Swan lake, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is now playing in Delhi. SHAlINI SAKSENA tells you what makes this ballet a timeless love story not to be missed

The Capital is finally getting its dose of art and culture. There is Shriram by Bharatiya Kala Kendra, there is Mughal-e-Azam playing at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium and then there is Swan lake all the way from Moscow by Royal Russian Ballet.

For those who don’t know what the ballet is all about, here is a bit of insight. It is a love story that has a mix of magic, tragedy and romance. A prince — Siegfried — and a lovely swan princess Odette fall in love. The tragedy is that Odette is under a spell of a sorcerer and spends her days as a swan and nights in her beautiful human form.

Ballet was a dance form originated in Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and slowly developed into a dance form in France and Russia. So it is not surprising that when we think of ballet, we think of Russia and most importantly the classic tale of Swan lake.

One has to understand that ballet as a dance style is very different what, we in India are used to seeing. For most of us, dance is either what we see in Bollywood movies or classical dance styles. In order to understand and appreciate ballet, one has to understand the intense training one has to undergo to just en pointe. This dance is perhaps the most difficult to achieve as only dancers with a high level of training can do it. It involves the dancer to dance on the very tips of their toes wearing pointe shoes that are made of satin.

Then there is pirouette  — a 360-degree spin made on one foot that is en pointe or demi-pointe. But the dancers cover the entire stage with these moves with such ease and energy and that do without getting out of breath is mesmerising.

All this gets accentuated with the graceful pure white pancake tutus (ballet dress). It gives the impression that swans are dancing. The arm and hand movements in tandem with various ballet movements hold you spellbound. One doesn’t really need to know that there is a story that is being told as well. Just watching the steps by the lead pair — Vana Jan and Natalia Matsak that are in sync with an equally beautiful music is enough to hold your attention for the next two hours (broken into four acts).

But if one does want to know what is unfolding, there is a booklet that one can read to follow what is being played out on the stage.

What makes Swan lake so relevant even today, almost a century later, is its primary themes of love and the battle between good and evil. The story holds a special place in the minds of viewers that never fails to move them.

Dinesh B Singh, founder and CEO, Navrasa Duende said:  “As a production house, our aim is to promote and bring global art forms to India and familiarise audiences with them. The success of Swan lake proves that art transcends all geographic and cultural boundaries. It also goes to show that celebrated art forms from around the world have a significant audience here who want to explore a variety of entertainment options. We are already in the process of bringing more performances to the country.”