choreography Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake MARCH 04/2015

STUDY GUIDE

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Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet

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Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally founded Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School nearly 75 years ago. The two women met when Lloyd was running a dance school in Leeds, England and Farrally was her student. They both immigrated to Canada in 1938, and settled in Winnipeg. There they offered dance classes to the community – starting out with only six students in their first year. Word quickly spread, however, and by year two their enrolment had grown and they were able to establish the “Winnipeg Ballet Club.”

By 1943, The Winnipeg Ballet was formed with all of its dancers coming from the Club. Six years later, the Company officially became a not-for-profit cultural institution. In 1951, the Company was invited to perform for then Princess Elizabeth during her visit to Winnipeg, just prior to her becoming Queen of England. Following her coronation in 1953, she bestowed The Winnipeg Ballet’s “Royal” designation.

Between the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) School’s two divisions of study, there is a place for virtually every type of dance student: from preschoolers to adults, those new to dance and those aspiring to become professional dancers.

ABOUT

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PREPARING This booklet is designed to enhance the student’s experience at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s performance of Swan Lake. The activities and information included are organized to help students prepare, understand, enjoy, and respond to their experience watching the performance.

DURING THE PERFORMANCE: Enjoy the ballet! As part of the audience, your attendance is as essential to the ballet performance as the dancers themselves. Prior to arriving at the theatre, discuss proper audience etiquette using the keywords below. These steps will help students handle their feelings and enthusiasm appropriately. It is also very important to arrive on time or even early for the performance in order to allow enough time to settle in and focus on the performance.

CONCENTRATION: Always sit still and watch in a quiet, concentrated way. This supports the dancers so that they can do their best work on stage.

QUIET: Auditoriums are designed to carry sound so that the performers can be heard, which also means that any sound in the audience (whispering, laughing, rustling papers or speaking) can be heard by dancers and other audience members. Your movement or checking your phone and texting disrupts the performance for everyone, so always ensure that phones and other electronic devices are turned off during the entire performance.

RESPECT: By watching quietly and attentively you show respect for the dancers. The dancers show respect for you (the audience) and for the art of dance by doing their very best work.

APPRECIATION: Do clap at the end of a dance (when there is a pause in the music) if you feel like showing your appreciation.

“To enrich the human experience by teaching, creating and performing outstanding dance.”

Whether touring the world’s stages, visiting schools, offering rigorous dance classes for all experience levels, or performing at Ballet in the Park each summer, the RWB consistently delivers world class dance and instruction to the citizens of Winnipeg and far beyond.

to see the ballet

AFTER THE PERFORMANCE: Process and respond to the performance by engaging in class discussions or writing a letter to the RWB. We love to get feedback from our student groups.

WRITE TO:

At Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, our mandate is:

Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet 380 Graham Avenue Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4K2

customerservice@rwb.org

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Find out more about us at rwb.org.

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BalletThe First Ballet In 16th century France and Italy, royalty competed to have the most splendid court. Monarchs would search for and employ the best poets, musicians and artists. At this time, dancing became increasingly theatrical. This form of entertainment, also called the ballet de court (court ballet), featured elaborate scenery and lavish costumes, plus a series of processions, poetic speeches, music and dancing. The first known ballet, Le Ballet comique de la Reine, was performed at court in 1581 by the Queen of France (and her ladies) at her sister’s wedding.

The Sun King In the 17th century, the popularity and development of ballet could be attributed to King Louis XIV of France. He took dancing very seriously and trained daily with his dance master, Pierre Beauchamp. One of the King’s famous roles was the Rising Sun which led him to become known as the “Sun King.” King Louis also set up the Academie Royale de Danse (Royal Academy of Dance) in 1661, where, for the first time, steps were structurally codified and recorded by Beauchamp. These are the same steps

that have been handed down through centuries, and which now form the basis of today’s classical ballet style.

The First Professional Dancers At first, ballets were performed at the Royal Court, but in 1669 King Louis opened the first opera house in Paris. Ballet was first viewed publicly in the theatre as part of the opera. The first opera featuring ballet, entitled Pomone, included dances created by Beauchamp. Women participated in ballets at court, but were not seen in the theatre until 1681. Soon, as the number of performances increased, courtiers who danced for a hobby gave way to professional dancers who trained longer and harder. The physical movement of the first professional dancers was severely hindered by their lavish and weighty costumes and headpieces. They also wore dancing shoes with tiny heels, which made it rather difficult to dance with pointed toes.

Revealing Feet and Ankles Early in the 18th century in Paris, the ballerina, Marie Camargo, shocked audiences by shortening her skirts to just above the ankle. She did this to be freer in her movements

and allow the audience to see her intricate footwork and complex jumps, which often rivaled those of the men. Ballet companies were now being set up all over France to train dancers for the opera. The first official ballet company (a collection of dancers who train professionally) was based at the Paris Opera and opened in 1713.

The Pointe Shoe By 1830, ballet as a theatrical art form truly came into its own. Influenced by the Romantic Movement, which was sweeping the world of art, music, literature and philosophy, ballet took on a whole new look. The ballerina ruled supreme. Female dancers now wore calf-length, white, bell-shaped tulle skirts. To enhance the image of the ballerina as light and ethereal, the pointe shoe was introduced, enabling women to dance on the tips of their toes.

Classical Ballet Although the term “classical” is often used to refer to traditional ballet, this term really describes a group of story ballets first seen in Russia at the end of the 19th century. At this time, the centre of ballet moved from France to Russia. In Russia, the French choreographer Marius Petipa collaborated

with the Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky to create the lavish story ballet spectacles such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Today, these ballets still form the basis of the classical ballet repertoire of companies all over the world.

One Act Ballets In 1909, the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev brought together a group of dancers, choreographers, composers, artists and designers into his company, the Ballets Russes. This company took Paris by storm as it introduced, instead of long story ballets in the classical tradition, short one act ballets such as, Schéhérazade, Les Sylphides, The Rite of Spring, Firebird and Petrouchka. Some of the worlds greatest dancers, including Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), Vasslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) and choreographers Mikhail Fokine (1880-1942) and George Balanchine (1904-1983) were part of Diaghilev’s company.

DID YOU KNOW … ? Dancing ballet puts a lot of wear on a dancer’s shoes. Some dancers need to get new shoes every week!

SEE FOR YOURSELF! Do a search for images of ballet dancers throughout the ages. Can you notice the differences in costumes over time? What do most dancers wear today?

ABOUT

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The career of a dancer is relatively short and it is not unusual to spend more years training than dancing professionally. As in Olympic-level sport, the movements demanded of the human body in ballet are very specific and require great precision and care. For that reason, the physique must be prepared for a professional ballet career at a young age.

The professional training period usually consists of at least seven years of intensive, precise work. Ideally, girls and boys should begin their professional training by age ten. Training is a very progressive process. The young professional student begins with daily classes, practicing the basic ballet positions and movements, learning body placement and how to move through the space with balance and artistry. As the student progresses, time spent in classes each week increases, as do the difficulty and extensiveness of the skills taught. In addition to daily class in classical technique, students also receive instruction in variation (solo) work, pointe (dancing on the toes), pas de deux (a dance for two), character (ethnic), jazz and modern dance.

Prior to the introduction of pointe work, a number of criteria must be considered. These include the amount of previous training, a dancer’s strength and ability, as well as age as it relates to the bone development in the dancer’s feet. Pas de deux and repertoire (the collection of different ballets a dance company performs) are introduced only when the student has adequate strength, ability and training.

Students who graduate to a professional ballet company usually begin dancing as a member of the corps de ballet (ensemble). After a few years, corps de ballet members whose artistry, technical ability, musicality and ability to communicate with the audience set them apart may be promoted to first or second soloist. Finally, the highest achievement in the company, the position of principal dancer or ballerina, is attainable by only a few select dancers.

THE LIFE OF A DANCER

ESTABLISHING DANCE IN NORTH AMERICAAlmost all contemporary ballet companies and dancers are influenced by Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes. The first visit by this company to North America in 1916-1917 stimulated great interest in ballet. Dancers from the Ballets Russes were instrumental in furthering this new interest in ballet. For example, dancer George Balanchine went to the United States and founded the New York City Ballet (originally called the American Ballet). He became renowned for perfecting the abstract ballet and for establishing neo-classicism through his choreographic masterpieces such as Serenade, Agon and Concerto Barocco. Ninette de Valois and Marie Rambert also went on to found, respective, England’s Royal Ballet and the Rambert Dance Company. It is from these English roots that two English Women, Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farally, founded the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1939 (the oldest ballet company in Canada). Celia Franca also came to Canada and in 1951, she founded The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. Some of the worlds greatest dancers, including Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), Vasslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) and choreographers Mikhail Fokine (1880-1942) and George Balanchine (1904-1983) were part of Diaghilev’s company.

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ACT I On the terrace of a magnificent castle, festivities are under way. Villagers and courtiers are celebrating Prince Siegfried’s coming of age, his 21st birthday. The guests are entertained by a mischievous Jester, when servants announce the arrival of the sovereign princess, the prince’s mother. The Queen Mother offers Siegfried an arbalest as a gift and reminds him that the time has come for him to choose a bride at the next evening’s ball.

Reluctant to marry until he is in love, Siegfried is distressed by his mother’s request, but maintains his composure until darkness falls over the terrace and the guests depart. Alone, Siegfried is depressed by obscure premonitions. Seeing a flock of white swans in the sky, Siegfried follows them to the lake.

ACT II At the lake, located in the thick of a forest, swans come ashore and are transformed into young women. On seeing them, Siegfried is stunned by their incredible beauty and lowers his arbalest.

The Queen of the Swans, Odette, explains that all of them are under the spell of the evil magician, von Rothbart, and only the power of a faithful lover is able to destroy the sorcerer’s spell. Siegfried is enraptured, he has never seen such a beautiful maiden, and falls in love with Odette, vowing eternal love to her. Odette warns the youth that if he breaks his vow, no one will ever be able to help the swan maidens.

Dawn approaches. Once again the maidens are transformed into swans and swim into the lake. Odette bids Siegfried farewell.

CHOREOGRAPHY: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov MUSIC: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky STAGED BY: Galina Yordanova

SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN: Peter Farmer LIGHTING DESIGN: Nicholas Cernovitch LENGTH: 2 hours (run times are approximate)

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SynopsisSWAN LAKE

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ACT III The following evening in the castle ballroom, a magnificent ball is being given in Siegfried’s honor, with the full court in attendance. Beautiful princesses from various countries appear before the Prince, but no one captures his attention. Siegfried is distracted and thinks only of his love for Odette, who has captured his heart. Only at his mother’s insistence is Siegfried polite to the young ladies attending the ball.

Trumpets suddenly herald the arrival of new, uninvited guests. Impersonating a noble knight, the sorcerer von Rothbart appears with his daughter, Odile. Siegfried is confused – this beauty looks unusually like his beloved Odette. Odile does not give the Prince time to collect himself. She lures him on, charming and captivating him with her allure. Enraptured, the Prince is carried away by her bewitching presence and makes a declaration of love. Henceforth, she is to be his bride.

Delighted at the Prince’s betrayal of his love, von Rothbart triumphs. Siegfried has broken his oath to Odette. Love and faithfulness no longer exist and nothing can withstand von Rothbart’s evil power. With mocking triumph, Odile reveals her true identity.

For a moment, Siegfried has a vision of the swans by the lake and, understanding the terrible deception of which he is victim, the distraught Prince rushes to the lake in search of Odette.

ACT IV At the lake at nightfall, Odette explains von Rothbart’s perfidy and Siegfried’s unintentional betrayal to her swan maidens. He promises to redeem his misdeed and challenges von Rothbart to single combat.

Von Rothbart’s powers are destroyed and an end has come to evil wizardry. As Odette and Siegfried are united, the rays of the rising sun grant life, love, and happiness.

ODETTE The Queen of the Swans, Odette is a beautiful heroine who has been transformed into a swan by the evil sorcery of Baron von Rothbart. She can only regain her human form at night, and will remain a swan forever unless the spell is broken by faithful love.

PRINCE SIEGFRIED Prince of the kingdom and heir to the throne, Prince Siegfried is young and lusts for adventure. The time has for him to marry and take on royal responsibilities, but he refuses all the suitors in hopes of finding true love.

BARON VON ROTHBART An evil magician who has placed a spell upon Odette, transforming her into a swan.

ODILE Baron von Rothbart’s daughter who bears a striking resemblance to Odette.

CHARACTERS

DID YOU KNOW … ? The word ‘ballet’ refers to a specific dance technique that has evolved over the last 350 years. Ballet involves a combination of movement, music, and design, where emotions and stories are translated through precise body movement and facial expressions.

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LANGUAGE ARTSDid you find that you became emotionally affected by the story of Swan Lake? If so, why? Is there a universal theme inherent into the story that drew you to the plot?

Tchaikovsky had written a tragic ending to Swan Lake, in which the Prince, wishing to remain forever with Odette, hurled her crown into the lake. The wicked magician, in the form of an owl, flew off with the crown, and the Prince and Odette were both destroyed in the rising waters of the lake. Petipa disliked unhappy endings and he had the Prince and Odette united in “a temple of eternal happiness and bliss.” The Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s production of Swan Lake has a similar ending, with Odette and the Prince united following the destruction of von Rothbart. Do you think Swan Lake would have been as successful if it still had Tchaikovsky’s tragic ending? How would you end Swan Lake? Brainstorm ideas for alternate endings.

To understand Swan Lake you should be familiar with terms related to the world of princes and kings. Discuss the words below, and see if you know their meaning.

• Heir

• Court

• Kingdom

• Coming of age

• Nobility

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIESSOCIAL STUDIESResearch a famous Russian personage of the late 19th century and discuss his or her contribution to the period. You can choose from a number of fields: poets, novelists, playwrights, composers, singers, dancers, painters, philosophers, statesmen, politicians or members of the Russian royal family. You can even research one of the individuals involved in the creation of Swan Lake – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky or Lev Ivanov. Also tell us about his or her personal life. Does it reflect the society within which the person lived?

When Swan Lake was performed in Russia during the late 1800s who would have been watching the ballet? What does this say about the society of that time period? Research the class and social structure of Russia in the late 1800s. How does this differ from today’s society and the audience that attends the ballet?

FINE ARTSListen to the music from the lakeside scenes of Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Is it different from the music heard in the court and ballroom scenes? Is there distinctive music used to let you know that the swans are present? What musical instruments are used to characterize the swans?

Pay special attention to the costumes used in Swan Lake. What do the costumes say about the characters? What animals do they remind you of? Make your own masks that represent your different personas.

Ballet uses movement to tell stories and express character. How do the movements of Odette and Odile differ? What does this tell you about them? Pick your favourite literary character and use movement and body language to portray their personality - see if your class can guess who you are!

Lev Ivanov was born in Moscow, Russia, on February 18, 1834. He studied dance in Moscow and in St. Petersburg, where he was a pupil of Jean Petipa (Marius Petipa’s father). He was already a member of the corps de ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre two years prior to graduating from the Imperial Ballet School in 1852. While a student, Ivanov also showed great musical talent and was an excellent pianist as well as composer of numerous pieces.

He made a name for himself as a respected character dancer with the Maryinsky Theatre and later was promoted to the status of both premier danseur and mime. In 1882 he took on the duties of chief regisseur and in 1885 was named second ballet master and assistant to the aging Marius Petipa.

Ivanov’s first work of choreography was a new version of La Fille mal gardée in 1885, and in 1887 he staged the full-evening The Tulip of Harlem. In 1892, Petipa became ill and Ivanov took over the choreography of The Nutcracker.

• Regal

• Quest

• Romantic love

• Courtship

• Betrayal

BIOGRAPHIES

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Galina Yordanova trained for nine years at Baku in the former USSR and for five years with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow where she received her Teacher’s Diploma in 1960. She holds diplomas in Choreography and Teacher Training from the G.I.T.S. in Moscow. In 1960, Yordanova was Ballet Mistress of the Varna Norodna Opera in Bulgaria where she staged a number of classics including Romeo & Juliet, Raymonda, Le Corsaire, Coppélia, Les Sylphides, Giselle and Nutcracker. She also worked extensively with the Ballet der Deutschen Oper, Berlin and with companies in Madrid and Valencia, Spain and in Nagoya and Kyoto, Japan.

In 1980, Yordanova began to spend a portion of each year in Winnipeg, teaching at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division Summer Session. Her expert teaching of the Russian style contributed to the development of this teaching style in the RWB School Professional Division.

In 1995, she joined the artistic faculty full-time as Resident Guest Teacher. She worked extensively with the RWB dancers to prepare them for the Company’s 1987 premiere of Swan Lake, which she staged in the Russian style. In 1990, Yordanova shared her expertise and talent in the staging of the RWB’s premiere of La Bayadère, Act II, featuring members of the Company together with young artists from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School.

For the RWB’s 1999/2000 season, Yordanova, along with Nina Menon, choreographed a new version of Nutcracker for the Company which premiered in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre on December 2, 1999.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsky, Russia, on May 7, 1840. At age four he composed his first song and soon began piano lessons. His family settled in St. Petersburg when the boy was 12 and he entered the School of Jurisprudence. After the death of his mother two years later, Tchaikovsky found solace in music with singing and piano lessons. Under the influence of the Italian singing teacher Luigi Piccioli, he composed his first published work, the Mezza Notte.

In 1861, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music, where he worked on musical theory under the instruction of Anton Rubenstein. When he graduated four years later, Tchaikovsky was awarded the coveted silver medal.

The only one of his ballet scores acclaimed during his lifetime was The Sleeping Beauty, which he completed in the summer of 1889. Tchaikovsky considered it one of his best works and although initial reception toward the ballet was cool, it quickly gained popularity and Tchaikovsky was publicly acclaimed on stage at the ballet’s 50th performance.

Tchaikovsky began work in 1893 on what was to be his Pathetique Symphony, named by his brother Modeste the day after its premiere in St. Petersburg on October 28. Nine days after the premiere, on November 6, Tchaikovsky was found dead. He was 53. The circumstances surrounding his death remain wrapped in mystery.

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In 1875, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was invited by his friend Vladimir Begichev, intendant of the Moscow Imperial Theatre, to compose the music for a new ballet, Swan Lake. Tchaikovsky happily accepted the commission, “partly because I need the money, and partly because I have long cherished the desire to try my hand at this kind of music,” he wrote to Russian composer Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov in September 1875.

Legend has it that in 1871 Tchaikovsky composed a children’s ballet-pantomime, The Lake of the Swan, for his young nephews and nieces. The ballet score was essentially completed in 1876, although Tchaikovsky was to add a few pieces later.

Swan Lake was first performed on March 4, 1877, at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. The choreography was by Julius Wenzel Reinsinger, a German who was ballet master at the Bolshoi Theatre from 1871 to 1878.

The ballet was revised by Belgian choreographer Joseph Hansen in 1880 and remained in the repertoire of Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet until 1883. All of the 33 performances of the ballet between 1877 and 1883 were sold out, attesting to the work’s popularity.

Eleven years passed before the ballet was again performed. Tchaikovsky died in 1893, not living to see the success of his ballet.

The Maryinsky Ballet’s new version of Swan Lake was first performed on January 15, 1895, at the Maryinsky Theatre with the Italian Pierina Legnani scoring a great success as Odette/Odile. She was acclaimed for her technique in performing Odile’s 32 fouettes (turns in which the ballerina balances on pointe with one foot while the other leg whips semi-circles in the air) which no Russian dancer could execute at the time. Since then, the dual role of Odette/Odile has become a touchstone for greatness for every classical ballerina.

SWAN LAKE

SOUNDTRACK

If you were to make a soundtrack for Swan Lake, what music would you pick?

History

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DID YOU KNOW … ?

• Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker are all Petipa ballets.

• In 1894, Ivanov choreographed a very successful staging of Act II of Swan Lake and was subsequently invited by Petipa to choreograph both the Act II and Act IV lakeside scenes for the new production of the ballet. When contemporary choreographers produce their own versions of Swan Lake, they leave the lakeside scenes virtually intact, attesting to Ivanov’s perfectly conceived original.

SWAN LAKE Music

• Ivanov’s chorography provided a perfect complement to composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s symphonic score, bringing out its emotional qualities to their fullest.

• In the original production, Odette’s persecutor had been her wicked stepmother but Petipa substituted a male villain, Baron von Rothbart.

• There are 28 tutus in Swan Lake and each one took over 50 hours to sew by hand. That’s over 1400 hours of sewing!

Tchaikovsky was fascinated by the challenge put to him of composing music for a ballet about the legend of Odette, and the score was probably the most fulfilling of his three ballet compositions.

The first production of Swan Lake using his complete score was not performed until 1877, although it is said that as early as 1871 Tchaikovsky had composed for his nephews and nieces a little ballet entitled The Lake of the Swan.

Tchaikovsky’s inspiration for The Lake of the Swan came from a holiday he had spent travelling down the Rhine River and visiting the cities of Berlin and Paris – the sight of many romantic castles triggered his imagination. The ballet score for Swan Lake was composed during the winter of 1875-76. By April 4, 1876, preliminary rehearsals of several excerpts were played by a single violin at the Bolshoi Theatre School. By April 22, the ballet score was completed.

Tchaikovsky’s score for Swan Lake is an important milestone in ballet history, as it revolutionized the conception of music for ballet. Its symphonic approach and colourful orchestration were in complete contrast to the conservatism and musical triviality of the time. His music is especially noted for its ability to create atmosphere, as in the contrast between the romantic mood of the two lakeside scenes and the brilliance of the ballroom. This contrast in itself highlights the personalities and relationships between the Prince and both Odette and Odile.

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It is a combination of the performers on stage and the audiences in front of them that make each performance unique.

For this reason, it is in the audience’s best interest to be visibly and audibly attentive and appreciative – the better the audience, the better the performance on stage will be.

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LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! Write to: Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet 380 Graham Avenue Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3C 4K2

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LIKE ALL LIVE PRODUCTIONS, EACH BALLET PERFORMANCE ONLY HAPPENS ONCE.