Ballet West brings full 'Swan Lake' production

SALT LAKE CITY — Ballet West has a colorful history with "Swan Lake," thanks to the company's former artistic directors, said Adam Sklute, the current artistic director.

"The first full-length production of 'Swan Lake' in America was created by (Ballet West founder) Willam Christensen for the San Francisco Ballet," Sklute said during an interview with the Deseret News.

"Then, Bruce Marks brought in a production that was staged by his ballet masters Denise Schultze and Louis Godfrey. Then, John Hart brought in a production that he staged in a way that was very similar to the Royal Ballet in London, and then Jonas Kage brought in his production he created in Sweden."

So it was natural that Sklute wanted to create his own version of the classic ballet.

"I've really wanted to rethink the whole production in a way that matters to me," he said. "I wanted to bring out the drama that I feel is part of the story of 'Swan Lake,' but that often gets lost in the ballet."

Sklute said it's a very sad and powerful tale, and he feels it is important to bring that to the forefront.

To do that, Sklute enlisted his ballet master and mistress, Mark Goldweber and Pamela Robinson-Harris, respectively, to stage the new, full production.

"We've worked together for a long time now in reviewing and talking about it," Sklute said. "And actually, they're going to be choreographing whole sections of the dance."

Sklute wanted to bring out the humanity and the individuality of the people, he said, "so that you will see more individualized choreographer in the waltz dancers, the polonaise or the dances of the princesses."

Sklute said the differences will be seen particularly in Act III, when the group of princesses dances for the hand of Prince Seigfreid, he said.

"What I asked Mark to do, and what he's done beautifully, is to bring out the flavor of the country where the princesses are from."

The reason for finding the humanity of the characters in Act I and Act III is to juxtapose them to the beauty and order of the fantasy realm of the swans in Acts II and IV.

"There needs to be an otherworldliness about those acts where, aside from the prince who enters that realm, there are no human beings there," Sklute said.

Sklute said he has been thinking about taking on "Swan Lake" for years.