COURTESYPHOTOSwanLakeonIce,ashowwhichintegratesfigureskatingwithballetandisproducedbytheImperialIceStars,theworld’sleadingtheatricaliceskatingcompany,wasstagedattheTianqiaoPerformingArtsCenterinBeijingfromAugust15to19.
TheSwanLakeballetonwhichtheshowisbasedpremieredinMoscowin1877andtellsofalovestorybetweenPrinceSiegfriedandOdette.AftercomingunderthespelloftheevilsorcererVonRothbart,Odetteappearsasaswanduringthedayandabeautifulprincessatnight,andherunlikelyromancewithSiegfrieddevelopsintoataleofdeceit,passionandsacrifice.
“EverybodyknowsSwanLakethroughtheballet,Ibelieve.IwenttowatchMariusPetipa’sversioninwhichtheblackswanandthewhiteswanwereperformedbyonepersonandthoughtthisdidn’tmakesense.IwasenjoyingthedancebutIdidn’tunderstandthelogicoftheshow,”saidTonyMercer,producerandartisticdirectoroftheImperialIceStars,atthelaunchceremonyofSwanLakeonIceonAugust15.
Inhavingtwodifferentactressesperformtherolesoftheblackandwhiteswans,Mercerwantstoenabletheaudiencetofeelforwhatishappeningtoeachcharacterandtounderstandwhy.“Ijustwanttomakethisexperiencemoreenjoyable,”hesaid.
TheshowusestheoriginalmusicalscorecomposedbyTchaikovsky,withnewchoreog-raphybyMercer.
BasedinMoscowandfoundedin2004,theImperialIceStarsismadeupof26Olympic,world,Europeanandnationalchampionshiplevelskaters,whoholdmorethan250competitionmedalsaltogether.InadditiontoSwanLakeonIce,thetheatercompanyhasproducedotherperformancessuchasSleepingBeautyonIce,CinderellaonIceandTheNutcrackeronIce.Sincetheirdebut14yearsago,theImperialIceStarshaveenthralledmorethan4millionpeopleinover20countries.
AccordingtoMercerthegoalofhiscompanyistogatherworldleadingfigureskatingathletestopresentclassicalplaysintheformoficedance.COURTESYPHOTO
TonyMercer(left),producerandartisticdirectoroftheImperialIceStars,OlgaSharutenko(center),whoplaysOdette,andBogdanBerezenko,whoplaysPrinceSiegfried,attendthelaunchceremonyofSwanLakeonIceinBeijingonAugust15COURTESYPHOTOOlgaSharutenko,aformerRussianfigureskaterwhoplaysthewhiteswanOdetteintheshow,saidthaticeballetismoredifficultthanicesportsandcanbeverydangerous.
Thelimitedsizeofthestage,usuallyoneeighthtoonesevenththatofafigureskatingfield,makesitmoredifficulttofinishamove.Actorsneedtohavetotalcontrolovertheirspeedandmustbeabletoexecutecomplicatedmovessuchasspins,throwsandlifts.
Havingtrainedasafigureskatersincetheageof6,37-year-oldOlgaisascomfortableontheiceassheisonlessslipperyground.Sheisalsoatrainedballetdancer,makingheranidealcandidatefortheImperialIceStars.
“Theymakeitlooktooeasy.I,asthedirector,wantthemtofallsometimes,becausethenyouunderstandjustexactlyhowdangeroustheshowis,”saidMercer.
Whenaskedabouthowshemanagestoperformonicewithoutmakinganymistakes,Olgasaid:“Wedotrainingeveryday.Whenwehavetwoshows,wewillskateforonehourand45minutesandwhenwegetoneshow,weskatefortwohours.”
“Thisguyisthecraziestguy.Ifyouallowhimfivehours,hewillskateforfivehours,”saidMercer,referringtoBogdanBerezenkowhoplaysSiegfriedintheshow.
Olgasaidthatherteamusesthelanguageoffigureskatingtotellstoriesinadditiontoothertechniquessuchasacrobatics.Someoftheirinnovativemovesareyettoevenappearininternationalfigureskatingcompetitions,atestamenttothelevelofskillpossessedbyherandhertroupe.
Iceballetalsohasspecialcostumerequirements,whichmustallowactorsandactressestomoveflexibly,ascontactbetweentheicebladeandthelowerpartofthecostumeswhenactorsarespinningmayresultinaccidents.
Theicestagecostsaround£70,000($89,810)to£80,000($102,592),accordingtoMercer.Tocreatetheicestage,15-kmicemakingtubesandfivetonsoficearelaidbeneaththesite.Around10tonsofwaterarethensprayedontotheicecontinuouslyfor34hoursandfrozenbythetubes,beforefinallyanicestageof12-15tonsisformed.Chillingunitsarethenrequiredtokeeptheicefrommelting.
Asthestageisverythininthefirstfewdaysoftheperformance,theactors’bladessometimescutthroughtheicemakingtubes,causingtheliquidwithintosquirtout.Whenthishappens,techniciansarereadytorushonstageandcanmendthedamagedtubein53seconds.
“Formethemostimportantthingisthattheaudienceisgoingtoenjoyit.They’llbeamazed,”Mercersaid.
CopyeditedbyLaurenceCoultonCommentsto