Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – A Tale of Four Swans: Mearns, Bouder, Hyltin, and Peck take on Odette/Odile

• By drediman
• October 2, 2017
• 1 Comment

Over the course of the last two weeks, six New York City Ballet principal dancers took on the coveted role of Odette/Odile in Peter Martins’ Swan Lake – Sara Mearns, Teresa Reichlen, Ashley Bouder, Megan Fairchild, Sterling Hyltin, and Tiler Peck. Of these, Megan and Tiler made their much anticipated debuts in the role. Although I wasn’t able to catch all six (I wish!), I did make it out to the Koch Theater four times to catch Sara, Ashley, Sterling, and Tiler. More on them later.

Mr. Martins’ dynamically choreographed Swan Lake for City Ballet – after Petipa, Ivanov, and Balanchine – is a curious beast. I admire the way Martins minimizes the mime and kitschy, dusty trappings (kill me, I like the role of the Jester) to focus on the dance elements of the storytelling. However, without the right dancers in the key parts, this version can lack depth and sufficient detail and therefore be a snooze in the theater department. But get inspired dancers in the roles of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried, and the poetry of Martins’ Swan Lake reveals itself, efficiently telling the tragic story while maintaining just the right amount of mystery through pure movement. As for the head-scratching Jackson Pollock-esque designs (scenery and costumes are by Danish artist Per Kirby), I usually just try to ignore them; this is one rare case in which I wish I was color blind.

Sara Mearns as Odette in New York City Ballet’s “Swan Lake”

First up, I caught Sara Mearns. I had seen her twice before before as Odette/Odile – perhaps her signature part (she was handpicked by Martins from the corps as a teen about a decade ago to play the daunting part) – and she did not disappoint this time around. Sara’s rich, balanced rendition was perhaps the most regal of the bunch (partnered stoically by Tyler Angle), and she remains in my mind the ideal interpreter of the role. Despite being close to perfection as both Odette and Odile, some might argue that much of the excitement that had characterized her early appearances has left her dancing; she no longer performs the steps as if her life depended on it. As her dancing has matured, she’s become less outwardly eager, growing into a statuesque, measured performer, a different approach that still works beautifully for the role. Ironically, her dancing is at its most compelling when she doesn’t have much to do. The way she uses her eyes and her body awareness at absolutely every moment is a magnificent gift, and she uses it to stunning effect in Swan Lake.

Ashley Bouder as Odette in New York City Ballet’s “Swan Lake”

I then saw Ashley Bouder take on the iconic part. Ashley’s Odette/Odile was my first exposure to City Ballet’s Swan Lake circa 2011. Ashley has always been a breathtakingly gifted technical dynamo (that speed! those jumps! that balance!), and I remember being very impressed by her performance but not quite moved. Since that first encounter, she’s grown significantly as an artist, especially after returning last season from having a baby. She’s learned to vary her dancing. No longer does she perform solely on “Ashley attack mode”; she’s learned to bask in the serenity of the moment and really listen to the music. In other words, she’s learned to incorporate poetry into her considerable bag of tricks. This newfound artistic freedom has done wonders for her performance in Swan Lake, notably her Odette – no longer does she look like she could eat Prince Siegfried alive in one gulp at first glance. Ashley is now utterly convincing as the vulnerable yet steely white swan, creating a heartbreaking narrative arc to her Swan Lake that I had not previously seen. Oh, and her Odile remains one of the most exciting of the bunch, rivaling Tiler’s (see my rave below). Kudos also to Andrew Veyette, who who made for an especially inspired and passionate – more so than usual –Prince Siegfried at the performance I attended, and an ideal partner to Ashley’s fiery portrayal.

Sterling Hyltin as Odette in
New York City Ballet’s “Swan Lake”

Next up was Sterling Hyltin. On paper, she would seem to be an excellent match for Swan Lake‘s dual roles. Her delicate physical proportions are perfect for Odette and she has the firepower for Odile. Over the years, Sterling has also proven to be a superb chameleon-like actress and a dependable technician, easily capable of jumping into various types of characters and styles of dance. I was thus somewhat disappointed when her Odette/Odile, just adequately partnered by Zachary Catazaro, failed to live up to my expectations. Both her Odette and Odile seemed to lack the inner fire and dramatic clarity that the other three boldly demonstrated. Don’t get me wrong, she was perfectly fine – she was lovely in many moments, in fact. But merely pretty is not enough for Swan Lake, particularly for a company of the caliber of New York City Ballet. Hopefully she was just having an off night. I would love to reassess this gorgeous prima ballerina’s interpretation. Sterling is a true artist at heart, and I still believe she has all the makings of a memorable Odette/Odile.

Tiler Peck as Odette in New York City Ballet’s “Swan Lake”

Lastly, I caught Tiler Peck’s debut in the role. I’ve long been an admirer of Tiler’s dancing – rock solid technique, innate musicality, and a charming girl next door persona. Indeed, her consistent excellence has secured her spot as one of the indisputable stars in City Ballet’s constellation of principal dancers. But as Tiler as Odette/Odile? I really couldn’t envision it. Well, Tiler, as well as Chase Finlay as her Prince Siegfried, gave heroic performances yesterday afternoon. Both danced with absolute abandon, and they had and were clearly totally spent by the end, emotionally and physically. Tiler pushed herself to the limit (and beyond; this very model of stability even stumbled, exhausted, during the ballet’s bitttersweet closing moments), which was something to behold and moved me deeply, especially from this ever-cool performer. To see her put it all on the line will surely be a highlight of my dance-going season. Her Odette, while still not quite there dramatically, was stunning in its detail and stylishness. Her Odile, however – with just two performances under her belt – is already legendary. Every look, every moment was badass perfection. I did not know she had it in her (maybe the breakup with Robbie was a good thing?), but she pulled off this important debut with triumphant aplomb. After the performance, both she and Chase easily received eight-to-ten increasingly rabid curtain calls. Brava!