When Natalia Gubanova dances to “Swan Lake” on stage with the State Ballet Theatre of Russia, she will be performing one of the world’s most beloved ballets as she has done perhaps 1,000 times.
But it will still be fresh and a miracle to her, she said. She will dance with other ballerinas from Russia in “Swan Lake” Jan. 22 at Genesee Theater.
“Swan Lake,” said Gubanova, a Russian ballerina who has been dancing for more than 10 years, is “a treasure of Russian classics. If you can imagine, the most beautiful, the most inspirational ballet, it’s ‘Swan Lake.’ In every country, on every continent, the audience knows about ‘Swan Lake.'”
The public loves this ballet the most, she said, ” because of the beautiful music of Tchaikovsky and because it is a fairy tale love story, which brings people joy and inspiration, and it shows to them the joy of life is true love.”
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She added “Swan Lake,” to her, represents “the possibility of a miracle. After we see the performance, we think we can do everything.”
It’s like the Mona Lisa. It’s a masterpiece.”
Russian composer Tchaikovsky wrote the music to Swan Lake in 1875, the story of a prince soon to be betrothed to one woman he does not love and meeting a princess, who along with her friends, was turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer.
The Russia Ballet Theater will dance to the choreography of one of the best in ballet, Marius Petipa, who set dance to Tchaikovsky’s music in 1895, said Igor Levine, CEO of Hollywood Stars International Management, a company that brings Russian attractions to the United States.
“The Russian ballet company is keeping all the traditional choreography,” Levine said.
Gubanova said she is a classically trained ballerina. “And so for me, the traditional choreography is very, very comfortable. It’s my best work. For me classical dance is the preferable way to express myself. It’s the technical, old-fashioned way to dance.”
Gubanova will perform pas de trios at the ballet and aspires one day to portray the main ballerina in “Swan Lake.” “It’s a demanding and interesting role,” she said. “Every soul has two sides — one dark and one bright. ‘Swan Lake’ shows both sides and the principal dancer must show these two sides in one evening. It’s very difficult for a ballerina and very interesting to see.”
Besides dancing to one of the most beautiful ballets of all time, Gubanova, also looks forward to dancing with her husband, Alexey Gerasimov, on stage. He will portray the jester.
“This is happiness for me to be on stage with my husband,” she said. “This is the miracle I live myself.”
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
State Ballet Theatre of Russia ‘Swan Lake’
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22
Where: Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $29.50-$52.50
Information: 847-782-2366; www.geneseetheatre.com