The Snow Queen, performed by the Scottish Ballet, was a fascinating blend of triumph and defeat told through an all-consuming journey of love. With a standout performance from Kayla Maree Tarantolo (Gerda), whose beautiful pointework and elegant lines appeared effortless as she lit up the stage, portraying incredibly her character’s deep range of emotions, the standard of work was high. But, above all else, the costuming stole the show — special mentions going to the multi-coloured, clashing-pattern circus outfits.
The stage was dark as the overture began to play. Suddenly the centre stage was illuminated, covered by a protective screen with a broken mirror shaped hole where the Snow Queen and her sister (the Summer Princess) danced. They looked into an enchanted mirror, cleverly projected onto the screen, with the Snow Queen using her powers to foretell her sister’s future lover. Fleeing to find him, the summer princess heads off to a market town under the alias of a pickpocket. Here through a chorus of dancers and elaborate props, the audience is introduced to a new character, Gerda. This elegant girl from the market town dances across the stage with her lover Kai who gets down on one knee in a public proposal. But as the summer princess/pickpocket takes in the scene, she realises Kai is the man the mirror prophesised as her lover.
Suddenly the town is overtaken by a circus troupe, whose comedic and fast-paced performances elicited laughs from the audience. A pair of humorous clowns’ stunted and leaped about in perfect harmony spreading chaos wherever they landed, whilst a fortune teller and ringmaster performed a duet. Here, the fortune teller wears black pointe shoes and tights, contrasting her societal position with Gerda’s — whose pink shoes and flowing skirt imply her innocence and respectability in the town.
Not gone for long, the Snow Queen enters stage left preceded by her two snow wolves who prance and snarl in elaborate fur covered suits. Time freezes for all with the stage flooded blue, but the summer princess stays awake, and the Snow Queen begs her to come back with her. Unhappy with her response, the Snow Queen curses Kai, turning him away from Gerda marking the start of a long quest. On this journey through a dark forest, many of the characters from Act 1 reappear. With great perseverance, and some incredible high-energy numbers from the circus troupe, Gerda eventually arrives at the Ice Palace where she battles the snow wolves and snowflakes. When all seems lost and Kai lies motionless on stage, Gerda holds him in a loving embrace — finally, they are reunited in their love.
Throughout the performance, different dance styles were showcased, with the vast majority of dancers wearing modern shoes for the duration. This was very much a contemporary ballet, rather than a classical one. The relatively short duration of roughly 81 minutes also differs from classical performances such as the Nutcracker. As a result, this ballet might be a more accessible performance for the casual enjoyer.
As the only sounds you will hear during the performance are the atmospheric live orchestra and the sound of ballet shoes hitting the stage, the story must be conveyed clearly through dance and facial expression. Throughout the performance, the chain of events was mostly clear, but I would recommend reading a synopsis before watching. However, even if the story lost you, the elaborate set and large group dances are beautiful enough to keep anyone entranced. Snow Queen was a must watch for some winter magic!
Image by Andy Ross, courtesy of Scottish Ballet.