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SCENE IT: An enchanting tale of two swans still captivates
- Barbara Loots
- Jul 26, 2025
- 6 min read
Barbara Loots
Staging SWAN LAKE is a huge undertaking due to the scale of the ballet and the iconic classical status that comes with it. Almost a 150-years since it was first staged in 1877, it still captivates audiences and inspires dancers. It is artistically and technically demanding, and it makes sense for Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) and Joburg Ballet (JB) to join forces in staging this beloved ballet.
The production of SWAN LAKE that the two companies are performing was originally staged in Cape Town by French dancer, Attilio Labis in 1971. This 2025 staging also marks the first time in almost 30 years that these two classical ballet companies join forces to present one of the great ballet classics on a national tour. Following a Johannesburg run earlier this July, it is now the chance for Cape Town audiences to be swept up in the tragedy, romance and magic of SWAN LAKE until 27 July 2025 at the CTICC.
SWAN LAKE, based on a folk tale (with Russian and German roots) sees Odette, who has been turned into a swan, cursed by sorcerer Baron Von Rothbart to remain so unless saved by true love. She has fallen for the handsome Prince Siegfried, but she is not alone in vying for his affection. Von Rothbart’s bewitching daughter, Odile, is also on the scene to trick the prince into choosing her as an ultimate betrayal to his true love in an attempt to trap Odette in swan form for life.
There are as many opinions about SWAN LAKE as there are ballet dancers and fans. Even with opinions abound, it is a much-loved ballet that people flock to see whenever and wherever it is performed. This latest staging is no exception.
There is a good energy between the corps de ballet artists of the two companies, which I found rather refreshing, as the CTCB in recent years have struggled to retain its spark.
On opening night in Cape Town, Odette/Odile was danced by Kirstel Paterson alongside Leusson Muniz as Prince Siegfried. Von Rothbart was given a quiet menacing tone by Axton Green, and Jordon Roelfze delighted the audiences with his portrayal of the Jester.
The four act ballet shines in full glory in Acts 2 and 4, and if I am honest, apart from temptress Odile’s appearance in Act 3, SWAN LAKE could be a two-act ballet, with apologies to Tchaikovsky for wanting to shorten his utterly magnificent score. Acts 1 and 3 have always felt unnecessarily padded for me (and I remember that my ballet loving dad use to say that the Act 3, apart from Odile’s shining moments, made for good napping… I am clearly my father’s daughter here).
The power of the CTCB and JB ballet paring is on full-force display in Acts 2 and 4 and the swan scenes are masterfully brought to life. The swanlike movements and synchronicity of the corps de ballet are phenomenal and reason enough to see this staging. Utterly exquisite with beautifully extended arms and precision in movement that will make you believe they can take flight if they so wanted. Paterson as Odette is perfection and Muniz supports her elegantly as the love-struck Siegfried. Their performances paired with stunning costumes, scenic elements and lighting design, ups the romance ante to a sufficient degree of ballet spectacle that deserves rapturous applause.
But here is where I suspect many will want to tar and feather me: I was not utterly bewitched by Paterson’s Odile. And from the multiple “bravo” exclamations emanating from the audience on the night, I will be in the minority for sure. But she lacked the vixen-like energy I was craving from Odile.
The Odette/Odile debate, and whether one ballerina has ever succeeded in portraying both roles with equal magnificent impact is probably as old as the production itself (let’s not even get into the different styles of ballet that enter the fray here). It often ends up with ballet lovers ultimately either being team Fonteyn or team Makarova. There seems to be a general consensus though that no matter how skilled the principal’s portrayal of these roles, they always gravitate towards one more than the other, and it usually does show onstage – they are only human after all, and we all have favourites.
In this folk tale, two swans are on opposing sides: the one the lighter true love protagonist, and the other the counter to the light, the darker (and arguably more interesting) manipulative antagonist. I am sure by now you have guessed that the darker seductress, Odile, is my favourite. I have always found her to be the more interesting, allowing for a layered character portrayal when a dancer really sinks her teeth into the role with abandon (which usually means I end up being team Makarova in the aforementioned debate).
I am not saying that a dancer’s interpretation of Odette/Odile should be polar opposites, not at all. In fact, Odile must be at least a version of Odette that makes it believable that Prince Siegfried can be sufficiently fooled into believing that Odile is in fact Odette when he declares his intention to marry her. Where the difference comes in is the emotional depth and the interpretation of the required moment when a dancer switches personalities from Odette to Odile: Odile is Odette with an element of malice and dare, cloaked in a layer of seduction, and that also allows for the technical showing off that this portion of the ballet lends itself to. In fact, audiences expect to be wowed by the black swan moments.
As far as performance standard is concerned, Paterson does not disappoint, but I don’t think she emotionally taps into the depths of Odile: Her swans are both equally brilliant in technique, but not on par when it comes to the expressive components. I have said this before in ballet reviews, as a performer I find her hard to connect with because her performances feel emotionally guarded. And here again it feels like her expressive walls are up to such a degree that it prevents her from fully connecting with the personality of the black swan: For that you need to be able to give something of yourself; the audience must believe that you are capable of seducing Siegfried, and although Paterson danced the part with grace and jaw-dropping precision, I did not feel drawn into the mischievous undertone associated with the black swan. Here and there, if you looked closely, you could see her play at some facial expressions that were perhaps a bit more daring than her Odette, but if you are dancing to a huge auditorium you are playing to the back row as much as the front and your interpretation can’t be small in that regard.
A big part of the appeal of the tragic romance of SWAN LAKE is the music of the master himself, Tschaikovsky. If you close your eyes and just listen to his majestic score, the movements are so vibrant and nuanced that on its own it has the power to conjure up the story in your minds-eye. With the current staging, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra does a great job under the baton of Brandon Phillips in performing this score. Their biggest obstacle is unfortunately the CTICC venue, which seems to be working against the production. The venue has amplified sound, so while you can hear every note, you are also made aware of every sheet music page turn and pencil drop. The venue also isn’t a friend to the dancers: The stage appears to be rather hazardous, with both Paterson and Muniz having a few slippery landings at times, which they handle well. That, the amplified sound (that results in a tinny tone) and one dancer’s squeaky ballet shoe were the biggest snags on the night.
Looking past all that, SWAN LAKE’S opening night in Cape Town was rather lovely. A great way to enjoy a Friday evening.
I would encourage you to go see SWAN LAKE this weekend if you could still find a ticket for this sold-out run. As you would need to have the power of the sorcerer Von Rothbard to conjure up such a ticket, I would rather just wish anyone lucky enough to have snagged a seat a great time at the ballet.
A general theatre run time warning: The current staging at the CTICC is billed on Webtickets as having a runtime of 2hrs 20min, including an interval. I am not sure who is responsible for that time count, but they need to be gifted a more accurate watch. We took our seats at 7pm and basically sprinted out of the CTICC (audience still enthusiastically applauding a well-deserved show) at 10:17pm. Oh and there are two intervals, not just one. That length is very SWAN LAKE, so if accurately advertised I would not have batted an eye. But it is becoming a bit of a bug bear that very few Cape Town shows appear to be able to give accurate run times or have the ability to stick with the time provided. It makes arrangements for travel (or even after show night-out plans) rather difficult. I know we are called the sleepy city at times, but Cape Town theatre should be able to do better. It’s disrespectful to patrons if you think their time is yours to do with as you want.