Life and Leisure

Ice maidens promise dream experience

By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-27 16:13

A scene from the St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet's Swan Lake. Provided to China Daily

The St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet's Swan Lake combines the graceful movements of classic Russian ballet with the speedy footwork of figure skating for a delightful performance.

Founded in 1967 by renowned choreographer Konstantin Boyarsky, the troupe's very first show still tours worldwide.

The ballet company has staged more than 7,000 shows internationally, all of which have been acclaimed widely for their beautiful music, sophisticated footwork, and lavish costumes and sets.

According to the company, it needs just 24 hours to convert a traditional stage into an ice rink, using the "Yontzmat Portable Ice Rink".

The stage is first covered with several layers of thick carpet, Styrofoam and vinyl before a large wooden frame is placed on it. A team of technicians then connects special pipes and coils of coolant across this frame, before pouring in 4 to 5 tons of ground ice.

The rink is checked every 12 hours and when the ice is finally smooth and hard, it is ready for the performance.

Getting rid of the ice after the show, however, poses a bigger challenge. To prevent the stage from being ruined by melted ice, a team of ice wreckers get to work with hammers, loading chunks of ice onto a truck, which are taken to a stream or river to be discarded.

Figure skating and ice dancing have a long history in Russia, thanks to its favorable climate and long ballet tradition. The majority of the dancers of Swan Lake are drawn from award-wining figure skaters.

They are put through not only tough ballet lessons, but also pantomime and theater. Those who master these skills, and are able to prove their dexterity on skates, are the ones who finally make it to the ice stage.

Swan Lake on ice had its world premiere in the United States in 1996 and is choreographed by the internationally acclaimed Konstantin Rassadin of the renowned Kirov Ballet.

The St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet's Swan Lake can be seen from Sept 25 to 27 at Poly Theater. Take a light jacket along as the theater can get cold.

China Daily