Swan Lake review

Yaoqian Shang is a gentle, understated Odette. She dances with a quiet sadness and reservation, to which Maslen’s thoughtful and mildly awestruck Siegfried is a fitting partnership. The moment where Shang morphs from princess back into swan at the end of Act II is exquisite, her arms fluttering as if shaking off human form before slipping seamlessly into the rippling elegance of the swan’s wings.


Shang’s reserved Odette is an enlivening contrast to the sparkling sharpness she brings to Odile. Coy and seductive, she lures Siegfried in, lightly snatching her hands from his grasp with perfect timing. It’s a complement to the welcome shift in energy that Act III brings. The variations of Act III’s court dances bring a vitality to the company’s performances, notably a surprisingly joyful Czárdás dance and a lively quartet spin on the floor-skimming, tambourine-shaking steps of the Neapolitan dance. It is just the energy and drama that this somewhat sedate production has been waiting for.

The drama continues as the curtain rises on Act IV, with plumes of dry ice spilling over the stage, drawing gasps from the audience as the corps makes an ethereal entrance. The closing act exudes emotion and, of all moments in this ballet, perhaps best meets the mournful grandeur of Tchaikovsky’s score. Shang dances her Odile with a regal, desolate delicacy, while Maslen’s Siegfried finds his strength and power in his fight for his love. In a ballet of mixed performances, a beautifully balanced final act lifts this production.