'Anne Spudvilas is one of Australia's most talented visual artists. Her illustrations are full of emotion and beauty. Anne's Swan Lake is simply enchanting and sublime!' Li Cunxin, author of Mao's Last Dancer and Artistic Director, Queensland Ballet
The iconic ballet Swan Lake, the tragic love story of a princess transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer, has been revered for more than a century. In this atmospheric adaptation, Anne Spudvilas reimagines the classic tale of passion, betrayal and heartbreak in the dramatic riverscape of the Murray-Darling.
My girls, all three, love Ballet - at least the idea of it. The older two have both been to professional productions and both were mesmerised as the by the figures twirled and glided across the stage. The music, the costumes and the wonderful sense of occasion. Say what you will about Ballet but you can't deny the spectacle of a show done well.
Author and illustrator, Anne Spudvilas grew up, just like my daughters, entranced by Ballet. As a young girl she read Stories of the Ballets by Gladys Davidson, especially the story of Swan Lake as retold in the ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. So it is no surprise that Spudvias' illustrations as so magical, dark, haunting and beautiful. For anyone reading you can't help getting something of a physical reaction and a little bit of a shiver running up your spine.
