Kathryn Morgan has mentioned that when she was dancing Odile, she performed some of the Odette-movements as Odile mocking Odette, which I thought was a really interesting choice!
My favorite ending is the one that Helgi Tomasson did for the San Francisco Ballet. He chose the double suicide, but what made his ending special was the lighting of the final pose. Odette and Siegfried appear upstage and above the rest of the stage, but the lighting makes them appear to be underwater - they are united in a final embrace in their watery grave. 😢 It’s so affecting that you can always hear sniffling throughout the audience at that point. The first time I went to see it, I was with my boyfriend, and he was openly wiping his eyes. The next day, at work, I talked about the performance with one of my co-workers, who had been at the performance. She was going through a very unhappy divorce at the time (her husband had left her for it younger woman) and she said, with tears in her eyes, “I thought that’s how love was going to be!“ 😪
@@balletreign There's a version where Rothbart is distressed and disempowered by the double suicide and is attacked by the swan maidens. I like this one because it recalls that swans are not timid, gentle birds but ferocious and territorial, protective of their families. And ages and ages ago, I'm sure there was a tv version on our public station where the last scene was Odile taking hold of Odette, and I would love to find that one and see it again. (Those poor 30 to 60 maidens: dragged into the curse for no reason, and there's no real explanation in the story as why this should be, other than we need a corps for the swan scenes.....)
Originally this version ended with the shadows of two swans flying off together in the background. I loved it: Siegfried was willing to become a swan so that he could be with Odette forever.
Next week I get to see SFBallet Swan Lake. Twice, once with Osipova ( she is guesting for two nights with SFB! ) and the next night Jasmine Jimison! Her debut of Swan Queen. ! Both nights blessed with second row orchestra center seats. I danced with Houston Ballet and we toured SL ! So I’m familiar but I am sending all your videos to my new love/date to prep him for the experience!
Weidly enough, I actually had no idea that there were versions of this ballet with a happy ending! It's just always existed as a classic tragedy in my mind. I haven't seen this ballet live since I was a kid, but my most recent watch was a recording of the Royal Ballet's production, which ends with Odette choosing to die in order to break free from Rothbart's control. Enraged, the Prince kills Rothbart before retrieving Odette's body, which is revealed to have transformed back into her human form after her death. Honestly, I feel like a tragic ending is more fitting for this story than a happy one, because it heightens the significance of Siegfried's actions.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts on this ballet. There are so many good endings and every ballet company likes to give their own interpretation which makes it all more interesting to see how the story could end, but the tragic end seems to be a popular one! :)
Same! I had no clue what “Swan Lake” was about, but watching this video with the explanation and the clips of the dancing made me cry! What an amazing job these girls did with this video. I’ve always appreciated the art of ballet, but have never considered myself an aficionado. My parents took me to “The Nutcracker” when I was a little kid, and I fell asleep! 😂 I did go see Atlanta Ballet’s production of “Dracula” many years ago, and LOVED it be I already knew what it was about. It was amazing to see the story interpreted through dance. I never was much interested in going to see any other ballets, as I never knew what was going on. Having seen this video, I am dying to actually see a production of “Swan Lake” in person!
I saw a Russian version once (on ice!) that was apparently based on a version that was once popular in Russia. In it Odette and Odile are clearly different people. When Siegfried realised his mistake he goes to the lake and dances with both of them till Odile gives him up to Odette as being more deserving of his love. Then there is a massive battle between Rothbart and his cohort of big manly black swans and the swans of the lake. Siegfried triumphs and he, Odette and the swan maidens live happily ever after.
That’s an interesting version for sure. Ballet on ice would be so hard, but must be so beautiful to watch. We loved ice skating as well before ballet took over 😂
@Ballet Reign it was basically an ice dance version, very lavishly staged and spectacular. But it did have a section where Odette dances en pointe on the ice! And flew on a wire! They did really well at presenting the emotions though.
I have no idea why I've spent almost an hour watching content about ballet (I'm definitely not a dancer) in a language that isn't mine own. But the content is so good that I HAD to binge-watching the videos on your channel. Congratulations girls.
Hahha thank you! Welcome to the channel-we try to make ballet enjoyable and accessible to anyone who wants to learn about it. Thanks for watching and letting us know you are enjoying the content 😂 Please subscribe for future videos like these
Yours is the third video I have seen trying to explain Swan Lake, and yours is the best by far despite your youth and subscriber count compared to the others! I’ve tried reading summaries online as well, and they have a tendency to be so detailed that I lose track of the main plot outline. Nobody in the other videos even mentioned what led up to the lake of tears being created. It also adds much more meaning when you explains how ballet music was beforehand, and why this was so different. Your speaking style is smooth and knowledgable yet also light-hearted. The background music was also a lovely addition to the video. I would love to see more of these types of videos explaining the other major ballets! Subscribed!
Wow, thank you so much! 🙏 We so appreciate your thoughtful feedback and taking the time to let us know you are enjoying the videos. Thank you for the sub and welcome! ❤️ Yes, thanks for the suggestion, we will continue to provide more content like this video for other ballets.
I grew up in ballet, but quit at 18. Fast forward over 20 years and I finally had the resolve to go see a ballet (Swan Lake), this time with my husband (regret is tough!) Imagine my surprise when neither of them die in the end!! I kept telling hubby, “what the heck??! He was supposed to die!” I was so taken-aback that I got online at the hotel just to figure out why the ending had changed! Turns out that the company we saw always performs the “happily ever after” version… which I must admit isn’t nearly as impactful as the doomed love story-version! 😊 Beautiful descriptions and explanations from you both, as always! ❤️
I watched it today and was so mesmerised!! I know Siegfried and odette are suposed to he the stars but the jester that was in part 1 of act 1&2 was my absolute favourite!! He was so charismatic and entertaining!!!
The Royal Ballet had a production where they committed double suicide, but are then seen lying together in a gorgeous boat, heading towards heaven. The swans all look towards them as dawn breaks and the curse is lifted, because Odette's life is tied to Rothbart's and by dying she has defeated him. Fits the music beautifully 🥹
Tchaikovsky is the composer I turn on when I’m studying. Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, even the Nutcracker. Perfection! Oh, and thank you for pronouncing Prokofiev as accurately as we English speakers are likely to be able to do. My son’s high school marching band performed a piece by Prokofiev and I listened to a dozen different creative versions of his name last season 😂 Show announcers pronounced it in new and interesting ways I’d never even imagined.
Prokofiev’s excellent, definitive “Romeo & Juliet”, composed specifically for ballet … sometimes confusing because … Tchaikovsky did write an excellent “Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasy”. Which I strongly suspect might have been, at some time, choreographed for ballet … cause of both - Tchaikovsky’s deserved recognition as a composer for ballets …. & also because Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasy is such great ballet-worthy music (though various orchestral interpretations vary - my favorite interpretations emphasize the contrast between the heartbreaking *fate* played by the French Horns against the *romantic promise* of the Violins+) Tchaikovsky also used Shakespeare inspiration for Tempest & Hamlet themed compositions
I have watched and listened to recordings of Swan Lake for the past 70 years and it brings tears to my eyes every time. Your back story and description is fascinating and opened my eyes to aspects I never saw or understood. I thank you lovely ladies for showing this and I hope you will do the same for other ballets.
I've only gotten into ballet within the last 10 years, but in that time I've watched & listened to Swan Lake more times than I can count. But still, every time I hear it, the entrance of the swans and the Act 2 pas de deux make me cry. Every single time. ...and I hope that never changes.🤍🤍🤍
At 4:33 on the TH-cam, the ballerina taking a bow is one of the greatest dancers of all time, Maya Plisetskaya. HOW DO I KNOW? She and her world renowned composer husband were friends of my family in Moscow, during the Soviet period. My cousin Suzanne was friends with Ms. Plisetskaya, who was Jewish. And the leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin had Ms. Plisetskaya's parents murdered. Her mother was a movie star. And when Ms. Plisetskaya starred in Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Ballet, she had to bow to Stalin, sitting in a box near the stage....the murderer of her parents. Please know in that country the drama may have been in the ballet story but it was also in the tragic politics. And please know that because Tchaikovsky was gay, and fell in love with the son of a military officer, his pupil, Tchaikovsky was ordered to kill himself. A true story. Had Tchaikovsky lived, can you imagine how many more great ballets there would have been? One final detail. When my cousin Suzanne travelled to the West, I asked her if she could ask Ms. Plisetskaya for her autograph. And sure enough I received a letter from cousin Suzanne in Moscow a few weeks later and included was an autographed photo of Maya Plisetskaya, signed across the white tutu, which she wore in Swan Lake. Please know that Maya Plisetskaya was not only a great ballerina....she was one of the greatest of all time. Please check her name out on WIKIPEDIA.
I've seen the PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet) version several times. In it, Odette and all the swans remain doomed, under Rothbart's spell, due to Siegfried falling for Odille's trickery. In the end, Odette bourrées stage left, with clouds of mist swirling at her feet. It's like she's being pulled towards darkness and eternal doom. Meanwhile, Siegfried, devastated, collapses, center stage. He is left to suffer a lifetime of grief, due to his actions. Though tragic, it is a powerful, emotional ending, somewhat reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet and their tragic fate. Who doesn't love a good tragedy?! Sometimes they're better than stories with "Disney" endings! BTW, I didn't know about the lake being made by the mother's tears! Adds dimension to an already layered story.
I watched a very particular version in my hometown: it takes place in 1950s and sigfried is the son of a rich industrial family. They are on holiday in their cottage on the lake and it was very fun because the first act was a celebration on the beach abd they even menaged to dance a charleston😂. In the end the prince does not want to lose Odette so he is turned in a swan himself, so they can soend their life together
I'd like to make yet another comment. Considering the time the story of the ballet was written and certainly the time depicted in the ballet, most girls and young women from wealthy families were forced into arranged marriages and often to much older, wealthy men. (Marriages were more like mergers.) I'm sure many a very young woman--perhaps still almost a girl--found herself in a loveless, prison-like marriage. One could think of Rothbart as the old, creepy, wealthy codger. Odette is stuck with him, even though she met and is drawn to young Siegfried. Possibly, there were many women in the ballet audience who could relate to Odette's fate. What was presented in the guise of a fairy tale contained much truth. That is true of many fairy tales.
Thank you so very much! Being very allergic to fragrance seeing the ballet in person is not possible, but your explanation will help me enjoy the TH-cam videos more.
Thanks for including a back story to the Prologue. The story always leaves me with questions. I had thought, at one point, that maybe Rothbart was her father, and Odile her sister. I also always wonder why Rothbart makes a curse with a way out; and why all the Swan Maidens are included in the whole curse. At any rate, the Odile evil part is my favorite, and I like it with a sad ending. I always like when von Rothbart gets a little more dimension; but not so much when he is already a member of the Court. However, I love the Royal Danish Ballet twist ending, which makes sense to me.
Thanks for watching! The prologue story varies so much, with the very first original plot line including an evil stepmother of Odette commissioning Rothbart to curse Odette. But nowadays, there is left much room for interpretation. There’s so much more insights in this story and seems the sad tragic ending is a fave among many.
Today I will finally get to see swan lake. My late father and I tried many times but the shows we booked were always cancelled. This will be very special for me.
Love this. Btw not sure if someone mentioned this. The happy ending, where Siegfried killed the bad guy, was created under the Soviet regime, cuz they don’t want a tragic ending, which is why for Bolshoi and marrinsky production you don’t see the double suicide. (This is from Wikipedia btw)
I've seen it many times, often on tv, also ABT with Natalia Makorova dancing, and I love the all-male version too. But you're right, there are details of the story that I learned for the first time today. Thank you!
This and Giselle vie for my favorite ballet, I love them both. I've seen a few versions of the ending of the ballet, including a new spin that was done by the Bolshoi when they were touring NYC a long time ago...it was a confused ending at best. I'm fondest though of the tragic ending version of Swan Lake but regardless of ending, it is a beautiful ballet with an amazing score.
Giselle and Swan Lake are amongst our faves too. The musical scores have so much depth and magnitude that you can practically see the whole story playing out by just listening to it. Thanks for sharing your fondest ending!
During the late 1970’s early 1980’s I lived in London and on my days off would go to concerts classical and rock see musicals and the ballet one evening I had nothing planned so thought let’s see what’s on at Covent Garden it was the Royal Ballet Swan Lake I got my ticket and when I had my program on a slip of paper it said change to tonight’s cast Rudolf Nureyev so unexpectedly I had the chance to see him perform one of my more memorable performances
I actually like Matthew Bourne’s version. Odd, I know, but there’s no curse on the swan. The swan is just a swan that the prince loves because he loves how free the swan is. And, like any animal that becomes familiar with a person, the swan cares for the prince in return which makes the prince love the swan even more because the poor prince is starved for affection.
The first production I saw was ABT's in 1970. In the final act of that production (Tchaikovsky composed the work as four acts, not two acts with two scenes), after Siegfried and Odette kill themselves by throwing themselves into the lake, Rothbart dances among the swans but starts to stumble and die, after which you see the two lovers reunited in the next life. An interesting variation was the ending of Nureyev's production for the National Ballet of Canada, in which Siegfried kills himself in his remorse, but Odette is left alone on the shore of the lake. An even more unusual production was the one Franco Zeffirelli did for the La Scala ballet, in which the roles of Odette and Odile were performed by two different dancers, who actually meet and dance together in one scene (!). I've seen many Swan Lakes in my lifetime (although I've never seen one with 60 swans--I find that hard to believe), and by far the most stunning lead couple I've seen was Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones, whose partnership I was privileged to see dance the work twice.
I grew up in an ultra macho society in which guys were ridiculed for being even remotely interested in ballet. Now, having moved to the UK my love and appreciation of ballet is rekindled, having escaped those gender stereotypes. I’m proud to say i am a man who loves ballet. Your channel is SO interesting and informative and is part of my journey. Thanks for creating all this lovely content!!
I cannot understand the view you express although I am aware it is a view far too often expressed. I am a man. I have always been a man: and you may be assured that never have I considered myself anything else. I cannot readily imagine many moments when I feel more masculine than when ballerinas skirts reveal such sights as drive one wild with desire. I shall say no more. Ballerinas are amongst the most provoking of women and must also be both intelligent and cultured. I am sure that I appreciate their skill and beauty of movement too, but I cannot conceive of liking ballet compromising masculinity in the slightest. In fact there are moments when I might say that it is a celebration of it.
I have always found it interesting that the Prince goes hunting at dusk, the time when Odette begins to take human form again. Like who does that😮? Night hunting? Nonetheless, just have to go along with the story and not get caught up in the details. It is truly a. Beautiful ballet. I have been fortunate to see Gillian Murphy and Marianela Nunez perform odette/odile in person and feel so blessed for this opportunity. Just does not get better than this , in my opinion.
Yet another wonderful video and from which, yet again, I learnt much. Forgive me for passing a personal comment, this video, more than the others I have seen, perhaps required, but certainly displayed, greater depths from the presenters. There was an obvious and deep understanding of music and the true meaning of legend in addition to a knowledge of ballet. One might say a clear perception of and respect for magic and beauty became manifest. Thus the delightful but silly internet girls began to fade and in there place two wonderful, mature princesses with fine and beautiful minds began to appear. I hope none think my comments too bold. I get fed up with having to restrict saying what I feel in our modern society.
18 years or so ago, I was trying to engage my small daughter in ballet so I subscribed to a ballet magazine for her. It was from the Royal Ballet School and followed a young ballet student. One thing I learned was that the Royal Ballet likes to include students from the school in their performances. So those young mandolin players were probably students from the Royal Ballet School!
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Yes, those mandolin kids were likely from their school or academy. We love it when schools incorporate the younger kids in their company’s performances 💕
Another thing to consider with the music- and this applies to any ballet- is the mood change when the music shifts from a minor key to a major key. In music theory and song writing, a minor key often reflects sadness, major usually sounding more triumphant. There are a few moments in white swan pdd when the notes shift from a minor to major key and it evokes a beautiful sense of hope
You two are just such a total delight. You are charming, articulate, engaging and deeply knowledgable about a subject I just adore! One suggestion, would be identify the company, dancers, and production of each the clips you share. Adore your content! Thank you!
I have tickets this November for Swan Lake. I feel pretty lucky because I didn't think my local company would take on such a large production. Very excited to see the swans again
I love the Swan Lake. I go see it every time is danced in my city. The ending is the happy one that I prefere. One time, our local company performed the Swan lake in the Central park( outside) on a stage builded on a true lake. That was magical. Very difficult for the dancers because of the humidity of a summer night but for us, audience was just pure magic. I think that was the day my daughter decided to become a ballet dancer and she workes hard to accomplish her dream! I realy like your videos!! Thank yoy and best wishes from Romania!!
Greeting to you all, Romania 🇷🇴!! Thank you for watching and supporting the channel. Great to hear about your Swan Lake in your city, that’s amazing and must be so beautiful to see it performed outside over a lake!! We hope we get to see that one day! Nothing like watching a ballet to inspire young dancers ❤️
I am a classically trained Lyric Soprano and pianist. I LOVE hearing dancers break down the classical music! Can you do a video with you demonstrating the steps and music? I am obsessed with ballet because I had to drop dance to focus on music when I decided to pursue a career in performance. You get it! But I still love ballet so much!
Thanks for watching and for the idea for future videos. Seriously, once you ballet in you, it will always be a part of you. Classical music and ballet are so intertwined, you truly can’t appreciate one without the other! Thank you for sharing
This was explained on a very beauiful way, and I love that you did use mostly the snippets from the ABT and La Scala, as these are indeed outstanding Swan Lake versions (: Though, you could have included more information on the origins and history (yet, I know you are talking and interpreting the classic performance and the plot mainly, and it would have made your video just longer and way complicated). I have done research on Swan Lake on many websites and with many books, and expaned also Swan Lake through many productions here on TH-cam (though, I'm not a dancer actually (; ). So, it was intriguing to find out that Tchaikovsky used the final duet from his opera Undina as White Swan Pas de deux, that Odile had not been a black swan until the 1940es(but Petipa included black swan maidens in Act 4 in his revival, which is still kept in the Mariinsky version...), and that the black swan pas de deux had been originally composed for Act 1 and that Odile got actually a part in a piece called Pas de six (No 19), and there is a variation with an oboe and this is in some productions also used as Odile variation in the Black Swan pas de deux instead of Petipa's choice and so that's quite an amazing referece to how she bewitches (good word (; ) Siegfried. Nevertheless, just this as addition here on the history (I made my ballet experience kind of complicated with that and more (; )
Thanks for adding your insights and research on Swan Lake. There are so many interesting facts and so glad you can share them here. It is true that some versions use different music for the Black Swan Pas de Deux, and in fact George Balanchine used Tchaikovsky’s original score for the Black Swan PDD in his Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. Along the topic of the score: apparently in the early stages of Swan Lake’s creation, Reisinger even began cutting pieces of Tchaikovsky’s score in favor of choreographing to other composers’ works. Swan lake might have turned out drastically different today had Tchaikovsky not protested that his pieces be restored to the ballet. Swan Lake has evolved immensely since its first conception and every version is slightly different. It’s intriguing to imagine what the original Reisinger/Tchaikovsky version or even the first Petipa/Ivanov/Tchaikovsky version looked like :)
@@balletreign Yes, that would be definitely interesting! I think that Swan Lake had initially been a huge work in progress and also many changes until the first performance (Tchaikovsky started composing in April 1875, finished April 1876, the libretto was published October 1876 and the very first performance was March 1877....). Ratmansky has restored the 1895 Swan lake version, so, yet, it would be even more intriguing to see a 1877 revival. I've read the libretto text in Wiley's book on Tchaikovsky's ballets and also done research on the origins. In fact, I've also changed these insights and I hope also to release somehow also my video essay finally on that. In my opinion, Tchaikovsky had the most influence on the plot, but perhaps he had indeed also cooperation with his friend Begichev (who is the supposed author). Yet, Swan Lake is too much close to other works by Tchaikovsky himself and offers interesting parallels to his own biography... I've also started to write retellings and do illustrations based on the original Swan Lake, as I would also do not only a novelization, but a real picture book version. With a friend, I work also on an animated movie project mixing the classic version with the original version. We can also get more in that on Instagram (;
@@curzonproduct Yeah, these two, and I spotted also Mariinsky, too; though, I think ABT was majority, and in the ending it was La Scala with Bolle/Zakharova (;
I watched the Ballet West version of Swan Lake and it was literally insane. The ballet was so beautiful. I watched it two times and both times felt unexpected and made me cry even though I knew what was going to happen.
Nice job, ladies! I would only amend that Legnani first did the 32 fouettes in a version of Cinderella Petipa choreographed way before Prokofiev composed the Cinderella score used by most companies today. Also, I learned that the fouettes in the BS coda were just an indication of Odile's triumph in carrying out the deception. Thanks for giving some credence to the idea that the ending for which the music was written is the one where they die together and then are seen floating off to Paradise in the little boat while the swan maidens do them homage. Ratmanski did a reconstruction of the 1895 production for La Scala, and it's interesting to see what has stayed in the production and what got cut or rearraanged. My favorite ending is the boat (it's happy, just in a different way) and I'm amazed at what alternatives choreographers have come up with in the last 20 or so years, most tragic or really odd (like Siggy marrying Odile). That apotheosis is so beautiful, I hate to see it put to such strange use (and the Bolshoi, which leaves Siggy alone on the stage, just cuts it entirely). Just found your channel and am really enjoying it!
Absolutely true, these are really great points you’ve brought up. It is worth mentioning that the 32 fouettés were first performed in Cinderella :) The tragic ending is probably the most “authentic” and most people seem to prefer it. Thank you for watching, glad you are enjoying the videos :)
@@balletreign Very much enjoying? Are you guys students or with a company? It's nice to see dancers having an evolving sense of ballet history! With SL, it just seems like every choreographer adapting it now has to put his own stamp on the ending. I'm sad that Liam Scarlett went with the "solo suicide" ending because I think the Royal's previous production (esp the one before they did the redesign with Von Rothbart becoming the "evil spirit" that looked like Quasimodo) was the closest to Petipa's original intent. Keep up the good work!
Thankyou both for such a succint explanation, especially including the musical aspect, would love you both to make more like this, don't forget to add the music info for us musicians!
Wow! Well done , it's really insightful and beautiful story also nice work on the historical background of the composer. I really love it.. Please make more videos like this, which encourages classical music audiences.. thnkk you you did great❤
i just bought tickets for my city. i will be seeing it this weekend. :) knowing the storyline helps me appreciate the dance all the more. this will be my first time seeing it n i cant wait!
Great video, you've earned a subscriber. I'd love it if you could do things like these for other ballets. Some of my favorites are Coppélia and Nutcracker, but I've always wanted to learn more about Giselle and Don Quixote (and with the latter on how it differs from the novel, since I'm a literature student)
Just watching this now (a year after you made it). My first "Swan Lake" was the glasnost Swan Lake in the early 1990's performed in Boston by the Boston Ballet and soloists from the Bolshoi doing the Bolshoi's version. It was just around the time of the dissolution of the USSR. The leads alternated, a Russian swan with and American Sigfried, an American swan with a Russian Sigfried. I saw it twice, the first time in dress rehearsal sitting in the exact center of the front row. (Where you could hear the thump of the toe shoes all hitting the floor in unison and could see the perspiration glistening on the dancers.) It was absolute MAGIC! I've seen it done about three more times since then, and I still love it. The last time I saw it, when the swan and Sigfried leapt to their deaths at the end, the woman sitting behind me screamed. (Guess she didn't read the program notes.) Thank you for a wonderful "explication du texte", as the French would say.
I just rewatched this because I saw Swan Lake last night - and I want to again one more time this season. You guys are amazing at how you explain it ❤❤❤ thank you!!!
i've been doing ballet on and off since childhood-- never long enough to really maintain physical conditioning, always having to stop due to this or that... so when a production of swan lake was announced within commuting distance i went out of my way to watch it. And having studied theory and the classical librettos i was very surprised that the production went with the big manly siegfried versus ruthbart fight and the happy ending. I had no idea that ending even existed, having only learned of swan lake as a tragic tale. I was so bemused, it kind of took me out of the whole thing... i honestly assumed at the time that it was a choice by the local production to make the tale more accessible or palatable, since my country and my area don't have much access to ballet as a cultural cornerstone (hence my own hardships keeping up with it). I feel a little better in retrospect that i didn't spend that time and effort to watch a spuriously modified version, even if it still felt tacked on and a little silly. (the twist ending with the curse being broken by a technicality feels more fitting, if one wishes to change the tragic ending....)
You have today Validated my belief that Swan Lake is another version of the Swan Princess. After all these years dancing and speculating…Thank you! This was awesome!
@@balletreign oh you’re quite welcome! I just love that I have found yet another channel that satisfies my love of dance. Thank you for sharing your passion. I may be retired, but a dancer never stops being one. Finding you guys, and having you respond truly made my day!🥰❤️
I wasn’t expecting to learn something new about my favorite ballet of all times, but I did. It was very interesting to learn more details about the story. I watched Swan Like the first time live with my daughter (7y, she loves dancing ballet) this January. We saw the grand Kyiv ballet company in Germany. It was a beautiful performance and I am so thankful they can dance so powerful in such horrible times.
I really hope to see this ballet in person. I grew up hearing the iconic themes. And the fact I’m now sitting here watching this, I did not know The Swan Princess was based on the story of the ballet or something of that nature. Will definitely have to see this ballet in the future.
What is the significance (if any)of the wonderful Pas de Quatre). I love watching the remarkable synchrony and I adore the syncopated rhythm of the music, which is almost a march like 4/4 time. Is it just a divertimento, an entertaining interlude?, Or does it say something about the unity of the swan maidens?
We have just seen Swan lake performed by NZ ballet. It had the happy ending and the corps de ballet were bathed in golden beams of renewing light. Wish we had watched your video first. Just wondered what happened to Odile and who her mother was.
I’m watching Swan Lake tonight at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. So excited after seeing your excellent entertaining review. 🎉. Love the fact that the ballet’s story could go in different directions depending on production. 👏
I saw two completely different versions back in the 1970s. The first was the National Ballet of Canada featuring Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn. Rothbart was not portrayed at all and the prologue material was completely omitted. At the end, 4 swans take the Prince and throw him into the lake. The swan maidens exit (an amazing sequence) up a ramp behind a scrim that formed the backdrop of the lake so it truly looks like they're flying up into the sky. Meanwhile, Odette is doing a version of the Dying Swan and the curtain comes down as her hand reaches the floor. It was very powerful and well-received. It has stayed with me as an ideal version ever since. A few years later, the Bolshoi toured a version to Toronto which had a happy ending which I had no idea existed. The dancer was Alexander Gudonov and he defected that night just as Mikhail Baryshnikov did. I just happened to have tickets for those two performances. After killing Rothbart, the Prince lifts Odette over his head and during the beautiful final harp sequence walks with her down stage. She has her raised hand in the sign for the oath swearing (two fingers together). Their true love has conquered all. He lowers her and the curtain comes down as they (ballet version) embrace. It was breathtaking. My all-time favourite ballet.
You are great contentent creators! I appreciate a lot all this videos as part of the audience who never dance anything. I wish you keep going with this! ❤
This was incredible, Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer and swan lake is incredible. Thank you girls for reminding me in the most delightful way. Will continue to binge watch your channel now :)
I just love your insights on these famous ballets! I had no idea that there was a possibility of a happy ending in swan lake, but i'm very thrilled it does!
New subscriber here! Thank you for making this wonderful video! I’ve always appreciated the art of ballet, but have never been a big fan of watching a production (usually bc I have no idea what is going on). The one ballet production I actually saw twice was when the Atlanta Ballet did “Dracula”. Knowing the story already, I was able to follow along and appreciate the way the dancers interpreted it. It was mesmerizing! I never had a clue before now what “Swan Lake” was about, but you explained it so well. The addition of the various clips from the ballet really helped, and now I’m dying to actually see this ballet! I’m not going to lie, hearing the story/seeing the dancers enact it in this video made me cry. So I know to bring a box of Kleenex when I see it in person!
My favorite version is the Barbie version! Jokes aside I love how accurate the story is aside from the last part of Odette dying obviously. They wouldn't show a young girl dying in a kids show. If you have difficulties understanding ballet through watching the ballet itself, Barbie is suprisingly a good option to consider. Don't say it's just a kids show but give it a chance, you might like it!
Thank you for this engaging presentation. My fave is the tragic ending, though every ending is good as long as I get to see the play. I have seen it three times lately. Twice locally, in Cluj, Romania and once in Paris. The one in Paris was soooo strong and touching...
I've seen Swan Lake more times than I can count, both in live performance and recorded. I learned a few things from you two. Also, I like how you presented it. Very good job.
We’re so glad to know you’ve learned something new about Swan Lake. Even as seasoned dancers, there’s always something new to learn from it. We love sharing it to those new to ballet as well! 😊
Crushing it! You are both relevant on so many levels…, on pointe😉, delightful, knowledgeable on Ballet; the story lines, the historical foundations also linking in key choreographic moments to help explain the facets of a ballet technically. Brava times Two!
Swan Lake is the reason I have my current job as a ballet teacher!!!!! Last year I came to visit my childhood ballet school and was asked if I could be the Queen in their production, as they needed someone with ballet experience and pantomime skills!! At the end, I was asked to stay as a teacher for the little ones, and quite honestly I never want to leave. xD our version featured a lot more of siegfried's friends! they went hunting in the woods with him and joined him in the battle with Rothbart at the end. In addition, in our version the Queen is killed by Rothbart in Act 3 when she asks him what is going on at the appearance of Odette! (we referred to the scenes as acts, making it a 4-act ballet!)
A good swan lake to see in the LA/OC area in California is Festival Ballet Theater's production. Their next performances are March 18/19. Ana Sophia Scheller from New York City Ballet will play Odette/Odile. Vsevolod Maievskyi from the Marninsky Theater will Prince Sigfred. 🦢🩰🩰🦢
Keep up the good job, girls! I wish there were the ballet performances including all details that you mentioned, that would be a blast! I watched Swan lake and Giselle, and my understanding of what was going on was very vague in both cases because the productions weren't as crisp as they could be. Which didn't count into liking these ballets, alas!
Thanks for a great explanation and video! I had the pleasure of watching Marianela Nuñez live twice last week as Odette/Odile, and she was fantastic to say the least. Your vid should be handed to the audience with the hand program haha!
Very nice description I was just in Coppelia and Nutcracker last year. I am a fourth year adult ballet student and my dance studio puts on two full productions a year. It is funny in all my time in theater the last few years they seem to explain everything the exact same way.
More than happy to share about Swan Lake :) Thank you for watching and we hope you could learn something from it. Coppelia is such a lively and fun ballet both to watch and to dance, and Nutcracker is so iconic. Glad you had an opportunity to be in both!
Ahh I wish you'd mentioned that Odette and Odile are, by tradition, always played by the same ballerina! I was curious whether or not the woman in the prologue is also, as her costume change seems too quick to be the same person...
Haha yes! That’s a really good point and definitely appreciate you bringing up that here for those who want to know more. We think so too…The woman in the prologue is most likely another ballerina seeing the video does not seem to be edited.
This is great! You can just keep doing weekly videos giving background and synopsis of many ballets. You guys should watch Baryshnikov's 1987 movie Dancers based on Gisselle, it's awesome!
@@balletreign I was going to ask you to explain all the steps (you touched on a lot in the Ms Mojo video), but I found this out there already. Although I'm sure you guys could present it in a more entertaining manner. th-cam.com/video/xiFK4Df1hx8/w-d-xo.html
Great video ladies!! So many interesting facts!! I would love to see you do more classical ballet videos like this. Do you know much about different versions/ productions about Le Corsaire? xx
Thank you so much!! Glad you’ve enjoyed the video and learned something new about Swan Lake. Yes, we’d love to share about Le Corsaire in a future video, it’s less known, but popular among dancers. It’s an interesting ballet with incredible musical score!
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knowing that Tchaikovsky died before he could see the Swan Lake Petipa version made me so sad. He is my favorite composer
Same! One of fave composers too, Wish he could see what a success it is today.
It was a success at his times as well. It was performed 41 times in 1877-1883 period
Kathryn Morgan has mentioned that when she was dancing Odile, she performed some of the Odette-movements as Odile mocking Odette, which I thought was a really interesting choice!
Absolutely! There are a lot of pieces of the White Swan PDD mirrored in the Black Swan PDD to illustrate that point. 👍🏻👍🏻
My favorite ending is the one that Helgi Tomasson did for the San Francisco Ballet. He chose the double suicide, but what made his ending special was the lighting of the final pose. Odette and Siegfried appear upstage and above the rest of the stage, but the lighting makes them appear to be underwater - they are united in a final embrace in their watery grave. 😢 It’s so affecting that you can always hear sniffling throughout the audience at that point. The first time I went to see it, I was with my boyfriend, and he was openly wiping his eyes. The next day, at work, I talked about the performance with one of my co-workers, who had been at the performance. She was going through a very unhappy divorce at the time (her husband had left her for it younger woman) and she said, with tears in her eyes, “I thought that’s how love was going to be!“ 😪
Welcome and thanks for sharing your fave ending and experience. So touching and sad! 🥲 Wow. Thanks for watching, glad to have you here! ❤️❤️
@@balletreign There's a version where Rothbart is distressed and disempowered by the double suicide and is attacked by the swan maidens. I like this one because it recalls that swans are not timid, gentle birds but ferocious and territorial, protective of their families.
And ages and ages ago, I'm sure there was a tv version on our public station where the last scene was Odile taking hold of Odette, and I would love to find that one and see it again.
(Those poor 30 to 60 maidens: dragged into the curse for no reason, and there's no real explanation in the story as why this should be, other than we need a corps for the swan scenes.....)
Originally this version ended with the shadows of two swans flying off together in the background. I loved it: Siegfried was willing to become a swan so that he could be with Odette forever.
That sniffling at the end (and throughout my favorite parts) it's definitely me
Next week I get to see SFBallet Swan Lake. Twice, once with Osipova ( she is guesting for two nights with SFB! ) and the next night Jasmine Jimison! Her debut of Swan Queen. ! Both nights blessed with second row orchestra center seats. I danced with Houston Ballet and we toured SL ! So I’m familiar but I am sending all your videos to my new love/date to prep him for the experience!
Weidly enough, I actually had no idea that there were versions of this ballet with a happy ending! It's just always existed as a classic tragedy in my mind.
I haven't seen this ballet live since I was a kid, but my most recent watch was a recording of the Royal Ballet's production, which ends with Odette choosing to die in order to break free from Rothbart's control. Enraged, the Prince kills Rothbart before retrieving Odette's body, which is revealed to have transformed back into her human form after her death. Honestly, I feel like a tragic ending is more fitting for this story than a happy one, because it heightens the significance of Siegfried's actions.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your thoughts on this ballet. There are so many good endings and every ballet company likes to give their own interpretation which makes it all more interesting to see how the story could end, but the tragic end seems to be a popular one! :)
Well yes I think you’re right, but I must confess that happy ending in Gielgud’s version did make my heart leap.
You're right, but I just can't. I'm 8 years old again and fairy tales are supposed to have happy endings! 😢
I just went to see Swan Lake today, and it was the happy ending version. I have to say, I prefer a happy ending.
I'm partial to the "we agreed to die together," which breaks the curse, ending.
Thats a good ending 😊Thanks for watching!
this video made me cry, I cry every time I watch, listen, or even see anything related to Swan Lake, My favorite ballet ever.
Same! I had no clue what “Swan Lake” was about, but watching this video with the explanation and the clips of the dancing made me cry! What an amazing job these girls did with this video. I’ve always appreciated the art of ballet, but have never considered myself an aficionado. My parents took me to “The Nutcracker” when I was a little kid, and I fell asleep! 😂 I did go see Atlanta Ballet’s production of “Dracula” many years ago, and LOVED it be I already knew what it was about. It was amazing to see the story interpreted through dance. I never was much interested in going to see any other ballets, as I never knew what was going on. Having seen this video, I am dying to actually see a production of “Swan Lake” in person!
I saw a Russian version once (on ice!) that was apparently based on a version that was once popular in Russia. In it Odette and Odile are clearly different people. When Siegfried realised his mistake he goes to the lake and dances with both of them till Odile gives him up to Odette as being more deserving of his love. Then there is a massive battle between Rothbart and his cohort of big manly black swans and the swans of the lake. Siegfried triumphs and he, Odette and the swan maidens live happily ever after.
That’s an interesting version for sure. Ballet on ice would be so hard, but must be so beautiful to watch. We loved ice skating as well before ballet took over 😂
@Ballet Reign it was basically an ice dance version, very lavishly staged and spectacular. But it did have a section where Odette dances en pointe on the ice! And flew on a wire! They did really well at presenting the emotions though.
Wow, sounds spectacular! Would love to see this, ice skating and ballet 🩰❤️
I have no idea why I've spent almost an hour watching content about ballet (I'm definitely not a dancer) in a language that isn't mine own. But the content is so good that I HAD to binge-watching the videos on your channel. Congratulations girls.
Hahha thank you! Welcome to the channel-we try to make ballet enjoyable and accessible to anyone who wants to learn about it. Thanks for watching and letting us know you are enjoying the content 😂 Please subscribe for future videos like these
Yours is the third video I have seen trying to explain Swan Lake, and yours is the best by far despite your youth and subscriber count compared to the others! I’ve tried reading summaries online as well, and they have a tendency to be so detailed that I lose track of the main plot outline.
Nobody in the other videos even mentioned what led up to the lake of tears being created. It also adds much more meaning when you explains how ballet music was beforehand, and why this was so different.
Your speaking style is smooth and knowledgable yet also light-hearted. The background music was also a lovely addition to the video.
I would love to see more of these types of videos explaining the other major ballets! Subscribed!
Wow, thank you so much! 🙏 We so appreciate your thoughtful feedback and taking the time to let us know you are enjoying the videos. Thank you for the sub and welcome! ❤️
Yes, thanks for the suggestion, we will continue to provide more content like this video for other ballets.
Lake of tears! I never heard that before. As a mother myself, I can go with that!
I grew up in ballet, but quit at 18. Fast forward over 20 years and I finally had the resolve to go see a ballet (Swan Lake), this time with my husband (regret is tough!) Imagine my surprise when neither of them die in the end!! I kept telling hubby, “what the heck??! He was supposed to die!” I was so taken-aback that I got online at the hotel just to figure out why the ending had changed! Turns out that the company we saw always performs the “happily ever after” version… which I must admit isn’t nearly as impactful as the doomed love story-version! 😊
Beautiful descriptions and explanations from you both, as always! ❤️
I watched it today and was so mesmerised!! I know Siegfried and odette are suposed to he the stars but the jester that was in part 1 of act 1&2 was my absolute favourite!! He was so charismatic and entertaining!!!
The Royal Ballet had a production where they committed double suicide, but are then seen lying together in a gorgeous boat, heading towards heaven. The swans all look towards them as dawn breaks and the curse is lifted, because Odette's life is tied to Rothbart's and by dying she has defeated him. Fits the music beautifully 🥹
Tchaikovsky is the composer I turn on when I’m studying. Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, even the Nutcracker. Perfection!
Oh, and thank you for pronouncing Prokofiev as accurately as we English speakers are likely to be able to do. My son’s high school marching band performed a piece by Prokofiev and I listened to a dozen different creative versions of his name last season 😂 Show announcers pronounced it in new and interesting ways I’d never even imagined.
You’re welcome, we try our best! Tchaikovsky is one of our favorite composers. Thanks for watching
Romeo and Juliet is Prokofiev btw.
Prokofiev’s excellent, definitive “Romeo & Juliet”, composed specifically for ballet … sometimes confusing because
… Tchaikovsky did write an excellent “Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasy”. Which I strongly suspect might have been, at some time, choreographed for ballet … cause of both - Tchaikovsky’s deserved recognition as a composer for ballets …. & also because Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet Overture-Fantasy is such great ballet-worthy music (though various orchestral interpretations vary - my favorite interpretations emphasize the contrast between the heartbreaking *fate* played by the French Horns against the *romantic promise* of the Violins+)
Tchaikovsky also used Shakespeare inspiration for Tempest & Hamlet themed compositions
I have watched and listened to recordings of Swan Lake for the past 70 years and it brings tears to my eyes every time. Your back story and description is fascinating and opened my eyes to aspects I never saw or understood. I thank you lovely ladies for showing this and I hope you will do the same for other ballets.
This made us smile! So happy this vid helped u, we would love to do more of these 😁😁
I've only gotten into ballet within the last 10 years, but in that time I've watched & listened to Swan Lake more times than I can count. But still, every time I hear it, the entrance of the swans and the Act 2 pas de deux make me cry. Every single time. ...and I hope that never changes.🤍🤍🤍
Wow you guys are so underrated
Aw, thank you for the kind comment! Welcome and so glad to have you here watching with us 😊❤️
At 4:33 on the TH-cam, the ballerina taking a bow is one of the greatest dancers of all time, Maya Plisetskaya. HOW DO I KNOW? She and her world renowned composer husband were friends of my family in Moscow, during the Soviet period. My cousin Suzanne was friends with Ms. Plisetskaya, who was Jewish. And the leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin had Ms. Plisetskaya's parents murdered. Her mother was a movie star. And when Ms. Plisetskaya starred in Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Ballet, she had to bow to Stalin, sitting in a box near the stage....the murderer of her parents. Please know in that country the drama may have been in the ballet story but it was also in the tragic politics. And please know that because Tchaikovsky was gay, and fell in love with the son of a military officer, his pupil, Tchaikovsky was ordered to kill himself. A true story. Had Tchaikovsky lived, can you imagine how many more great ballets there would have been? One final detail. When my cousin Suzanne travelled to the West, I asked her if she could ask Ms. Plisetskaya for her autograph. And sure enough I received a letter from cousin Suzanne in Moscow a few weeks later and included was an autographed photo of Maya Plisetskaya, signed across the white tutu, which she wore in Swan Lake. Please know that Maya Plisetskaya was not only a great ballerina....she was one of the greatest of all time. Please check her name out on WIKIPEDIA.
I've seen the PNB (Pacific Northwest Ballet) version several times. In it, Odette and all the swans remain doomed, under Rothbart's spell, due to Siegfried falling for Odille's trickery. In the end, Odette bourrées stage left, with clouds of mist swirling at her feet. It's like she's being pulled towards darkness and eternal doom. Meanwhile, Siegfried, devastated, collapses, center stage. He is left to suffer a lifetime of grief, due to his actions. Though tragic, it is a powerful, emotional ending, somewhat reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet and their tragic fate. Who doesn't love a good tragedy?! Sometimes they're better than stories with "Disney" endings!
BTW, I didn't know about the lake being made by the mother's tears! Adds dimension to an already layered story.
You lovely ladies explained why so many ballet dancers struggle with being a dancer vis-a-vie a swan
I watched a very particular version in my hometown: it takes place in 1950s and sigfried is the son of a rich industrial family. They are on holiday in their cottage on the lake and it was very fun because the first act was a celebration on the beach abd they even menaged to dance a charleston😂. In the end the prince does not want to lose Odette so he is turned in a swan himself, so they can soend their life together
That gave me CHILLS to think about being there during the successful introduction of swan lake! Oh to be I that room!
Now I love swan lake even more
Aww so happy to hear that! 🫰🏻🫰🏻
I'd like to make yet another comment. Considering the time the story of the ballet was written and certainly the time depicted in the ballet, most girls and young women from wealthy families were forced into arranged marriages and often to much older, wealthy men. (Marriages were more like mergers.) I'm sure many a very young woman--perhaps still almost a girl--found herself in a loveless, prison-like marriage. One could think of Rothbart as the old, creepy, wealthy codger. Odette is stuck with him, even though she met and is drawn to young Siegfried. Possibly, there were many women in the ballet audience who could relate to Odette's fate. What was presented in the guise of a fairy tale contained much truth. That is true of many fairy tales.
Girls, the way that you describe it is so passionate and exciting! Kudos!
Thank you so much!
I danced the corp and Princesses. Loved every minute of my ballet years!
Thank you so very much! Being very allergic to fragrance seeing the ballet in person is not possible, but your explanation will help me enjoy the TH-cam videos more.
Aww thank you so much 🥹🥹 Ballet is something that should be able to be understood and enjoyed by everyone ✨☺️💕
Thanks for including a back story to the Prologue. The story always leaves me with questions. I had thought, at one point, that maybe Rothbart was her father, and Odile her sister. I also always wonder why Rothbart makes a curse with a way out; and why all the Swan Maidens are included in the whole curse. At any rate, the Odile evil part is my favorite, and I like it with a sad ending. I always like when von Rothbart gets a little more dimension; but not so much when he is already a member of the Court. However, I love the Royal Danish Ballet twist ending, which makes sense to me.
Thanks for watching! The prologue story varies so much, with the very first original plot line including an evil stepmother of Odette commissioning Rothbart to curse Odette. But nowadays, there is left much room for interpretation. There’s so much more insights in this story and seems the sad tragic ending is a fave among many.
Today I will finally get to see swan lake. My late father and I tried many times but the shows we booked were always cancelled. This will be very special for me.
This touched our heart 🥹🥹❤️❤️. We hope u had the most beautiful and memorable evening 🦢
Hey, it’s been 4 months! How was the performance?
Love this. Btw not sure if someone mentioned this. The happy ending, where Siegfried killed the bad guy, was created under the Soviet regime, cuz they don’t want a tragic ending, which is why for Bolshoi and marrinsky production you don’t see the double suicide. (This is from Wikipedia btw)
I've seen it many times, often on tv, also ABT with Natalia Makorova dancing, and I love the all-male version too. But you're right, there are details of the story that I learned for the first time today. Thank you!
This and Giselle vie for my favorite ballet, I love them both. I've seen a few versions of the ending of the ballet, including a new spin that was done by the Bolshoi when they were touring NYC a long time ago...it was a confused ending at best. I'm fondest though of the tragic ending version of Swan Lake but regardless of ending, it is a beautiful ballet with an amazing score.
Giselle and Swan Lake are amongst our faves too. The musical scores have so much depth and magnitude that you can practically see the whole story playing out by just listening to it. Thanks for sharing your fondest ending!
During the late 1970’s early 1980’s I lived in London and on my days off would go to concerts classical and rock see musicals and the ballet one evening I had nothing planned so thought let’s see what’s on at Covent Garden it was the Royal Ballet Swan Lake I got my ticket and when I had my program on a slip of paper it said change to tonight’s cast Rudolf Nureyev so unexpectedly I had the chance to see him perform one of my more memorable performances
I actually like Matthew Bourne’s version. Odd, I know, but there’s no curse on the swan. The swan is just a swan that the prince loves because he loves how free the swan is. And, like any animal that becomes familiar with a person, the swan cares for the prince in return which makes the prince love the swan even more because the poor prince is starved for affection.
THEY USED MY FAVORITE RECORDING OF THE BALLET I"M SO HAPPYYYY
The first production I saw was ABT's in 1970. In the final act of that production (Tchaikovsky composed the work as four acts, not two acts with two scenes), after Siegfried and Odette kill themselves by throwing themselves into the lake, Rothbart dances among the swans but starts to stumble and die, after which you see the two lovers reunited in the next life. An interesting variation was the ending of Nureyev's production for the National Ballet of Canada, in which Siegfried kills himself in his remorse, but Odette is left alone on the shore of the lake. An even more unusual production was the one Franco Zeffirelli did for the La Scala ballet, in which the roles of Odette and Odile were performed by two different dancers, who actually meet and dance together in one scene (!). I've seen many Swan Lakes in my lifetime (although I've never seen one with 60 swans--I find that hard to believe), and by far the most stunning lead couple I've seen was Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones, whose partnership I was privileged to see dance the work twice.
I grew up in an ultra macho society in which guys were ridiculed for being even remotely interested in ballet. Now, having moved to the UK my love and appreciation of ballet is rekindled, having escaped those gender stereotypes. I’m proud to say i am a man who loves ballet.
Your channel is SO interesting and informative and is part of my journey. Thanks for creating all this lovely content!!
I cannot understand the view you express although I am aware it is a view far too often expressed.
I am a man. I have always been a man: and you may be assured that never have I considered myself anything else. I cannot readily imagine many moments when I feel more masculine than when ballerinas skirts reveal such sights as drive one wild with desire. I shall say no more. Ballerinas are amongst the most provoking of women and must also be both intelligent and cultured. I am sure that I appreciate their skill and beauty of movement too, but I cannot conceive of liking ballet compromising masculinity in the slightest. In fact there are moments when I might say that it is a celebration of it.
I have always found it interesting that the Prince goes hunting at dusk, the time when Odette begins to take human form again. Like who does that😮? Night hunting? Nonetheless, just have to go along with the story and not get caught up in the details. It is truly a. Beautiful ballet. I have been fortunate to see Gillian Murphy and Marianela Nunez perform odette/odile in person and feel so blessed for this opportunity. Just does not get better than this , in my opinion.
It’s kinda funny isn’t it? 😂 you are so lucky to have see two amazing ballerinas performing live! That must have been an incredible experience 😄
Yet another wonderful video and from which, yet again, I learnt much. Forgive me for passing a personal comment, this video, more than the others I have seen, perhaps required, but certainly displayed, greater depths from the presenters. There was an obvious and deep understanding of music and the true meaning of legend in addition to a knowledge of ballet. One might say a clear perception of and respect for magic and beauty became manifest. Thus the delightful but silly internet girls began to fade and in there place two wonderful, mature princesses with fine and beautiful minds began to appear.
I hope none think my comments too bold. I get fed up with having to restrict saying what I feel in our modern society.
Wow, such a kind and thoughtful comment, thank you so much! 🥹🥹
I've only ever seen versions where it's the tragic ending and it always guts me. I would love to see a happy ending version sometime!
18 years or so ago, I was trying to engage my small daughter in ballet so I subscribed to a ballet magazine for her. It was from the Royal Ballet School and followed a young ballet student. One thing I learned was that the Royal Ballet likes to include students from the school in their performances. So those young mandolin players were probably students from the Royal Ballet School!
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Yes, those mandolin kids were likely from their school or academy. We love it when schools incorporate the younger kids in their company’s performances 💕
Another thing to consider with the music- and this applies to any ballet- is the mood change when the music shifts from a minor key to a major key. In music theory and song writing, a minor key often reflects sadness, major usually sounding more triumphant. There are a few moments in white swan pdd when the notes shift from a minor to major key and it evokes a beautiful sense of hope
My favourite ballet ever!
You two are just such a total delight. You are charming, articulate, engaging and deeply knowledgable about a subject I just adore! One suggestion, would be identify the company, dancers, and production of each the clips you share. Adore your content! Thank you!
I have tickets this November for Swan Lake. I feel pretty lucky because I didn't think my local company would take on such a large production. Very excited to see the swans again
I love the Swan Lake. I go see it every time is danced in my city. The ending is the happy one that I prefere. One time, our local company performed the Swan lake in the Central park( outside) on a stage builded on a true lake. That was magical. Very difficult for the dancers because of the humidity of a summer night but for us, audience was just pure magic. I think that was the day my daughter decided to become a ballet dancer and she workes hard to accomplish her dream! I realy like your videos!! Thank yoy and best wishes from Romania!!
Greeting to you all, Romania 🇷🇴!! Thank you for watching and supporting the channel. Great to hear about your Swan Lake in your city, that’s amazing and must be so beautiful to see it performed outside over a lake!! We hope we get to see that one day! Nothing like watching a ballet to inspire young dancers ❤️
I am a classically trained Lyric Soprano and pianist. I LOVE hearing dancers break down the classical music! Can you do a video with you demonstrating the steps and music? I am obsessed with ballet because I had to drop dance to focus on music when I decided to pursue a career in performance. You get it! But I still love ballet so much!
Thanks for watching and for the idea for future videos. Seriously, once you ballet in you, it will always be a part of you. Classical music and ballet are so intertwined, you truly can’t appreciate one without the other! Thank you for sharing
This was explained on a very beauiful way, and I love that you did use mostly the snippets from the ABT and La Scala, as these are indeed outstanding Swan Lake versions (: Though, you could have included more information on the origins and history (yet, I know you are talking and interpreting the classic performance and the plot mainly, and it would have made your video just longer and way complicated). I have done research on Swan Lake on many websites and with many books, and expaned also Swan Lake through many productions here on TH-cam (though, I'm not a dancer actually (; ). So, it was intriguing to find out that Tchaikovsky used the final duet from his opera Undina as White Swan Pas de deux, that Odile had not been a black swan until the 1940es(but Petipa included black swan maidens in Act 4 in his revival, which is still kept in the Mariinsky version...), and that the black swan pas de deux had been originally composed for Act 1 and that Odile got actually a part in a piece called Pas de six (No 19), and there is a variation with an oboe and this is in some productions also used as Odile variation in the Black Swan pas de deux instead of Petipa's choice and so that's quite an amazing referece to how she bewitches (good word (; ) Siegfried. Nevertheless, just this as addition here on the history (I made my ballet experience kind of complicated with that and more (; )
Thanks for adding your insights and research on Swan Lake. There are so many interesting facts and so glad you can share them here. It is true that some versions use different music for the Black Swan Pas de Deux, and in fact George Balanchine used Tchaikovsky’s original score for the Black Swan PDD in his Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux.
Along the topic of the score: apparently in the early stages of Swan Lake’s creation, Reisinger even began cutting pieces of Tchaikovsky’s score in favor of choreographing to other composers’ works. Swan lake might have turned out drastically different today had Tchaikovsky not protested that his pieces be restored to the ballet.
Swan Lake has evolved immensely since its first conception and every version is slightly different. It’s intriguing to imagine what the original Reisinger/Tchaikovsky version or even the first Petipa/Ivanov/Tchaikovsky version looked like :)
@@balletreign Yes, that would be definitely interesting! I think that Swan Lake had initially been a huge work in progress and also many changes until the first performance (Tchaikovsky started composing in April 1875, finished April 1876, the libretto was published October 1876 and the very first performance was March 1877....). Ratmansky has restored the 1895 Swan lake version, so, yet, it would be even more intriguing to see a 1877 revival. I've read the libretto text in Wiley's book on Tchaikovsky's ballets and also done research on the origins. In fact, I've also changed these insights and I hope also to release somehow also my video essay finally on that. In my opinion, Tchaikovsky had the most influence on the plot, but perhaps he had indeed also cooperation with his friend Begichev (who is the supposed author). Yet, Swan Lake is too much close to other works by Tchaikovsky himself and offers interesting parallels to his own biography... I've also started to write retellings and do illustrations based on the original Swan Lake, as I would also do not only a novelization, but a real picture book version. With a friend, I work also on an animated movie project mixing the classic version with the original version. We can also get more in that on Instagram (;
Quite a lot of Royal Ballet - both Dowell and Scarlett productions
@@curzonproduct Yeah, these two, and I spotted also Mariinsky, too; though, I think ABT was majority, and in the ending it was La Scala with Bolle/Zakharova (;
@@felicity1877 That Abt Rothbart costume! WTAF were they thinking?! 🤣
I watched the Ballet West version of Swan Lake and it was literally insane. The ballet was so beautiful. I watched it two times and both times felt unexpected and made me cry even though I knew what was going to happen.
Nice job, ladies! I would only amend that Legnani first did the 32 fouettes in a version of Cinderella Petipa choreographed way before Prokofiev composed the Cinderella score used by most companies today. Also, I learned that the fouettes in the BS coda were just an indication of Odile's triumph in carrying out the deception. Thanks for giving some credence to the idea that the ending for which the music was written is the one where they die together and then are seen floating off to Paradise in the little boat while the swan maidens do them homage. Ratmanski did a reconstruction of the 1895 production for La Scala, and it's interesting to see what has stayed in the production and what got cut or rearraanged. My favorite ending is the boat (it's happy, just in a different way) and I'm amazed at what alternatives choreographers have come up with in the last 20 or so years, most tragic or really odd (like Siggy marrying Odile). That apotheosis is so beautiful, I hate to see it put to such strange use (and the Bolshoi, which leaves Siggy alone on the stage, just cuts it entirely). Just found your channel and am really enjoying it!
Absolutely true, these are really great points you’ve brought up. It is worth mentioning that the 32 fouettés were first performed in Cinderella :) The tragic ending is probably the most “authentic” and most people seem to prefer it. Thank you for watching, glad you are enjoying the videos :)
@@balletreign Very much enjoying? Are you guys students or with a company? It's nice to see dancers having an evolving sense of ballet history! With SL, it just seems like every choreographer adapting it now has to put his own stamp on the ending. I'm sad that Liam Scarlett went with the "solo suicide" ending because I think the Royal's previous production (esp the one before they did the redesign with Von Rothbart becoming the "evil spirit" that looked like Quasimodo) was the closest to Petipa's original intent. Keep up the good work!
Great job Thank you.
Thank you for watching! 🫰🏻🫰🏻
Just watched it live for the first time and I cried. It had the happy ending.
Thankyou both for such a succint explanation, especially including the musical aspect, would love you both to make more like this, don't forget to add the music info for us musicians!
Our pleasure! Will do! Classical music is a huge part of what we do
Wow! Well done , it's really insightful and beautiful story also nice work on the historical background of the composer.
I really love it..
Please make more videos like this, which encourages classical music audiences.. thnkk you you did great❤
i just bought tickets for my city. i will be seeing it this weekend. :) knowing the storyline helps me appreciate the dance all the more. this will be my first time seeing it n i cant wait!
Yessss we really hope you love it!! ✨✨
Great video, you've earned a subscriber. I'd love it if you could do things like these for other ballets. Some of my favorites are Coppélia and Nutcracker, but I've always wanted to learn more about Giselle and Don Quixote (and with the latter on how it differs from the novel, since I'm a literature student)
Yay! Thanks for the sub! Appreciate the suggestions. Those are some of our fave ballets too
Love the assortment of Principal dancers used in your clips from the ballet.
Glad u liked that! Too many amazing dancers ✨✨✨
Just watching this now (a year after you made it). My first "Swan Lake" was the glasnost Swan Lake in the early 1990's performed in Boston by the Boston Ballet and soloists from the Bolshoi doing the Bolshoi's version. It was just around the time of the dissolution of the USSR. The leads alternated, a Russian swan with and American Sigfried, an American swan with a Russian Sigfried. I saw it twice, the first time in dress rehearsal sitting in the exact center of the front row. (Where you could hear the thump of the toe shoes all hitting the floor in unison and could see the perspiration glistening on the dancers.) It was absolute MAGIC! I've seen it done about three more times since then, and I still love it. The last time I saw it, when the swan and Sigfried leapt to their deaths at the end, the woman sitting behind me screamed. (Guess she didn't read the program notes.) Thank you for a wonderful "explication du texte", as the French would say.
lol, that scream must've been startling to those around her
This was fascinating! I hope you guys cover the other ballets too. It inspired me to get tickets to my local ballet - they are doing Giselle.
Yay! Love that you’re inspired to go watch the ballet 🩰 Yes, definitely will Please like, subscribe and share so we can do more like these ☺️ Tysm!
I just rewatched this because I saw Swan Lake last night - and I want to again one more time this season. You guys are amazing at how you explain it ❤❤❤ thank you!!!
Aww that’s so wonderful! Ur so lucky lol. Glad to have u revisit this one ✨🫰🏻
i've been doing ballet on and off since childhood-- never long enough to really maintain physical conditioning, always having to stop due to this or that... so when a production of swan lake was announced within commuting distance i went out of my way to watch it. And having studied theory and the classical librettos i was very surprised that the production went with the big manly siegfried versus ruthbart fight and the happy ending. I had no idea that ending even existed, having only learned of swan lake as a tragic tale. I was so bemused, it kind of took me out of the whole thing... i honestly assumed at the time that it was a choice by the local production to make the tale more accessible or palatable, since my country and my area don't have much access to ballet as a cultural cornerstone (hence my own hardships keeping up with it). I feel a little better in retrospect that i didn't spend that time and effort to watch a spuriously modified version, even if it still felt tacked on and a little silly. (the twist ending with the curse being broken by a technicality feels more fitting, if one wishes to change the tragic ending....)
You have today Validated my belief that Swan Lake is another version of the Swan Princess. After all these years dancing and speculating…Thank you! This was awesome!
Thank you so much for watching and for the kind words! ❤️
@@balletreign oh you’re quite welcome! I just love that I have found yet another channel that satisfies my love of dance. Thank you for sharing your passion. I may be retired, but a dancer never stops being one. Finding you guys, and having you respond truly made my day!🥰❤️
You’re so welcome, glad you are here to share the love of ballet! 😊 Yes, once you are a dancer, it becomes a part of you ❤️
Wow, I never knew the story. Now I want to go see the ballet! (with the happy ending!)
Yay! 👏 Glad you enjoyed the video and it inspired you :)
Thank you so so much ❤
I wasn’t expecting to learn something new about my favorite ballet of all times, but I did. It was very interesting to learn more details about the story. I watched Swan Like the first time live with my daughter (7y, she loves dancing ballet) this January. We saw the grand Kyiv ballet company in Germany. It was a beautiful performance and I am so thankful they can dance so powerful in such horrible times.
Aww so glad we could show you something new about this classic! Thanks for being here ☺️💕
I really hope to see this ballet in person. I grew up hearing the iconic themes. And the fact I’m now sitting here watching this, I did not know The Swan Princess was based on the story of the ballet or something of that nature.
Will definitely have to see this ballet in the future.
Yes, you must!! Glad you enjoyed the video and learned something :) Thank you for watching and welcome to the channel 😊
Many thanks for that insighful look at Swan lake. Saw the ballet here in Cork,Ireland recently....enchanted since then by the music..fabulous
What is the significance (if any)of the wonderful Pas de Quatre). I love watching the remarkable synchrony and I adore the syncopated rhythm of the music, which is almost a march like 4/4 time. Is it just a divertimento, an entertaining interlude?, Or does it say something about the unity of the swan maidens?
We have just seen Swan lake performed by NZ ballet. It had the happy ending and the corps de ballet were bathed in golden beams of renewing light. Wish we had watched your video first. Just wondered what happened to Odile and who her mother was.
I’m watching Swan Lake tonight at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. So excited after seeing your excellent entertaining review. 🎉. Love the fact that the ballet’s story could go in different directions depending on production. 👏
I saw two completely different versions back in the 1970s. The first was the National Ballet of Canada featuring Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn. Rothbart was not portrayed at all and the prologue material was completely omitted. At the end, 4 swans take the Prince and throw him into the lake. The swan maidens exit (an amazing sequence) up a ramp behind a scrim that formed the backdrop of the lake so it truly looks like they're flying up into the sky. Meanwhile, Odette is doing a version of the Dying Swan and the curtain comes down as her hand reaches the floor. It was very powerful and well-received. It has stayed with me as an ideal version ever since. A few years later, the Bolshoi toured a version to Toronto which had a happy ending which I had no idea existed. The dancer was Alexander Gudonov and he defected that night just as Mikhail Baryshnikov did. I just happened to have tickets for those two performances. After killing Rothbart, the Prince lifts Odette over his head and during the beautiful final harp sequence walks with her down stage. She has her raised hand in the sign for the oath swearing (two fingers together). Their true love has conquered all. He lowers her and the curtain comes down as they (ballet version) embrace. It was breathtaking. My all-time favourite ballet.
Aaauuughhh so beautiful! You’re so lucky to have gotten to see two amazing productions of Swan Lake 🦢. Thanks for sharing! 💕😁😁
I saw the one where Siegfried died in the lake while Odette flew away with her fellow swans.
That’s such a tragic ending! It’s the saddest when Siegfried is left alone 😭 Thanks for sharing! 💕
You are great contentent creators! I appreciate a lot all this videos as part of the audience who never dance anything. I wish you keep going with this! ❤
Thank you so much! ❤️ Welcome and thank you for watching and sharing. Will do!
This was incredible, Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer and swan lake is incredible. Thank you girls for reminding me in the most delightful way. Will continue to binge watch your channel now :)
Can you guys do summaries for all the ballets like this?? I love this!
Thank you so much for watching! ❤️ Yes, we are hearing you guys and will do. Look for another in an upcoming video :)
I found you pretty recently, and I just gotta say, you two are completely adorable. 😊
Aww thank you so much, glad to have you here 🤗 Welcome to the channel!
I just love your insights on these famous ballets! I had no idea that there was a possibility of a happy ending in swan lake, but i'm very thrilled it does!
Thank u! We’re glad you liked this one 😄😄 #teamhappyending
Same, I thought they both died lol
New subscriber here! Thank you for making this wonderful video! I’ve always appreciated the art of ballet, but have never been a big fan of watching a production (usually bc I have no idea what is going on). The one ballet production I actually saw twice was when the Atlanta Ballet did “Dracula”. Knowing the story already, I was able to follow along and appreciate the way the dancers interpreted it. It was mesmerizing!
I never had a clue before now what “Swan Lake” was about, but you explained it so well. The addition of the various clips from the ballet really helped, and now I’m dying to actually see this ballet! I’m not going to lie, hearing the story/seeing the dancers enact it in this video made me cry. So I know to bring a box of Kleenex when I see it in person!
My favorite version is the Barbie version! Jokes aside I love how accurate the story is aside from the last part of Odette dying obviously. They wouldn't show a young girl dying in a kids show. If you have difficulties understanding ballet through watching the ballet itself, Barbie is suprisingly a good option to consider. Don't say it's just a kids show but give it a chance, you might like it!
I never knew about the prologue!! Or why the prince didn’t know that wasn’t Odette at the ball. It all makes so much more sense now.
Thank you for this engaging presentation. My fave is the tragic ending, though every ending is good as long as I get to see the play. I have seen it three times lately. Twice locally, in Cluj, Romania and once in Paris. The one in Paris was soooo strong and touching...
Glad u enjoyed it! 😁😁 The tragic ending is a popular one. You’re fortunate to see it so many times 🇷🇴 🇫🇷 Paris is a must see one day for us!
I've seen Swan Lake more times than I can count, both in live performance and recorded. I learned a few things from you two. Also, I like how you presented it. Very good job.
Aww yay! Thanks so much!! 😁😁
Can you please do Romeo and Juliet. Everyone knows the story but can you breakdown the acts
I love Swan Lake and even learned some new information about the ballet from your video. So thank you! 🫶🏼
We’re so glad to know you’ve learned something new about Swan Lake. Even as seasoned dancers, there’s always something new to learn from it. We love sharing it to those new to ballet as well! 😊
Thank you for making this video! There’s so much information I hadn’t known before
You're so welcome! Thank you for watching, check out our other videos for other ballets explained 😊
Great video…putting Swan Lake on my to see list!
Yay! Thank you so much. Happy to hear and hope you enjoy it! 🩰
Thank you for this fresh analysis! I want to see it again.
Crushing it! You are both relevant on so many levels…, on pointe😉, delightful, knowledgeable on Ballet; the story lines, the historical foundations also linking in key choreographic moments to help explain the facets of a ballet technically. Brava times Two!
Swan Lake is the reason I have my current job as a ballet teacher!!!!! Last year I came to visit my childhood ballet school and was asked if I could be the Queen in their production, as they needed someone with ballet experience and pantomime skills!! At the end, I was asked to stay as a teacher for the little ones, and quite honestly I never want to leave.
xD our version featured a lot more of siegfried's friends! they went hunting in the woods with him and joined him in the battle with Rothbart at the end. In addition, in our version the Queen is killed by Rothbart in Act 3 when she asks him what is going on at the appearance of Odette! (we referred to the scenes as acts, making it a 4-act ballet!)
Good ballet teachers are so needed and we are so glad you found what you love doing! 🩰💕 Thanks for sharing about your version of Swan Lake :)
A good swan lake to see in the LA/OC area in California is Festival Ballet Theater's production. Their next performances are March 18/19. Ana Sophia Scheller from New York City Ballet will play Odette/Odile. Vsevolod Maievskyi from the Marninsky Theater will Prince Sigfred. 🦢🩰🩰🦢
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for the recommendation. We’d love to check it out. Thank you for watching and sharing 😊
Thank you for the history lesson! Great indepth analysis of a ballet we take for granted.
Keep up the good job, girls!
I wish there were the ballet performances including all details that you mentioned, that would be a blast! I watched Swan lake and Giselle, and my understanding of what was going on was very vague in both cases because the productions weren't as crisp as they could be. Which didn't count into liking these ballets, alas!
Thanks for a great explanation and video! I had the pleasure of watching Marianela Nuñez live twice last week as Odette/Odile, and she was fantastic to say the least. Your vid should be handed to the audience with the hand program haha!
What a kind comment 😄. Thank you! Ballet is easier to appreciate with understanding 👍🏻. You’re so lucky to get to see her in person!
Very nice description I was just in Coppelia and Nutcracker last year. I am a fourth year adult ballet student and my dance studio puts on two full productions a year. It is funny in all my time in theater the last few years they seem to explain everything the exact same way.
More than happy to share about Swan Lake :) Thank you for watching and we hope you could learn something from it. Coppelia is such a lively and fun ballet both to watch and to dance, and Nutcracker is so iconic. Glad you had an opportunity to be in both!
@@balletreign they both were wonderful.
i loved this, please do more from other ballets👏🏻🙏🏻
Thanks for watching and for your feedback. Glad you enjoyed the video! 😊
loved this video! I can’t wait to see more content like this!
Yay! Thank you! We hope to have more to come:)
Ahh I wish you'd mentioned that Odette and Odile are, by tradition, always played by the same ballerina! I was curious whether or not the woman in the prologue is also, as her costume change seems too quick to be the same person...
Haha yes! That’s a really good point and definitely appreciate you bringing up that here for those who want to know more.
We think so too…The woman in the prologue is most likely another ballerina seeing the video does not seem to be edited.
Please please do Giselle. I loved this, subbed
Yay! Thank you for the sub! Welcome to the fam 🤍 Giselle is on our list as most voted so far :)
OMG, I loved this. Please tell the story of more famous ballets.
Thank you so much for watching. We hear you and will do! ❤️
This is great! You can just keep doing weekly videos giving background and synopsis of many ballets. You guys should watch Baryshnikov's 1987 movie Dancers based on Gisselle, it's awesome!
Thank you! We will check it out. Yes, definitely will consider more videos like these for other ballets, thanks for the input!
@@balletreign I was going to ask you to explain all the steps (you touched on a lot in the Ms Mojo video), but I found this out there already. Although I'm sure you guys could present it in a more entertaining manner. th-cam.com/video/xiFK4Df1hx8/w-d-xo.html
Great video ladies!! So many interesting facts!! I would love to see you do more classical ballet videos like this. Do you know much about different versions/ productions about Le Corsaire? xx
Thank you so much!! Glad you’ve enjoyed the video and learned something new about Swan Lake. Yes, we’d love to share about Le Corsaire in a future video, it’s less known, but popular among dancers. It’s an interesting ballet with incredible musical score!
My studio is doing swan lake this year, and I'm a little swan :D
Congratulations!!! 🎈🎉🎊 it’s a hard role but so fun. Best of luck!
Loved it