A popular ballet as well as a beloved children's fairytale are being showcased in Alabama. Performances of Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty are being put on by the prestigious State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine in Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.
The troupe has been dancing to Swan Lake at Mobile’s Saenger Theatre. The final day of the production taking place on the Gulf Coast is Jan. 7.
The ensemble will return in the Yellowhammer State in March to put on Sleeping Beauty at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center. The ballet will also bring back Swan Lake that same month to Birmingham's Alabama Theatre as well as Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa.
Swan Lake is a classical ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in the 1870s and follows the story of an imprisoned princess who transforms into a swan each night due to a spell cast on her by a sorcerer that can only be broken by true love’s kiss. However, the piece didn’t receive acclaim when it originally premiered in 1877.
Critics didn’t like the lack of melodies in Tchaikovsky’s music for the production and iconic parts of the story such as "Russian soul" and the symbol of Russian spirituality represented by the Swan were absent from the story as well making it a more conventional performance for the time.
After adding important parts to the production such as the swan scene and composers revising the music, Swan Lake has since become extremely popular in the ballet world today.
“It's one of the most famous masterpieces of the composer Tchaikovsky, and it's a love story. I think everybody, even if they don't know the actual show, they know the music, because it's worldwide. And of course, the little swans, it's a dance that every kid knows. And in a lot of Disney movies, you can see it,” said Luminita Bivol, a soloist for State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine.
Bivol is performing in Swan Lake as one of the Little Swans. The swans are meant to represent purity and innocence. She also said that her favorite part of the role is how synchronized all four dancers are when portraying the little swans.
The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine will also put on a production of the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty. It features a completely new choreography and production by Andrei Litvinov, the classical score by Tchaikovsky, according to the Montgomery Performing Arts Center's website.
“This is a story for all ages. If you believe in a dream, the dream can come true,” said Tour Producer Michael Art.
The performance features a ballet troupe of 50 dancers, and over 200 exclusive costumes were created especially for the production.
“When creating Sleeping Beauty, we wanted to give the audience an unforgettable experience, immerse them in a fairy tale, and help them believe in miracles,” explained Art.
The costumes, scenery and props for the production are very bright and colorful. Art said that's by no accident.
“Our main task is for the audience to get mesmerized by this amazing performance and want to come to the theater again," he explained. "We are confident that the performance will interest audiences of all ages. After all, we all need a real fairy tale in our lives!”
The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine is a prestigious troupe that brings shows to different cities across United States and Canada.
Pointe Magazine reported in 2022 that the troupe was founded in 2018 and is comprised of 55 Ukrainian dancers who gather annually to perform in North America.
Bivol, who began dancing at 16 years old, has been with the troupe for seven years.
“I always like to say, I think when I was a kid, the ballot chose me, not the way around, because I've been saying to my parents that I want to become a ballerina since I was a kid,” she said.
Bivol explained State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine dancers will train for years to learn the choreography, and said auditions for shows begin the year prior to when they’re performed.
“We have years of training, and in those years, we start to learn the show [and] the choreography. But for this company, we would have a month rehearsal, and of course, [we have] rehearsal every day before the show to get it perfect for the audience to be mesmerized by our performance,” she said.
In 2024, the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine showcased Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker across 140 shows.
