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Swan Lake with the Cincinnati Ballet
Their first performance with the Company - October 3, 1997
Cincinnati Post Review

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By Jerry Stein
Cincinnati Post staff reporter
October 4, 1997

Opportunity met disappointment Friday night at the Cincinnati Ballet's production of "Swan Lake," and opportunity triumphed.

When Artistic Director Victoria told the 2, 000 member audience on hand at the Aronoff Center for the opening of the company's 1997/ 98 season that guest artist Anthony Randazzo was injured and could not dance there was the traditional muffled groan.

With the former principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet out, that left guest artist Joanna Berman, a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, without a partner, But she'll dance the dual role of the Swan Queen Odette and her evil counterpart Odile with Joseph Cox, as Prince Siegfried, tonight.

These events brought company dancers Anna Reznik and Alexei Kremnev, both Russian born and new to the Cincinnati Ballet this season, to the opening night performance.

They were in a word masterly in their poetic and romantic interpretations of the Prince Siegfried who falls in love with Odette, the maiden turned into a swan through the spell of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart.

When Odette first meets Siegfried in designer Jay Depenbrock's moon-washed Lakeside Scene in the second act, Ms. Reznik is at first tentative with her frightened, nervous movements. But their attraction builds. At one point, the couple tenderly lays their necks against each other.

Now, switch to the ball the Queen Mother (Jennifer Leinberger) throws for Siegfried. Ms. Reznik enters as the evil Odile. Her movements are sharp and fast. At one point she offers Siegfried her hand to be kissed and jerks it away.

Here, also, Kremnev's dancing is energetic with great leaps and turns into the air. But all this is accomplished with an airy grace to suggest melancholy.

After being rejected by Odile, Siegfried is reunited with Odette. Choreographer Dennis Poole, the ballet master for the company, steeps the soft affectionate moves of final pas in poignancy.

Poole supplied mostly new choreography for this production. His work is full of elegance and story-enhancing touches.