Ballet West: Swan Lake

Visit the ballet performance calendar to view dates of all showings of this program.

SWAN LAKE
Choreographer: Adam Sklute, Pamela Robinson-Harris, and Mark Goldweber, after original choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov

◆ Ballet West
◆ Swan Lake

In just three weeks, Ballet West returns to the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre stage with a run of classical ballet’s epitome Swan Lake, accompanied by the Ballet West Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s iconic score.

“Swan Lake is one of the greatest pieces of theater of all time. After Nutcracker, it’s the first thing people think of when they think of classical ballet, but Swan Lake is so multi -faceted and filled with profound, deeply moving storytelling, great music, powerful and athletic dancing, artistry, and magic.

For our production, I have tightened up the pacing, and heightened the drama to create a work that melds this 19th Century classic with a 21st-century sensibility.”

– Adam Sklute, Artistic Director of Ballet West

In 1940, Ballet West’s founder Willam Christen created the first full-length American production of Swan Lake while he was Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet, building up Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s original choreography. In 2010, Sklute decided to put his own mark on the classic:

“When I decided to dive into Swan Lake, I really wanted to understand the psychology of the characters and ultimately finish the story with a sense of empowerment for the swan maidens to rise up against, their captor, the evil magician and in the end, because of the bravery of their queen Odette and her sacrifice with the prince, they are made human again,” he explained.

Featured Photo for Ballet West’s production of Swan Lake of Emily Adams and Adrian Fry. Photo by Beau Pearson.