dance lovers in HCM City," Hải said,.

“Having a crew of experienced dancers and younger faces, HBSO will bring a performance carrying the troupe’s identity and suit the taste of Vietnamese audiences.”

The Swan Lake ballet will take place at 8pm on August 15, 16, 22 and 23. The Opera House is at 7 Lam Sơn Square in Sài Gòn Ward. — VNS

HBSO Symphony Orchestra will perform the ballet's score under the baton of conductor Lê Ha My. — Photo courtesy of HBSO