When we look at this variation, not just as a variation, but where it belongs in the ballet, we can see, that it is the first time, that we see Odette after her Adagio with Prince Siegfried (also called the White Swan Adagio). And whereas in the Adagio we see Odette more in her relationship with the Prince, here we can really get a chance (if a good dancer is performing it) to look at her psychologically.
When we first meet Odette, in her entrance, we learn who she is, what her life was like until now and how the Prince can save her. But in the solo, we can really get a glimpse into how she is as a person. And while I actually prefer Marianela Nunez's body shape better, we can all agree that Ulyana Lopatkina is a legend for a reason. Here she really shows the fluidity in her arms, and not just in the parts when she is supposed to be waving her arms like a bird. In all her port de bras she looks as if she were moving through water, that's how soft. And while she shows the softness and the sensitivity of Odette, her Odette is not brittle. What I mean by that, is that she still shows strength, balance and in the bottom part of the body, for example when she is going down from her arabesque. She is not falling from the arabesque, but rolling through her foot, which again makes it appear very soft and in control. So we can clearly see, why Lopatkina is and will always be seen as a living legend. Truly a textbook case, of an Odette variation done well.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
Swan Lake
Act 2
Odette's variation
Odette........................................Ulyana Lopatkina
Mariinsky Ballet
Mariinsky Theatre
Saint Petersburg, Russia
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4 окт 2024
