REVIEW: Swan Lake in-the-round

Swan Lake in-the-round at the Royal Albert Hall, choreographed by Derek Deane, involves 60 swans and is divided into four acts. Though initially skeptical at quite this many sections to the performance, they each feel the perfect length, with a short pause following act one and intervals after the second and third acts. As each act concludes the audience is left marveling at the beautiful choreography and phenomenal dancers, but every section is more mesmerising than the last, with new costumes and featured dancers bringing exciting perspectives and storytelling. Performing in the round allows the audience to watch each individual dancer whilst also seeing them flawlessly come together to create an ensemble.

The costumes, created by Lola Stott, Peter Todd, and originally Whizzy Shawyer, alongside a whole team of talented wardrobe managers, assistants, dressers, cutters and makers, are intricately designed and stunning. From court jesters and jugglers, palace ball gowns, the villainous Rothbart’s epic winged cape, to the Prince, Odette, and Swans themselves, the costumes are a stand out part of this production.

The principal dancers, Sangeun Lee as Odette/Odile and Gareth Haw as Prince Siegfried, were stunning. They display spectacular technique, performance, and emotion, with costumes that show their beautiful footwork and help create a magical production. Their chemistry is particularly emotive throughout acts three and four, demonstrating not only excellent choreography but true performance and theatre. The villain, Rothbart, played by James Streeter, is intense and dramatic, bringing great flair and stage presence. The iconic music of Tchaikovsky is played brilliantly throughout by the English National Ballet Philharmonic, conducted by Gavin Sutherland.

The use of haze to create the titular lake is fantastically impressive and works brilliantly, allowing the floor of the magnificent venue to fill with mystery and reveal elegant swans. Similarly, the palace scenes are exciting and fun. Different choreography inspired by national dances is clever and particularly interesting as the audience is able to see the dancers perform different styles in different footwear. 

Ballet has often been viewed as a less inclusive and accessible art form, so it is lovely to see the English National Ballet creating a company with talented, diverse performers from around the world and I hope this continues and further improves in the future, inspiring people of all ethnicities to pursue and watch ballet. The Royal Albert Hall merchandise is also interesting and well curated, with a specific emphasis towards inspiring young people, ballet dancers of colour, and black ballerinas which will hopefully continue to increase diversity within ballet. Both the English National Ballet and The Royal Albert Hall also have exciting outreach programmes working with schools and communities, aiming to support and create a more diverse and inclusive future of classical dance, including ‘Ballet Futures: The Pipeline Project’, ‘ENB Youth Company’, and ‘ENB Elders Company’.

Swan Lake in-the-round is a beautiful evening. Its innovative staging tells this classical ballet, with over 140 years of history, from a new perspective, allowing the audience of the Royal Albert Hall to feel immersed and engaged with the performance. The talented dancers of the English National Ballet display outstanding technique and beautiful performance. They highlight soloists and work as an ensemble to create a stunning production, brilliantly supported by the orchestra and entire backstage team. A truly mesmerising ballet!