Swan Lake: larger than life

Similar to many ballet productions which have already hit the big screens, namely those of The Royal Ballet, a production of the ballet Swan Lake from the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg has been broadcast live using 3D technology. It was described as “the first ever global 3D live theatre event”, and used Cameron|Pace Group 3D technology which has most recently been seen in Ang Lee’s The Life of Pi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ricuPmpF544 The collaboration of the Valery Gergiev-conducted production, with music by Tchaikovsky, was screened in cinemas around the world on June 6 and featured principal ballerina Ekaterina Kondaurova in the lead role of Odette. Former Royal Ballet dancer Ross MacGibbon directed the broadcast as a classical ballet production in comparison to the more modern-contemporary pre-recorded performance of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake which was broadcast in 3D in cinemas in 2011. The production has been developed by Canadian-born director James Cameron, whose films such as Hollywood blockbusters Avatar and Hugo, have earned an estimated £4 billion at the box office, and cinematographer Vince Pace to bring this iconic ballet company to the screens of many. Cameron is the co-chair and co-founder of the Cameron|Pace Group which is providing the 3D equipment and expertise for the production of Swan Lake which will mean that many audiences who may not have the chance to view the magical production will be able to watch it in their local cinema. Many may disagree with the supposed cinematic commercialisation of classical ballet, however it appears it is imperative in opening the art form up to new audiences and spreading its influence across the world to audiences who may not previously have the chance to view it.