“I like ballet, just not all the nonsense” said Dada Masilo

During her post show talk, South African choreographer Dada Masilo commented “I like ballet, just not all the nonsense”. Masilo’s interpretation of the classic Swan Lake is a refreshing retelling of the archetypal ballet that combines African dance, ballet and contemporary dance - contrasting dance styles that are stylistically linked by a spattering of highly comical moments that pulsate through the work.

Dada Masilo’s Swan Lake, begins with a tongue in cheek deconstruction of many of the tropes used in the original work, referring to the corps de ballet as “surplus girls in the moonlight” and branding the male dancer’s grand jetes as “virility jumps”, many of Masilo’s wry observations rely on a level of familiarity with the source work. In a similar vein to Matthew Bourne who is also closely associated with creating a new interpretation of Swan Lake (his version was perhaps most striking as his cast of swans is entirely male, all of whom skillfully perform on pointe) Masilo, like Bourne also drastically alters the familiar narrative. In this version Masilo herself dances the lead female role of Odette, who in this interpretation is a rather coquettish swan whose shimmies and tutu shaking evokes carnival like exuberance. Her groom to be Siegfried (Songezo Mcilizeli) is somewhat intimidated by his betrothed’s confident and overpowering nature, however it soon becomes clear the reason that he is reluctant to commit to Odette is that his heart belongs to male swan called Odile who is danced gracefully by Llewellyn Mnguni.

One clear thematic thread that runs through this Swan Lake, is the lack of the division between the genders, a divide that is normally so commonly defined in classical ballet. One way that Masilo shuns this convention by having both her male and female dancers wear white tutus, another is that whilst the rest of the company dance barefoot Odile, the forbidden object of Siegfried’s attention is the only dancer that dances on pointe. Freed from the stringent constrictions of classical ballet provides the work with both comical and truly poignant moments. Siegfried’s and Odile’s duet in act two, was a tender amalgamation of beautiful movements, as both men supported each other in a series of suspended lifts. Performed superbly to the sounds of Slow, Steve Wright Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings (2005) Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake, which in itself is a reworking of a piece from Tchaikovsky’s original score. One of Masilo’s overriding messages within the work seemed to be challenging the idea that there is only one possible way to tell a familiar tale.

Being performed for just two nights as part of Sadler’s Wells’ Sampled Festival, Dada Masilo’s Swan Lake marks Masilo’s UK premiere. Her choreographic voice that blends African dance with ballet and contemporary technique is not only refreshing but uniquely different as I think she is quite unlike any other choreographer who is currently producing work in the UK. As I left the theatre two thoughts ran through my mind, the first was that I felt very lucky to have just watched such a remarkable piece of dance, the second was the assurance that Dada Masilo would be a name that we would be hearing a lot more of in the future.