Swan on the rocks

Coming next month, ballet on ice - in the intimacy of a theatre

When I heard that the Thailand Cultural Centre would be hosting "Swan Lake on Ice" with the Imperial Ice Stars in September, I shook my head in disbelief. Could a theatre stage really be turned into ice?

Then I was intrigued: "Swan Lake" is perhaps the ballet best suited to a performance on ice. Imagine the swans gliding across a glassy lake.

The Imperial Ice Stars, who will raise the curtain on Bangkok's 13th International Festival of Dance & Music, certainly have what it takes to pull this off with aplomb. I expect their five shows will enthral viewers, whether they're seven years old or 70.

There is much to look forward to. One is the cast, 25 members of which are championship skaters from Russia, able to combine artistry with Olympic-level technique.

With a beautiful, expressive face and fluid body movements, Olga Sharutenko will portray the delicate swan-woman Odette. And the youthful-looking Andrei Penkin, with his naturally exuberant moves, is fittingly playing Prince Siegfried.

Three things make this version on ice different to the stage ballet - apart from the fact that it's performed in skates and not pointe shoes.

First, Odile will be portrayed by a different woman, which gives a new dynamic to the love story. Second, the ending has changed, though it can't be revealed in advance, of course.

Third, the score has been condensed into two acts to make the performance seem shorter and more audience-friendly, even if it's still two hours long, including an interval.

The skating choreography really does express both the romantic and theatrical parts of the story well. There are lovely flowing movements at the lake and in the dances by the lovers, then high-speed manoeuvres such as triple throw axels, death spirals and spectacular aerial spins to heighten dramatic moments.

It's the high speeds of the skaters on a theatre stage that keeps the audience thrilled. Even children will be engrossed. Friends who recently saw "Swan Lake on Ice" in London said the boy sitting next to them was literally on the edge of his seat, mesmerised.

Other things to look forward to are the stage set and costumes, inspired by the sumptuous Romanov period of the early 1900s when Tchaikovsky composed this score. They are gorgeous.

Eamon D'Arcy, an award-winning Australian set designer, created two main sets - the mystical lake and the palace courtyard - making them more three-dimensional by adding a chandelier, trees and a fountain which the skaters move around.

The costumes by Albina Gabueva, the venerable designer at the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow, are in the palace-dress style of that era.

"Swan Lake on Ice", with its glorious music, fantasy story, stunning skating and sophisticated set and costumes, will appeal to theatre lovers, families and fans of both ballet and skating. It's in a class of its own, and not to be put in the same category as Disney on Ice.

Meanwhile I've stopped wondering about a theatre stage being converted into ice. The clever process takes 48 hours, 15 kilometres of pipes and a lot of antifreeze and human sweat.

Chills, thrills

"Swan Lake on Ice" is at the Thailand Cultural Centre on September 9, 10 and 11 at 7.30pm, with 2.30 matinees on the Saturday and Sunday.

Seats cost Bt700 to Bt2,800 at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3191.

Bangkok's 13th International Festival of Dance & Music is sponsored by Bangkok Bank, Beiersdorf, B Grimm, Canadoil Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, the Nation Group, SCG, Thai Airways International, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Toyota Motor Thailand.