Richmond Ballet's Swan Lake Captivates Students

Last month, Sandler Center Foundation staff had the privilege of attending a production of Swan Lake by the Richmond Ballet. It wasn’t your mama’s Swan Lake, though, with elaborate scenery and a multitude of dancing swans. It was an interactive performance held at local Virginia Beach elementary schools April 29-May 3. A partnership between SCF and Richmond Ballet brings the Performances on the Road program to schools each year. Over 2,500 students were expected to attend the performances this year.

(Mary Anne Bryant) The students were captivated by the live performance. A narrator walked them through the story of Odette and her prince, teaching them how to interpret the dance movements. As the dancers twirled about on the stage, the narrator encouraged the students to laugh, clap, and dance in their seats during the performance, and they did! Later, the dancers taught the students some simple dance moves and selected students were invited to take the stage to dance with the professionals. I saw many hands in the air when volunteers were called for. The student dancers did a great job and were grinning from ear to ear! Afterwards, there was a Q & A session where a cast member came into the audience to take questions. The students were interested in how the team became dancers, but I think the best question of all was: how did they change their costumes so fast?

(ArLynn Parker) Knowing that Mary Anne had expressed great things about the Richmond Ballet performance the day before, I felt I was in for a treat. That said, I was still pleasantly surprised at just how many children were seated at attention, waiting for the dancers to begin. I suppose I expected the usual chatter, giggles, and shushing from adults to help them pay attention. Nah! They were immediately charmed—and for that matter, so were all the teachers and school staff in the room. 

Honestly, I was having just as good a time. More often than I would like to admit, I found myself chuckling every time the kids gasped at a twist in the story. Each time the Prince lifted Odette, her transformation into a swan, whenever she leaped, when Rothbart came close to victory, the kids were right there—locked in. The inclusion of a court jester as the narrator was a clever and effective way to explain the ballet as it went along. I marveled at this performer’s stamina, as dancing and cartwheeling throughout the show while having enough breath to tell it all is, phew, not an easy feat. It added to the overall enjoyment of the morning and made me envious; I wished I were experiencing ballet again for the first time.

The SCF team enjoyed seeing a room full of young faces light up with the excitement of live ballet. The teachers were just as enthralled with the story of the dance. It was a totally entertaining experience for all!