The Enduring Appeal of Swan Lake
By Caroline Dickie
No classical ballet carries quite the same mystique or international appeal as Swan Lake, with its haunting score, inspired choreography and belief in the transformative potential of love. Swan Lake is among the world’s most frequently performed ballets and cultural references to it abound, with swans widely understood to be symbolic of ballet. But why is this the case? How did Swan Lake acquire its grandeur?
“When you think of classical ballet, Swan Lake always comes to mind,” says Principal Dancer Heather Ogden, who is dancing the lead role of Odette/Odile a final time this season. “It showcases the company on all levels, from the orchestra to the dancers, and the story is moving as well, so audiences leave feeling as though they’ve had a rewarding experience.”
Nothing about Swan Lake’s premiere foretold such success. The ballet was first performed on March 4, 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow with choreography by Julius Reisinger and a commissioned score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. But it was so poorly received that even Tchaikovsky considered it a disappointment.
It wasn’t until 1895, two years after Tchaikovsky’s death, that Swan Lake began to find its footing. The great choreographer Marius Petipa enlisted Lev Ivanov to help him stage a revival with a different libretto for the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Petipa choreographed the “court” scenes while Ivanov choreographed the “lakeside” scenes, with Riccardo Drigo arranging the score. This version of Swan Lake is the basis for most contemporary productions and it met with a warmer reception that strengthened over time.
Petipa and Ivanov achieved a level of musicality with Swan Lake that is still revered today. Tchaikovsky’s score comes alive in the stillness of Siegfried’s first sighting of Odette, the synchronized traverse of the four Cygnets and in the knife edge of Odile’s pas de deux. While every staging of Swan Lake adds new choreographic touches, Petipa and Ivanov laid a foundation that has become a touchstone in classical ballet.
The story of Swan Lake may feel farfetched – a young woman is condemned to live as a swan until a pledge of true love sets her free. But its core themes of love, trust, betrayal and identity are timeless.
“The duality of the lead role is so unique,” says Heather. “You need a huge range of technique and artistry to portray Odette’s fragility and purity in addition to Odile’s qualities of being seductive, conniving, powerful and virtuosic. I used to find that the role of Odile came more easily to me, but over the years and after a lot of experience on stage, I find that Odette has become very special to me and I’ve been able to find a lot of joy and beauty in portraying her.”
The genius of Swan Lake comes down to its harmony of exquisite music, movement and storytelling, and the way it taps into a collective longing to see love triumph over evil. It is classical ballet at its finest.
Top Photo: Heather Ogden and Ben Rudisin with Artists of the Ballet in Swan Lake. Photo by Karolina Kuras.