A Swan Takes Flight

Chloe Misseldine's New York début in "Swan Lake"

Chloe Misseldine and Aran Bell in Swan Lake. Photo: Emma Zordan.

Some days you just feel lucky to be at the theatre. Today was one of those. The matinee at American Ballet Theater was the New York début of Chloe Misseldine in “Swan Lake,” one of the toughest roles, and even tougher to make your own. The extraordinary thing about it was, well, everything. But I would begin with the way Misseldine seemed to slow down time, even in the “Black Swan” scene. It was as if she had all the time in the world, to show a shape, to balance, to look at her partner and finish a turn just so. At the same time, nothing she did seemed studied or mannered; it just looked like her way of doing things. She even seemed to enjoy the very act of dancing. In the first lakeside scene, she looked almost unreal. Everything about her is long: legs, wingspan, neck. And with that amazing instrument she creates very, very beautiful, almost incomprehensible shapes. It is proof that in ballet, it’s not just the movement, but movement plus beauty—it’s an aesthetic art. (Yes, that beauty comes in many forms.) In Misseldine’s dancing, beauty meets the full arsenal of skill: balancing, turning, jumping, coordination, phrasing. She can move quickly, she can move slowly, she can be sharp or languid. And there seems to be little chance anything could go wrong. You feel you are in steady hands. Her Odette is like a wild creature, otherworldly, magical. Siegfried’s attraction to her reminds us that we are all attracted to beings who defy our expectations and understanding. She danced as if for herself. The applause began even before she and Aran Bell finished the lakeside pas de deux. By the end, people were screaming. And so it seemed utterly appropriate, even if totally novel, for Misseldine to be promoted to Principal dancer right there onstage at the end of the performance, at the tender age of 22.

As Susan Jaffe, ABT’s artistic director, said in a press release after the show, “I expected I would promote Chloe at the end of the Met season, but her performance this afternoon was exquisite and flawless. I felt no need to wait.” Well put.