Swan Lake

I saw Swan Lake back with the Boston Ballet a few years ago and I absolutely loved it. It was so beautiful, enchanting, and honestly one of the best ballets I have ever seen. Since I loved it so much I was thrilled when my good friend Dyan asked me if I wanted to see the production done by the San Francisco ballet. And I was not disappointed. This is the only classical ballet they are doing this season, which I think is very strange for a company to do. Oh- and they are also repeating some of the modern pieces they did last year. I am all for doing modern works and taking dance to new levels, but I also feel that the classics are the fundamentals of ballet and are truly timeless. And I think that the value of the classics is definitely supported by the popularity of this ballet. It was a Tuesday night and the $225 orchestra seats were SOLD OUT going on up to the upper balcony- only a few seats were open. Our seats were the cheap ones at $45 a ticket but it was SO WORTH IT. We sat off to the side which was the right decision because we got closer seats and were able to see the stage. They did something unusual by having two big screens up in the balcony with views of the stage. It was nice to have a big picture view but I am so glad that I didn't have to watch the whole thing on the screen because it just isn't the same as watching it live. They redid this entire production- from the choreography to the costuming to the staging and they made it more modern by having it be fairly streamlined and simple, yet beautifully elegant. The second act with the swans out on the lake was simply magical- enchanting and breathtaking. The music itself is so stirring and powerful in and of itself and pair it with graceful fluttering arm movements makes for one incredible performance. I was yet again blown away by this ballet and it has become my favorite.