Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: Unreasonably Controversial
For centuries choreographers and audiences alike have cherished the tradition of the female swan. At the time of composing his famous score, Tchaikovsky himself agreed with "the idea of the swan as a symbol of womanhood in its purest” (BalletMet 2006). It was universally acknowledged that “supernatural female creatures” such as swans “appealed to the contemporary taste for idealised, fantasised womanhood”.
Worth noting here is the phrase “contemporary taste”. If Swan Lake’s success is owed to its relevance within society, then surely one cannot fault Bourne for restoring its significance more than a century later. In an online review, Laura Porter of About.com refers to Bourne’s interpretation as having “turned tradition upside down”. To many critics this has been translated as “unthinkable” (Johnson 1997) and disrespectful to Petipa/Ivanov’s original version. On the other hand, Judith Mackrell of The Guardian describes Bourne’s adaptation as “a classic”, a term used to label a work of exceptional standard and “enduring significance” (thefreedictionary.com 2009). Whilst respecting the continuing appeal of a ballet created in 1877, there is no shame in embracing Bourne’s revised perspective on its central issues.
In many respects Bourne stays true to the traditional Swan Lake, using the same celebrated score and exploring the same key themes of self realisation and love. His plot is relatively in keeping with the original too. The Prince still falls in love with a swan; Bourne simply chooses to transfer it to a contemporary setting, whereby the swan is also male. In doing this, a significant element of our present-day society is drawn upon, giving the plot’s themes even more resonance. David Roberts of Theatre Reviews Limited describes the male corps de ballet of swans as:
“the perfect medium for the Prince to discover and celebrate his sexuality... Although the Prince is unashamedly gay, Swan Lake is universal in its appeal and accessible to all persons who know what it means to be misunderstood, confused about sexuality and love, and long for intimacy and relationship... The Prince's Swan fantasy allows the character and the audience to experience at the deepest levels the issues of becoming a distinct, separate individual and the risks involved in ‘leaving the flock’."
The crucial phrase here is “deepest levels”. By exploring the same issues as the original version, but through the contemporary setting of a gay relationship, Bourne is strengthening their impact with the audiences of today.
One further point worth considering is the artistic benefit of casting male dancers as swans. In his programme note, Bourne states that:
"The idea of a male swan makes complete sense to [him]. The strength, the beauty, the enormous wingspan of these creatures suggests to the musculature of a male dancer more readily than a ballerina in her white tutu”.
Through a female corps de ballet choreographers have portrayed swans as graceful and fragile; their aggressive temperament and physical strength have hitherto been overlooked. Now audiences have an opportunity to witness a different, but equally valid, facet of their nature. In addition, Bourne’s Swan Lake also appeals to the “new breed of muscular, masculinised dance” (Johnson 1997) found in productions such as Tap Dogs, Lord of the Dance and STOMP!. Bourne is attentive to this emerging trend, declaring that “the heroes of dance are suddenly becoming males again.''
In short, Bourne has not only created an adaptation of Swan Lake with remarkable artistic credibility, but one that fortifies the story's key themes and values for a contemporary audience. It is the initiative of present-day choreographers, like Bourne, that will help to sustain ballet’s popularity throughout the twenty-first century.
Bibliography:
BalletMet, 2006, The History of the Ballet ‘Swan Lake’ [online]. Ohio: Ballet Notes. Available from: <>. [Accessed 12 November 2009].
Porter, L, 2009, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake [online]. New York: About.com. Available from: <>. [Accessed 12 December 2009].
Johnson, R, 1997, BOURNE’S BRAVE NEW ‘SWAN’ [online]. Los Angeles: Daily News. Available from: <>. [Accessed 12 November 2009].
Mackrell, J, 2006, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake [online]. London: The Guardian. Available from: <>. [Accessed 12 November 2009].
TheFreeDictionary, 2009, classic [online]. US: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Available from: <>. [Accessed 12 November 2009].
Roberts, D, 2004, “Swan Lake” [online]. US: Theatre Reviews Limited. Available from: <>. [Accessed 12 November 2009].
Bourne, M, 2006, ‘The History of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake’, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake Programme, Sadler’s Wells, London 13 December 2006 – 21 January 2007, p12.
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Apologies, for some reason I can't seem to publish the website addresses within my bibliography.
ReplyDeleteHello my lovely, this looks very professional. Well done and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI was delighted to discover Bentley’s discourse on Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, both because of the fascinating subject matter and as it clearly demonstrates an academic writing style. Furthermore, her piece shows considerable development as each draft has been moulded into the final version.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast to her descriptive and marketing writing, this document contains arguments from sources showing possible controversial issues within Bourne’s work. An eye-catching simple, yet evocative title, cleverly reduced from previous drafts, entices the reader into the piece. An already impressive first draft is enhanced in both second and final copies by subtle reduction of some phrases and sentences. Two examples – “Tchaikovsky himself was concurrent of....” is changed to “ Tchaikovsky himself agreed.....” (para 1, line 3) ; the omission of “Roberts also explains that “ in the quotation from David Roberts’ Theatre Review (para 4 ,line 5) . The text further confirms the author’s development of academic style in that each paragraph contains precise, accurate writing, which she improves by using a high standard of English and use of appropriate formal vocabulary. I was particularly impressed by the use of the words “more resonance” ( para 2, line 3) and “artistic credibility”. Replacing these with simpler words would have given far less strength to the whole piece.
There is evidence, too, of correction to spelling, punctuation and notation ( paras 2 & 3) . Bentley has been careful to use phrases, not personal opinion, evidenced where necessary within the text or bibliography as required in academic writing (Durrant 09). Visually, the text has been improved by separation of long quotations into new paragraphs.
The piece correctly concludes with a formal bibliography ( missing in her previous drafts ) , showing a full range of relevant reference material, as well as the all important central document from the provider of the controversial performance (Bourne 06)
Bibliography
Bentley L, 2010 “Academic Writing Final version” . London. Available from www.blogger.com
Bentley L, 2009 “Academic Writing First Draft “ London. Available from www.blogger.com
Bentley L, 2009 “Academic Writing Second Draft” London. Available from www.blogger.com
Bentley L, 2010 “Descriptive Writing Final version “London. Available from www.blogger.com
Bentley L, 2009 “Marketing Writing Second Draft” London. Available from www.blogger.com
Durrant A 2009 “ Work Based Learning Handbook “Middlesex University . pp20-21