It is a pity Ballet Ireland were not given the funding to do the full Swan Lake as they had planned. Judging by their performance of the pas de deux from Act Two on Saturday at the National Concert Hall, with Shinobu Sakaguchi as a beautifully swan-like and technically perfect Odette, well-partnered by Soren Niewelt, they could have presented a very good one, though not, of course, with only 11 dancers as at present, necessitating the gala format of excerpts and small works.
Given these limitations, plus those of the NCH itself, lacking wing-space or the ability to fly cloths for scene changes, the fact that The Magic of Ballet provided an enjoyable evening with a remarkably high standard of dancing and no delays between items was little short of a miracle. A cleverly-painted backcloth for part one, which varied considerably, even under the limited lighting available, and a plain one acting as a cyclorama for lighting effects for part two, added to the excellent staging, which cleverly masked entrances and exits on the platform stage.
Ray Barra's Vivaldi in D- Major made an attractive opening, director Gunther Falusy's Sousa Bravura started part two with a swing and the premiere of his Irish Rhapsody (Stanford) showcased the talents of the "full" company for the finale. Mayumi Brown was delightful, both in the very difficult Bournonville Flower Festival at Genzano with Stephen Brennan and the dramatic Minkus/Dean Brandung with Zoltan Feicht. Cresside Merritt-Webb charmed in the Sylphides variation, while The Nutcracker Polichinelles was a well-performed fun piece.
