Swan,A Different Story
Premiered in Lucerne, Switzerland, on May 5.
Yabin Wang mit Musik aus Pjotr I. Tschaikowskis «Schwanensee» ab 5. Mai auf der Bühne
Choreografie – Yabin Wang
Musikalische Leitung – Jesse Wong
Bühne und Kostüme – Sascha Thomsen
Licht – Clemens Gorzella
Dramaturgie – Wanda Puvogel
Mit: Frankstein / Percy, Mary Shelleys Ehemann – Flavio Quisisana Elisabeth – Phoebe Jewitt Mary Shelley – Valeria Marangelli Kreatur – Tanaka Roki Byron / Freund – Andrea Lippolis Vater – Igli Mezini Gruppe – Hanna Hughes / Nina Ritter / Igli Mezini / Mathew Prichard / Andrea Lippolis / Zhiyelun Qi / Grazia Scarpato Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra performed Tchaikovsky's classic Swan Lake and Wang turned the emotional power of the music piece into a story about love, madness and genius. Yabin stages a multifaceted variant of the Frankenstein theme, expanded to include scenes from the life story of the author Mary Shelley, which in the end takes us up to the heights of Mont Blanc. So no swans and no lake, but a narrative ballet that combines tradition and modernity in a virtuoso way.
© Ingo Hohen
Media Repo:
«An intoxicating experience. [...] Probably every ballet lover has the world-famous pictures from Swan Lake in mind. After the performance in Lucerne, however, these will be overlaid by others in the future: images of magical power, colorful, sometimes fairytale-like, sometimes demonic, emotional, amusing, deeply sad. [...] The movements are so coordinated with the music that it often seems as if they grow out of the music. A story is told while dancing in such a way that everyone can understand it. The curtain hadn't quite fallen when thunderous applause broke out. Pure enthusiasm, for the ensemble, for the soloists, for the conductor and orchestra, but above all for the choreographer Yabin Wang, who was still present. To put it in a nutshell: go and enjoy this unique swan lake without a swan!»
- Central Switzerland online
“You have to have the courage to take the most famous ballet and make something completely different out of it. Yabin Wang does this with an ease that pays off. The images of white swans disappear from the mind and suddenly it is as if there were nothing more appropriate than to tell the story of Frankenstein's monster to Tchaikovsky. [...] How Tanaka embodies Roki Frankenstein's monster is impressive. With his dance, he shows all facets of this tragic figure: the superhuman energy, the clumsiness, the vulnerability.»
“You have to have the courage to take the most famous ballet and make something completely different out of it. Yabin Wang does this with an ease that pays off. The images of white swans disappear from the mind and suddenly it is as if there were nothing more appropriate than to tell the story of Frankenstein's monster to Tchaikovsky. [...] How Tanaka embodies Roki Frankenstein's monster is impressive. With his dance, he shows all facets of this tragic figure: the superhuman energy, the clumsiness, the vulnerability.»
- SRF regional journal
«Yabin Wang's Frankenstein is celebrated with standing ovations at the Lucerne Theater.»
«Yabin Wang's Frankenstein is celebrated with standing ovations at the Lucerne Theater.»
- Lucerne newspaper
My review of Swan - a Different Story by Yabin Wang for Tanz Luzern.
‘I was mightily impressed both by Wang’s inventiveness and rich mix of choreographic influences and TanzLuzern’s small but highly talented, international dance ensemble’ .
-Graham Watts
