Vick444~No Spam~@aei.ca
07-15-2008, 01:56 AM
Jul 9, 2008
Fan away the sizzling heat with the St. Petersburg State
Ice Ballet's ``Swan Lake.'' The 41-year-old ballet troupe
will bring the graceful movements of ballet and the
speedy footwork of figure skating together with this
delightful and refreshing performance.
The St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet gave its first
performance in 1967 under the direction of Constatine
Boyarski. The breakthrough performance still tours
worldwide, with the golden rule that it is put up on
stage in theaters, instead of ice rinks as are other
``ice shows.'' By offering famous works such as ``Swan
Lake,'' ``Romeo and Juliet'' and ``The Nutcracker,'' the
show has managed to combine classical ballet with figure
skating.
The troupe has visited Korea every year since 1998, and
has become a must-see performance among children and
adults alike, with its beautiful music, gliding footwork
and lavish costumes and sets.
``Last year, two works (The Nutcracker and Swan Lake)
were on stage but we realized that the Korean audience
enjoyed `Swan Lake' better than `The Nutcracker.' So this
year, we have prepared only `Swan Lake,' '' said Chung
Joo-ha, performance manager at Seoul Arts Management, the
organizer of the event.
``It will be fun to see an ice rink located inside of one
of the nation's top art theaters,'' she added.
Curiously enough, it takes only 24 hours to transfer a
theater to a grand ice rink, thanks to a special
technique called the ``Yontzmat Portable Ice Rink.''
The stage is first covered with several layers of thick
carpet, Styrofoam and vinyl to elevate the stage a bit
higher for a better view. Then a large wooden frame is
placed over the stage. The technician team connects
special pipes and coils that contain coolants across the
wooden frame and pour in four to five tons of ground ice.
For 12 hours, a technician must check every 30 minutes if
the rink is cold enough, pouring in more ice and water.
When the ice is finally smooth and hard, it is ready for
the performance. Getting rid of the ice after the show,
however, is a bigger task. To prevent the stage from
being ruined by melted ice, a support team breaks the ice
with hammers, loads the pieces onto a truck and discard
them in a stream or river.
The skaters of the troupe are mostly former figure
skating champions. They may be the best to perform on
ice, but as soon as they enter the St. Petersburg State
Ice Ballet, arduous training begins. They not only have
to attend strict and tough ballet lessons, but also
acting, pantomime and theater classes as well. Those who
master all the skills, and portray the artistic movement
on skates, then take to the ice stage.
The piece is choreographed by the internationally
acclaimed Konstantin Rassadin of the renowned Kirov
Ballet.
St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet's ``Swan Lake'' will be
performed July 23-27 at the Sejong Center for the
Performing Arts in downtown Seoul, South Korea
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/07/145_27280.html
Fan away the sizzling heat with the St. Petersburg State
Ice Ballet's ``Swan Lake.'' The 41-year-old ballet troupe
will bring the graceful movements of ballet and the
speedy footwork of figure skating together with this
delightful and refreshing performance.
The St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet gave its first
performance in 1967 under the direction of Constatine
Boyarski. The breakthrough performance still tours
worldwide, with the golden rule that it is put up on
stage in theaters, instead of ice rinks as are other
``ice shows.'' By offering famous works such as ``Swan
Lake,'' ``Romeo and Juliet'' and ``The Nutcracker,'' the
show has managed to combine classical ballet with figure
skating.
The troupe has visited Korea every year since 1998, and
has become a must-see performance among children and
adults alike, with its beautiful music, gliding footwork
and lavish costumes and sets.
``Last year, two works (The Nutcracker and Swan Lake)
were on stage but we realized that the Korean audience
enjoyed `Swan Lake' better than `The Nutcracker.' So this
year, we have prepared only `Swan Lake,' '' said Chung
Joo-ha, performance manager at Seoul Arts Management, the
organizer of the event.
``It will be fun to see an ice rink located inside of one
of the nation's top art theaters,'' she added.
Curiously enough, it takes only 24 hours to transfer a
theater to a grand ice rink, thanks to a special
technique called the ``Yontzmat Portable Ice Rink.''
The stage is first covered with several layers of thick
carpet, Styrofoam and vinyl to elevate the stage a bit
higher for a better view. Then a large wooden frame is
placed over the stage. The technician team connects
special pipes and coils that contain coolants across the
wooden frame and pour in four to five tons of ground ice.
For 12 hours, a technician must check every 30 minutes if
the rink is cold enough, pouring in more ice and water.
When the ice is finally smooth and hard, it is ready for
the performance. Getting rid of the ice after the show,
however, is a bigger task. To prevent the stage from
being ruined by melted ice, a support team breaks the ice
with hammers, loads the pieces onto a truck and discard
them in a stream or river.
The skaters of the troupe are mostly former figure
skating champions. They may be the best to perform on
ice, but as soon as they enter the St. Petersburg State
Ice Ballet, arduous training begins. They not only have
to attend strict and tough ballet lessons, but also
acting, pantomime and theater classes as well. Those who
master all the skills, and portray the artistic movement
on skates, then take to the ice stage.
The piece is choreographed by the internationally
acclaimed Konstantin Rassadin of the renowned Kirov
Ballet.
St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet's ``Swan Lake'' will be
performed July 23-27 at the Sejong Center for the
Performing Arts in downtown Seoul, South Korea
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2008/07/145_27280.html