The Russian Grand Ballet brings 'Swan Lake' to Hagerstown

HAGERSTOWN, MD - The Russian Grand Ballet will perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s full-length classic “Swan Lake” at the Maryland Theatre on Thursday, September 29, featuring Russia’s brightest ballet stars.

The Russian Grand Ballet has established a reputation for talent and versatility by touring the world with both full-length traditional ballets and shorter ‘divertissements.’ Its ballet master, Vladimir Troshchenko, is dedicated to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet.

The Honored artist of Ukraine Olga Kifyak will be dancing Odile/Odette, with The Honored artist of Ukraine Eugeniy Svetlitsa as Prince Siegfried. Antonina Radiyevskaya. Viktoriya Velasquez and Constantine Mayorov will be performing Swan Lake Pas de Trois for the 35-city North American tour.

"Swan Lake," based on Russian folklore and German legend, follows a heroic young prince as he works to free the beautiful swan maiden from an evil spell. The ballet is in three acts with two intermissions, with music by Tchaikovsky, choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and libretto by Vladimir Begichev and Vasily Getzer. Running time is approximately two hours and 30 minutes.

“There’s a good reason why 'Swan Lake' is so often called the ‘ballet of all ballets’ - the combination of pure romanticism, the story about love and deception and Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet music all continue to reach new generations of audiences,” Troshchenko said in a press release announcing the event.

“Hagerstown’s growing art scene makes it the perfect location for the Russian Grand Ballet’s 'Swan Lake' performance. It is an incredible opportunity for both the younger and older generations to experience the arts and enjoy a ballet classic.” he said.

Russian Grand Ballet was founded by and incorporated graduates from the Great Russian choreographic schools of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev. The principal dancers of the company came from the upper ranks of the great ballet companies and academies. Today, the Russian Grand Ballet Theatre is its own institution, with more than 50 dancers.

When you go:

Tchaikovsky’s“Swan Lake”

7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29

The Maryland Theatre

27 S. Potomac St, Hagerstown, Maryland

Tickets $30-$70

www.mdtheatre.org or call 301-790-2000

Ballet Facts:

• A male dancer lifts over 1-1/2 tons worth of ballerinas during performances.
• Most ballerinas wear out 2-3 pairs of pointe shoes per week.
• One tutu costs up to $2,000 to make.
• The same tutu requires 60-90 hours of labor and over 100 yards of ruffle.
• Not only it is beautiful to watch the famous dance of the Little Swans, but also dancing in unison holding onto other dancers is extraordinarily difficult. And don't forget most of this dance is done on pointe. The dance was meant to imitate the way cygnets huddle and move together for protection. Four dancers enter the stage in a line and move across with their arms crossed in front of one another, grasping the next dancer's hand. They move sideways, doing 16 pas de chat. Ideally the dancers move in exact or near-exact unison. At the very end, they break their chain and try to "fly," only to drop to the ground.
• The Russian Grand Ballet troupe has a Japanese dancer, the honored artist of Ukraine Akari Kawasaki.