Reality vs. ‘Swan Lake’

On Thursday, Evelyn Cisneros and Stephen Legate were San Francisco Ballet’s second swan-prince coupling for Helgi Tomasson’s “Swan Lake” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Recently married, Cisneros and Legate have not been paired in “Swan Lake” before, which might account for some of the unsteadiness in their partnering. Or else Cisneros is a bit too tall on pointe for Legate to handle. Or else these are just not ideal roles for either dancer.

As Prince Siegfried, Legate seemed frozen in a sort of youthful distraction that never deepened into great joy or despair. Although his turns and leaps were often correct, they seemed disconnected from transition steps and his by-the-numbers mime.

In the dual role of Odette and Odile, Cisneros fared best incarnating evil. Even though her smile was too brightly uncomplicated in the black swan pas de deux, there were thrills from her slam-bam timing and brilliant turns. But Odile never had a chance without rubato, the delicate alteration of timing that can breathe life into the delicate, conflicted white swan. Often, the contrast between Cisneros’ even-tempered Odile and the nuanced lament of the violin was marked. The orchestra, under Emil de Cou, hit Tchaikovsky’s emotional highs and lows with the kind of expert calibration the dancers sorely needed.

* “Swan Lake” continues with different casts, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, today and Sunday, 2 and 8 p.m. $18-$59. (714) 740-7878.