Review: Stately and Spellbinding SWAN LAKE Closes Festival Ballet's Season

Festival Ballet Providence concludes its 38th season in high style with one of the grandest, most iconic ballets of all time: Swan Lake. Many elements of Swan Lake transcend the boundaries of dance and have become touchstones in the wider cultural landscape. Even individuals who claim only a passing acquaintance with the world of ballet can readily identify portions of its more recognizable step sequences or notes from Tchaikovsky's magnificent score.

Given this level of familiarity, staging a memorable Swan Lake is a daunting prospect - especially so for a smaller company. But Festival Ballet aims to dazzle with its latest production, now playing a limited run at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. FBP's dedicated dancers take on multiple roles, transforming from courtier to cygnet with utmost grace, and Milica Bijelic and Mihailo Djuric's elegant choreography enhances the narrative while utilizing every inch of the VMA's stage.

This weekend's performances also mark a bittersweet milestone for the company as Mindaugas Bauzys takes his final bow. Bauzys, who has danced with Festival Ballet for eight seasons, will retire from the stage at the close of Sunday's performance. Prince Siegfried is a fitting part to crown Bauzys' distinguished, highly lauded career. The role allows for playfulness, drama, and romance, all while showcasing Bauzys' sterling strengths as a dancer. His every jump feels weightless, suspended in midair, and the poise, agility, and sheer presence Bauzys brings to the stage are second to none.

Bauzys' retirement will likewise bring one of the company's strongest pairings to a close. He has long partnered with his wife, Vilia Putrius, in some of the company's most unforgettable duets. Together on stage, Bauzys and Putrius are sheer magic, and Swan Lake's storyline provides wonderful interactions for this couple. Their singleness of movement is demonstrated beautifully in Odette and Siegfried's tender pas de deux and their performances in the royal court (with Putrius as Odile) crackle with strength and vivacity.

Putrius shines in the dual role of Odette/Odile. Her pointe work is gorgeous, as always, whether executing the delicate, swan-like steps of the enchanted Odette or the captivating flair of the scheming Odile. And Putrius well defines these two characters. She communicates Odette's despondency and initial hesitancy to trust Siegfried, as well as the flicker of hope that blossoms at the prince's pledge of fidelity. Then later, she lets the fiery Odile saunter onto the stage with a haughty confidence barely contained by a demure façade.

Festival Ballet's company dancers have some wonderful spotlight moments in Swan Lake. A pas de trois by Kirsten Evans, Alan Alberto, and Eugenia Zinovieva starts off act one with spirit and precision. Ty Parmenter endears himself early on as the animated Court Jester, joyfully leaping and tumbling through the ranks of dignified courtiers. And Alex Lantz is a commanding, ominous Von Rothbart, menacing from his first moments on stage and undeniably treacherous as he faces off with Bauzys' prince in the ballet's final act.

Brenna DiFrancesco, Kristy DuBois, Olivia Kaczmarzyk, and Tegan Rich perform perhaps the most iconic piece from Swan Lake, the Dance of Cygnets, with the speed and accuracy that demanding sequence requires. All of the swans - lead dancers, cygnets, and corps members - are to be commended for their impressive unison as they skim across the stage en masse. That level of synchronization is exceptionally demanding and requires remarkable control and concentration.

FBP's Swan Lake features richly appointed costumes by Peter Farmer (the glittering attire of the royal court is especially memorable) and detailed, atmospheric sets by Julia Trevelyan Oman. Alicia Colantonio's subtle lighting creates warm sunshine bathing Prince Siegfried's castle as well as the ominous gloom of Van Rothbart's bewitched lakeside lair.

Festival Ballet's Swan Lake plays a limited engagement at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium through Sunday, May 1, 2016. Ticket prices range from $23-85 and group rates are available upon request. Student Rush tickets are also available. The company's season-ending gala, the Black & White Fête, immediately follows Sunday's performance (separate admission is required). To purchase tickets, call (401) 421-2787 or order online at www.thevetsri.com.

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Pictured: Mindaugas Bauzys as Prince Siegfried and Vilia Putrius as Odette.
Photo by Thomas Nola-Rion.

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