I’m not a big fan of the new production. The swan head pieces look really funny. And the backdrops look impersonal/imposing/spare. The entire production just seems a little cold to me.
First time I noticed that there are more swans in the corps than there are female members of the corps de ballet. Which means I think the apprentice dancers are also there? Or are there like dancers for hire or something? That would kind of suck.
After having read Infinite Jest (http://www.yourdictionary.com/figurant), my empathy for the corps dancers has increased. Sometimes I wonder what they say or think in those interminable scenes where they just stand there.