Swan Lake Premiere at the National Theater: A closer look at the costumes
Prince Siegfried promises love to his white swan Princess Odette. At the same time, however, with the help of the sorcerer Rothbart, he is enchanted by the bewitching black swan Odile. How does the story end? We won't tell. However, we will tell you more than enough about the luxurious costumes of Josef Jelínek!
Costume master Josef Jelínek
He has the authorship of costumes for more than 800 productions in Prague, Bratislava, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Buenos Aires, Santa Fe or Seville in Spain under his belt. The costumes he created have been used in performances such as Rusalka, Othello, Aida, Carmen, Manon Lescaut, Tosca, The Bartered Bride, Don Quichotte and Giselle, to name a few. He has won a number of awards for his work, including the prestigious Thalia 2011 Award.
What luxury costumes did the artist create for Swan Lake? Let’s have a peek together!
Odetta/Odile
Cast: Nikola Márová, Alina Nanu, Miho Ogimoto
The fair Princess Odetta dances, along with the National Theater Ballet ensemble, in a beautiful feathered snow-white robe with a tulle skirt and a deep neckline. The divine model is completed with a lovely headband and, in case of Princess Odette, with a crown. If we were to choose the most beautiful costume of the whole performance, we wouldn’t have to hesitate.
In the case of the character of Odile, we are looking at an almost identical costume, only white has been replaced by gloomy black and the silver crown with a more vibrant golden one. Although black is a classic and gold is considered the most valuable of metals, this time it definitely doesn’t apply. Odetta’s costume beats Odile’s without a sweat!
The Queen
Cast: Tereza Podařilová
The Queen's costume in a shade of brown, decorated with a multitude of gold applications, is a luxurious creation - a joy to behold. We just love the pompousness!
Prince Siegfried
Cast: Adam Zvonař, Patrik Holeček, Nikita Chetverikov
Dressing a male ballet dancer without having him lose any of his appeal is a superhuman task, if not an impossible one. In the opening acts, when Prince Siegfried dances with Princess Odette in ivory tights, our eyes bleed. Not only does the costume unnecessarily add the prince a few pounds, but it also makes him look like a peasant.
Prince Siegfried looks a lot better in the combination of manly black and snow white. Complete with golden applications on the chest, the costume is luxurious and we finally start to believe that Siegfried is a prince.
The fearsome Rothbart
Cast: Marek Svobodník, Danilo Lo Monaco
A fear-inducing costume and an antihero go hand in hand. Rothbart therefore dresses in black for the entirety of the show, with elements such as a cloak and bold feathers. So far everything's fine. But what Josef Jelínek intended with those leg applications that resemble the circulatory system and send us back in time to biology class remains a mystery.
Luxury Prague Life Summary
12 versions of Swan Lake have already been staged at the National Theater. Are you planning to see the 13th one? We can totally recommend it!
The wonderful ballet performance by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a breathtaking experience that you shouldn’t miss. It promises brilliant performances of the soloists and ensemble of the National Theater, costumes, beautiful music, dance, dramatic scenes as well as deep emotional experiences.
