Swan lake queen milwaukee ballet 2018

And now for something completely gorgeous: The Milwaukee Ballet opened a production of “Swan Lake” Thursday evening at the Marcus Center.

Choreographed by artistic director Michael Pink, after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s legendary 1895 production, with the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra and conductor Pasquale Laurino playing the famous Tchaikovsky score, the production is a feast of beauty, grace, emotional depth and exquisite classical dance — lots and lots of classical dance.

The ballet’s story, which tells of young lovers Odette and Siegrfried, who are doomed by the ruthless greed of Odile, is less a detailed narrative than a through-line for scene after scene of heartbreakingly beautiful solos and pas de deux, and stage-filling ensemble numbers.

Dancing those roles on Thursday (also scheduled to appear on Friday and Saturday evenings) were Luz San Miguel as Odette, Marize Fumero as Odile, and Davit Hovhannisya