faf777 This ‘Swan Lake’ Keeps the Tutus but Sheds the Tights
At first glance, the 24 swans fluttering across the stage at the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts in Toronto look as traditional as they come. Their tutus form stiff rings of tulle around their hips. Bodices are adorned with bright white plumagefaf777, heads wrapped in feathery wreaths that cover both ears. Arms ripple up and down, the line breaking at the wrist to suggest the curved edge of a wing.
Look a little closer, though, and something is different. Each swan has an individuality that’s unusual in “Swan Lake,” a ballet in which the corps de ballet typically strives for absolute uniformity. The dancers seem more muscular and modern — more like real young women than a flock of anthropomorphized birds. A sharp-eyed audience member might have figured out why: These swans aren’t wearing tights.
Bare legs are one of the defining features of the National Ballet of Canada’s production of “Swan Lake,” which had its premiere in 2022 and is returning this month. In an art form built on traditions and rules, it’s hard to overstate the significance of a “Swan Lake” without tights. It’s a bit like playing in a baseball game without a cap or performing in a symphony orchestra in jogging pants.
As ballet grapples with its history of racial homogeneity, many of its longest-standing conventions are coming under the microscope. Some of this involves reconsidering hiring practices,66br casino casting choices and access to training. But it also means taking a hard look at aesthetic practices that can make nonwhite dancers feel excluded. Pale pink tights were introduced to match the skin tone of 19th-century European ballerinas, a tradition that has reinforced whiteness as an industry norm. For dark-skinned dancers, wearing blush-colored hosiery can be a daily, tangible reminder that they don’t satisfy an ideal.
ImageTina Pereira and Naoya Ebe in the National Ballet of Canada’s “Swan Lake.”Credit...Karolina Kuras/The National Ballet of Canada.“I never thought I would be onstage in a tutu and bare legs,” said Erica Lall, who joined the National’s corps de ballet in June. “I think it’s beautiful. Swans are aggressive, they’re strong, so it makes sense that you can see the muscularity in our legs and all that definition.”
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