Swan Lake (Leporello)

LOVE IT

I’m not sure I understand exactly what this “concertina book” is trying to be. It is a long illustration that is folded to fit into a book cover. When unfolded, one side of the illustration shows a theater (audience plus stage with ballet dancers). The other side of the illustration shows all the backstage activity, including dancers stretching and warming up, costume work, makeup, etc. Based on the description, I was expecting this to be more elegant and graceful, but instead I would describe the tone as whimsical and irreverent. For example, there are animals mixed in with the human audience. Is this intended for adults or for children? It’s difficult to tell.The illustrations are striking, but the color palate is limited (mostly blues and yellows), so it’s not a rich as I’d like. Also, the illustrations are fairly sketchy and modern in style. This appealed to me as an adult, but some reviewers mention this as appropriate for kids. While certainly “appropriate,” the illustration doesn’t have all the tiny details that kids like to stare at (e.g. Where’s Waldo). Perhaps ballet super fans will enjoy this illustration but as a more casual admirer of the ballet, I wasn’t interested by this for more than a few minutes. My 6-year-old daughter also didn’t find much of interest in this. As others have noted, there is very little connection to Swan Lake in the illustration.

Well, this is interesting and very different. What you receive is a long fold-out made of fairly sturdy paper. Think concertina. There is lovely stylized art in vivid colors --orange, black, white, yellow, blue-- on both sides. There is no text.On one side you see preparation activities for 'Swan Lake'. Ballerinas stretch and practice. One sits before a mirror with a palette of makeup beside her. There's a stage direction and wardrobe.On the reverse side there's the final stage and an audience. But also scenes that show us how this audience got there. Phone calls and gather information.The connection to the Swan Lake ballet is tenuous. This really could be any ballet, and I would use this piece as either a decoration, or to discuss the production of ballets with little ones. It would also be a cute gift for a little one who is a ballet class enthusiast, or you could even use it as a coffee table book.

There are no words in this book. It's actually more like a fold out pamphlet. One side shows the ballerinas getting ready, the other side is the performance with the audience. It comes folded inside a book cover. The art is interesting and looks like something you could frame and hang up. However, there isn't much substance to this for me. I didn't measure, but when it unfolds it is probably over 3 feet long. It is hard to look at unless you place it on a table. It is quite delicate also. My son also ripped it apart trying to unfold it. Definitely not meant for young children to handle. When I unfolded it, I had an interesting time looking at it with my kids, and explaining to them what was happening in the pictures. However, there just is not much to it for the price. It's a book for a specific audience.

As a professor of film studies, I often teach Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. While I have seen Swan Lake (in several venues, performed by several companies), I was hoping this piece would provide slightly more insight. What one actually receives is a poster which has been folded into booklet form. So, even if one wanted to frame this, it would be creased. I suppose I could set this atop one of my bookcases, but the color palette is oddly off-putting and aesthetically unappealing (but one is to assume that this is very much purposefully).There is virtually nothing to be learned here. However, I suppose a child might enjoy spotting the random animals populating the audience (ex. a penguin). As for an adult who may wish to purchase this, I see no real pay-off.Perhaps this could be appropriate for the nichest of niche markets: maybe for someone who has performed this ballet and wishes to indulge in some degree of nostalgia. Even here, I would caution that the piece is a relatively flat interpretation.On a final note, my copy has a meticulously slashed cover and spine (see picture). I wonder if this is deliberate or an error in printing/shipping.

This is a unique item. The back of it says it is a concertina detailing a night at the ballet. It looks like a small book but when it is opened there is an approximately 55 inch long horizontal pullout that is approximately 9 inches high.One side shows people watching the ballet, the ballet itself and an information booth. Included in the audience are animal and cartoon like characters. The other side shows what is happening backstage and shows ballet dancers, people sewing costumes and people moving props and doing other backstage work. This is folded so it can be viewed in 10 approximately 9 inch high by 5.5 inch long double sided segments individually or opened and viewed as a whole. If you view the segments individually there are 10 double sided segments or 20 pages as listed in the product description.The pullout is in a holder that can also be opened. When opened it is approximately 9 inches high by 16 inches long. It has information on Swan Lake and similar drawings to the pullout.This is certainly unique. I like the drawing. The information on Swan Lake in interesting. I can see the unity of the drawing. Dancers are stretching backstage while others are sewing costumes while out front people are watching the performance while others are in the lobby talking on their cell phones I must admit though I am a bit confused about the animal and cartoon like figures in the audience.Once I got past the unique nature of this I have enjoyed the drawings and the story and gone back to it a number of times. I think people who like ballet or dance would have a special appreciation for this concertina.