Odette/Odile

Photographer: Martin Billings

Thanks to The Black Swan and Natalie Portman's performance Swan Lake and ballet in general have gained a new wave of  popularity. The film has turned the spotlight onto the darkness of the ballet world and in particular onto the darkness of Swan Lake with a brand new interpretation of Odette/Odile. The portrayal of the ballet world  has been a tad exaggerated but certain trends are definitely recognisable.
Ballet lovers have always been aware of the peculiarities of the ballet world: competition is fierce, the search for technical perfection an obsession that is inculcated from very early on -  there is plenty to make it an oddity. I will not dwell on this, there are essays by the hundreds which deal with such issues.

I like the interpretation given in the film of the Odile role - if you have not seen it yet I will not spoil your fun by giving too many details. I do feel that it matches the darkness of Tchaikovsky's haunting music. Odette/Odile are roles  traditionally danced by the same ballerina (and technically to dance this double role, you have to be very good indeed, as Odile performs thirty-two fouettés, not a small feat). Odette is the innocent princess turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart, Odile is Rothbart's daughter whom he turns into a copy of Odette to fool the Prince into marrying her, except that Odile is thoroughly nasty, an evil woman through and through.  That 'nastiness' has been variedly interpreted in different productions. In some, Odile is hinted at as sexually voracious and a dominatrix.

Photographer: Ray Spence

We have seen many versions of the ballet, including the famous gay production  by Matthew Bourne. The film makes the point that Odette/Odile mark a dissociated personality in the dancer, the possible onset of a psychotic disorder.
 Odette/Odile still have plenty of mileage, as characters, to be explored through newer stagings of the classical ballet. To me Odette/Odile are actually one and the same, two different aspects of womanhood.
I look forward to more interpretations that will really explore in greater depth the duality of ingenue/femme fatale, which I view as  the key to grasp the  Odette/Odile personality shift.

(All photos modelled by Alex B)