A review of Swan Lake
by Dushy Parakrama
 As always with Jehan Aloysius,
one gets a deep-gut feeling for what is in store in the way the entrance
is set for his theatrical performances. By this I mean that even the
uninitiated got a hint of the ambience when an enthusiastic Aide offered
to sell us not just a programme but also a colourful feathered mask –
and with that we prepared to enter the magical world of An Inspired Swan
Lake.
When the curtain rose for the opening night, it was clear to the
audience that we were in for an evening of pageantry, precision and
grace. This highly entertaining, non-traditional interpretation of a
classic glided smoothly on to the Lionel Wendt stage with some very
unique touches where tradition was subverted with the unexpected, and
preconceptions were exploded.
The rousing music was intact but Pointe shoes had been done away with
and this choreography was very much grounded on earthy movements
emphasizing the re-discovering of the human body in all its strength and
beauty.
The curtain opened to a sky tinged with gold and a sparkling lake
created by yards of silver-blue silk and clever lighting, bringing to
life a scene which had more atmosphere than most anything this side of a
Claude Monet. The sets and costumes were magical and sparkled with an
air of majesty. Added to this was the hauntingly beautiful music score
of Tchaikovsky and one was truly transported to another time and place.
The action did not centre on the traditional Odile/Odette but focused
on the young, handsome Nicholas swimming alone, being observed by a
powerful Sorceress who is immediately infatuated with him. Nicholas,
however, is in love with the beautiful Gabrielle, who in turn is
passionately pursued by Troy, who Gabrielle’s best friend Jessica quite
fancies!
The spurned Sorceress casts a spell on Nicholas, cursing him to live
as a swan by night and a human by day. But love conquers all - and after
a complicated scene where Troy’s best friend Jack accidentally kills
Gabrielle instead of Nicholas and, as the churning waters swallow the
lovers, the white swans gang up against the Sorceress and her black
swans until they succeed in miraculously bringing Gabrielle back to
life. The lovers are finally reunited as good triumphs over evil!
 While many choreographers have had a go at re-working Swan Lake, few
have been as successful as Jehan Aloysius who runs his own theatre
troupe, CentreStage Productions. Working in conjunction with a group of
hearing-impaired performers from the Sunera Foundation as well as
disabled soldiers from the Ranaviru Sevana, his freely adapted version
was simply amazing.
Even the purists could not have failed to be moved by this ambitious
performance where all the dancers seemed so natural in the context of
the show, the plot readily interpreted as universal themes of
limitations and desires.
The performers’ disabilities were hardly noticed as we were
transported to a world of ‘Body Narratives’ - an expression of dance
which included appendages of crutches and wheelchairs to enhance and
complete the creative performance.
Neither the dancers nor the audience were inhibited by the
choreography which culminated in colour, splendour, tears, laughter and
ultimately a great feeling of joy. Joy because good triumphs over
evil. Joy because right there, in front of our eyes, these talented
dancers demonstrated their triumph over their disabilities. It created a
true picture of optimism and courage, endurance and victory. And so we
had a group of hearing-impaired performers swaying and moving to the
rhythm of the music, perfectly synchronized with one another. Particular
mention must be made of the beautiful Jessica (Sumudhu Yashodara) who
was charmingly effervescent as the wannabe girlfriend who doesn’t fit
in. She pulled at our heartstrings as she persistently danced towards
the unattainable love of her life. Hats off to those who recognized her
talent and pushed her to get there.
The young soldiers were delightful, to say the least. Their buoyant
body movements and animated facial expressions ably portrayed the
characters they were playing. We laughed and we cried with them as each
of their postures, gestures and lifts took us through their physical
monologues and dialogues. The angelic looking Nicholas (Thusitha
Wimalasuriya) stole the show with his ethereal grace, agility and
sensitivity, making it look effortless as he bounded to and fro across
the stage. Gabrielle (Evangeline De Silva) was a joy to behold as she
weaved delicately amongst all the dancers, ably assisted by the
masterful Troy (Sajad Shabdeen) whose leaps and pirouettes captivated
the audience. His friends (Shevanka Fernando and Heshan Perera) played
their roles convincingly with strength and vigour and kept us well
entertained with their boyish charm and skillful dance.
The Sorceress (Anabella Brochard) was most impressive with her
memorable dramatic performance, a charming combination of grace and
strength which left us in no doubt about who was in control here.
 The passionate Jack (Sumith Karunaratna) and the mystical Water
Spirit (Roshalie Fernando) excelled in their ability to create dramatic
and abstract images and movements, individually as well as in groups,
through their physical interplay.
The well-heeled Ensemble which consisted of talented dancers both
differently-abled and otherwise, fused together to create a beautiful
and touching world of dance and movement. Creating new forms of
non-traditional dance and reinventing a classic ballet must have been a
monumental task but they did it – all of them. Bravo! Bravo! The
production value was high – the costumes and props were striking while
the lighting and music delivered suitably changing moods and effects. It
was light-hearted with serious overtones, and had the slick feel of a
quality musical theatre production.
The very talented Aloysius deserved the deafening ovation he received
for this inspiring production and I congratulate him, CentreStage and
the entire cast and crew who had clearly worked tirelessly to give us
this memorable production which will, hopefully, help spread the message
of hope and courage at this significant point of our country’s history.
Did I miss the traditional swans in their pert white tutus? There may
have been an odd nostalgic moment when I yearned for a straight line of
drilled corps de ballet. But on the whole I was dazzled with this
evening of fairytale charm.
Pix by Upul Rodrigo
|
