The second and final weekend (12-14 July) of Singapore Dance Theatre’s Ballet Under the Stars was certainly a great way to spend an evening out. With a slightly more packed venue than the previous weekend, it’s clear that the audience prefers the classics when it comes to ballet.
The evening featured three of the ballet world’s most beloved and famous classics: Giselle, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker.
Giselle is about the titular peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after discovering her lover, Albrecht, is betrothed to another. Taking place in a forest at Giselle’s tomb, this act is about her transformation into one of the Wilis – spirits of jilted young women who lure men to dance to their deaths. Dressed in white wedding gowns, they managed to send Hilarion, a gamekeeper who was infatuated with Giselle, to his death.
Their next target is Albrecht but he’s saved by Giselle who still loves him. While graceful, the dancers kept a solemn expression befitting of the situation. The emotional climax of this Act is a pas de deux characterised by its slowness, and Giselle (Kwok Min Yi) certainly held her poses.
The next act – Swan Lake – was a much livelier affair, featuring four divertissements (short dances) including an upbeat waltz, a spirited pas de trois and the dramatic Black Swan pas de deux. Swan Lake is about Prince Siegfried and a swan princess named Odette, who was cursed to spend her days as a swan by day and in human form at night. The highlight of Swan Lake is the pas de deux, where the heroic prince is tricked into forsaking his love, and is one of ballet’s most iconic moments. It features plenty of grands jetés jumps and twirling fouettés by Odile (Kana Minegishi) and Prince Siegfried (Kenya Nakamura) performing multiple pirouettes ending onto one knee. The crowd goes wild every time.
The final performance is the most grand – The Nutcracker is a visual feast, a ballet representation of an opulent dessert, where each ingredient comes alive to entertain Clara, a little girl who goes to the Land of Sweets on Christmas Eve. Different nationalities are represented – the dancers’ costumes resemble the “sweets” they bring from their countries.
Of the three titles performed, this is by far the most stunning in terms of costume. You’ll see lively performances from the a Spanish Chocolate duo with their flamenco influence, Arabian Coffee with their unique dances, and Chinese flowers – performed with ribbons that complement every jump – and also the lively harlequins who entertained with high energy jumps.
Both Swan Lake and The Nutcracker certainly showcase the influential music of Tchaikovsky; even if you don’t follow ballet or classical music, you will recognise many of his famous pieces from these two titles.
Ballet Under the Stars was a great way to spend an evening at Fort Canning Green, and kudos to the dancers who donned full costumes on stage on a balmy night! Many in the audience, including ourselves, were looking forward to attending the performance again next year.
