Ballet Preljocaj storms Queensland with revolutionary take on classic Swan Lake

Choreographer Angelin Preljocaj pulls Swan Lake from the realm of fairytale and drops it into the brutal world of unfettered capitalism.

Ballet Preljocaj’s sparkling production of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Swan Lake is at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane. Picture: David Kelly

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Angelin Preljocaj calls his Swan Lake a palimpsest, likening it to a document written on top of an earlier one, traces of which can still be seen. He has “built a new city on these ancient foundations”.

The foundation is Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s 1895 staging, the basis for almost all traditional versions.

Preljocaj’s ballet is a long, long way from being traditional but anyone familiar with Swan Lake can see the past glinting through.

The structure is tightened but recognisable and the movement a fluent mix of contemporary shapes and classical lines.

Tchaikovsky’s music is the bedrock of the score, interwoven with highly sympathetic electronic music by 79D.

It goes without saying Preljocaj is not immune to the enduring ­allure of four little swans holding hands and dancing daffily.

The choreographer pulls Swan Lake from the realm of fairytale and drops it into the brutal world of unfettered capitalism. A fleeting view of Odette as she is abducted by heavies suggests she is a seeker and a dreamer. Not someone, then, who would approve of the large-scale property development being lavishly celebrated at penthouse level in a big city.

Preljocaj doesn’t approve either. An ultra-chic monochrome design is dominated by huge, wow-factor videos by Boris Labbe that lour over events, making everyone look small and insignificant. Party-goers participate in strict unison dances that merge sexy sinuousness with hard-edged, automaton-like gestures that render them anonymous.

The hyper-rich are the new royalty, one supposes. In this slightly cartoonish scenario, Siegfried’s parents are in cahoots with the villain Rothbart to build gargantuan structures of the kind seen though vast, rain-spattered windows. Pristine waterways and birdlife won’t stand a chance, we must infer.

Thea Martin as Odile in Swan Lake.

Reluctant to be involved, Siegfried (Antoine Dubois) flees to the lake and meets Odette (Thea Martin). Can he be her salvation and therefore that of the natural world?

If you know anything about Swan Lake – and is there a ballet-goer who does not? – you know the answer.

Preljocaj relies heavily on this collective knowledge as he layers his story of despoliation over that of supernatural entrapment. It’s an effective idea not always effectively communicated.

This is most evident in the third act when Odile (Martin again in this double role) tricks Siegfried into believing she is Odette. One assumes she is meant to lure him back into the family’s arms but it remains just a thought. What’s onstage is darkly glamorous, excitingly danced and baffling.

There is, fortunately, balm to come. A beautiful, anguished pas de deux for Siegfried and his mother (Agathe Peluso) leads into the brief, wonderful fourth act that ­returns to the captive swans.

As in a traditional reading, they are the soul of the ballet. There are moments of magic in the second act but it also feels a touch too ­reverent, an approach that had its counterpart on opening night in the elegant but restrained playing from Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Johannes Fritzsch.

Nevertheless, there is affecting tenderness between the couple and a persuasive sense of community from the swan corps.

Gorgeously dressed in Igor Chapurin’s softly layered, asymmetrical tutus, they are given more freedom of movement and individuality than usual.

That allows the women to blaze in the stunning final act. Siegfried has been found wanting. There is now no possibility of escape for anyone and no apotheosis. Just fear, destruction and death.

Swan Lake. Ballet Preljocaj, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane, May 31.
Tickets: $109-$249. Bookings: online. Duration: 1hr 50mins, no interval. Ends June 5. QPAC will stream Swan Lake June 13-15. Information at digitalstage.qpac.com.au