Swan Lake
Who composed the ballet Swan Lake?
Who are the principal characters in Swan Lake?
What is notable about the choreography of Swan Lake?
Swan Lake, ballet composed in 1876 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake was revolutionary in its musical approach and was the first in Tchaikovsky’s trilogy of ballets (the other two were Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker). Tchaikovsky’s score for Swan Lake was based on a short ballet he composed in 1871 to entertain his nieces and nephews. He was commissioned to compose a full-length score in 1875. The story, written by librettists Vladimir Begichev and Vasily Geltser, is based on German and Russian folk legends about a hunter or woodsman who meets a swan maiden. The ballet debuted in March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow with choreography by Julius Wenzel Reisinger.
Swan Lake departed from traditional ballets, which at the time took the form of a series of divertissements, or short dances, without a narrative framework. Instead, Swan Lake’s symphonic score forms the musical backdrop to a dramatic plot. The original choreographer and dancers, however, struggled to keep up with the score, and the first production of the ballet was not a success. Swan Lake was revived in 1882 and gained popularity after an 1895 production by the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, with new choreography by Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. In its present form (shorter than Tchaikovsky’s original composition), it became one of the most performed ballets ever. Tchaikovsky, who was dismayed by the initial lack of enthusiasm for the ballet, did not live to see its eventual triumph—he died in 1893.
Principal roles
- Odette/White Swan/Swan Queen: A beautiful princess who is imprisoned by an enchantment that transforms her into a swan by day
- Siegfried: A handsome prince who falls in love with Odette and vows to be her true love
- Baron Von Rothbart: A magician who is a human-bird hybrid and who has put a spell on Odette and her companions
- Odile/Black Swan: Von Rothbart’s daughter, who takes the form of Odette to trick Siegfried
The roles of Odette, dressed in white, and Odile, in black, are typically danced by the same ballerina. Other characters include Siegfried’s mother and the swan maidens who accompany Odette.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Synopsis
Prologue
Odette meets Von Rothbart while walking by a lake. He casts a spell on her before she can escape, turning her into a swan.
Act I: Outside the palace
A party for Prince Siegfried’s 21st birthday is interrupted by his mother, the queen, who tells him it is time he got married. She informs Siegfried that a ball will take place the next day and that many eligible princesses will be in attendance. Before leaving, she gifts her son a crossbow, and Siegfried heads out on a hunt.
Swan Lake as a Political Tool in Russia
Russian state broadcasters have interrupted scheduled programming to play the ballet on a loop in times of political turmoil, such as after the death of Leonid Brezhnev in 1982 and during an attempted coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991. In 2022 graffiti depicting the ballet’s “Dance of the Cygnets” was used as a symbol of protest by Russians against their country’s invasion of Ukraine. The independent broadcaster TV Rain, after being pressured to shut down by the government, ended coverage from within Russia by playing a clip from Swan Lake.
Act II: The lakeside
Siegfried arrives at the lake, where he discovers a flock of swans. As he prepares to shoot one, it transforms into a beautiful woman: Odette, the swan queen. When Siegfried explains that he means her no harm, Odette reveals that she and the other swans have been cursed by Von Rothbart: They take the shape of swans by day and return to their human forms at night. The spell can be broken only if one who has never loved vows to love Odette eternally. Siegfried swears his undying devotion. Von Rothbart appears and Siegfried prepares to kill him, but he is stopped by Odette, who tells him that if the magician dies, the enchantment will become permanent. Von Rothbart escapes and Odette flees, followed by Siegfried.
The remaining swan maidens appear and dance a waltz. Siegfried returns, in pursuit of Odette. When she appears, they affirm their love until dawn breaks, and Odette transforms into a swan again.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
Act III: Ballroom at the palace
Guests gather at the ball and Siegfried is presented with six princesses from whom he must choose a bride. He informs his mother that he cannot marry any of them. Two unexpected guests arrive—Von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile, whom he has transformed to look like Odette. Captivated, Siegfried declares that he will marry “Odette,” inadvertently breaking his oath of eternal love to the real Odette. Moments later Odile and Von Rothbart reveal their true identities and show Siegfried a vision of a weeping Odette. Overcome by his error, the prince flees.
Act IV: The lakeside
Back at the lake the swans grieve for their distressed and heartbroken queen. Siegfried arrives with explanations and apologies and is forgiven by Odette. His broken vow, however, cannot be undone. Odette, condemned to remain a swan, resolves to die. Von Rothbart arrives and attempts to drive Siegfried away so that Odette can be his. But Odette throws herself into the lake and Siegfried follows. This breaks the spell, and the spirits of the lovers are freed and united in death.
Alternate versions
There are several interpretations of the ballet, particularly of the final act. Many productions dispense with the prologue, which was not in Tchaikovsky’s original score. In some versions Siegfried defeats Von Rothbart, allowing him and Odette to live happily ever after. In others Siegfried and Odette survive but are separated. In a 1986 performance of Swan Lake by the Paris Opera Ballet, choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev, Von Rothbart killed Siegfried and took Odette away with him.
The popularity of Swan Lake
The enduring popularity of Swan Lake is rooted in its sweeping score. Among its most notable movements is the instantly recognizable “Swan Theme,” which accompanies the appearance of Odette throughout the ballet. Swan Lake is also remarkable for its intricately choreographed and visually striking sequences featuring the corps de ballet of swan maidens. Particularly well-known is the “Dance of the Cygnets,” in which four young swans dance in unison in a line with their arms crossed and their heads turned to the side.
The ballet features other popular dances, such as the pas de deux between Siegfried and Odile at the ball. The choreography is remarkable for the 32 fouettés en tournant (“whipped turns” done in place and on one leg) executed by Odile in the “coda” (or final section) of the pas de deux. The feat originated as part of Odile’s choreography by the Italian prima ballerina Pierina Legnani, who added it for the 1895 Mariinsky Theatre production of Swan Lake.
Swan Lake is referenced in films such as Funny Girl (1968), in which Barbra Streisand dances in a parody of the ballet. A scene from the ballet is featured in The Courier (2020). Black Swan (2010), directed by Darren Aronofsky, is centered on a production of the ballet and stars Natalie Portman as the White Swan and Mila Kunis as the Black Swan. The ballet is also referenced several times in the stage musical Billy Elliot the Musical and its film adaptation (2000); in the climactic scene, the title character dances in Swan Lake.