What is the story behind the ballet Swan Lake?

Swan Lake is the love story of Prince Siegfried, who on a hunting trip encounters a flock of swans, falls in love with the Swan Queen, Odette, and swears his allegiance and undying love to her. As a result of a curse by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart, Odette can only take human form between midnight and daybreak.

Who originally choreographed Swan Lake?

Julius Reisinger
It’s a heritage that goes back to 1877, when Julius Reisinger choreographed the first Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theatre. It was only moderately successful, and its composer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, considered his first attempt at writing ballet music a failure.

Why did Tchaikovsky write Swan Lake?

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was composed in 1875 after he received a commission from Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, the intendant of Moscow’s Russian Imperial Theatres. The ballet’s content is based on a Russian folktale, and over the course of two acts, tells the story of a princess turned into a swan.

What is the famous Swan Lake song called?

Tchaikovsky pas de deux 1877 Petipa created the pas de deux to music by Ludwig Minkus, ballet composer to the St Petersburg Imperial Theatres.

Did Tchaikovsky write music for Swan Lake?

In 1875, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was invited by his friend Vladimir Begichev, intendant of the Moscow Imperial Theatre, to compose the music for a new ballet, Swan Lake.

Why is Tchaikovsky’s music so sad?

“This is a kid with a delicate central nervous system. … Music would register profound shocks on his system.” Other factors that led to Tchaikovsky’s depression: separation from his mother during his time at boarding school and her early death as well as his homosexuality.

Is Swan Lake the hardest ballet?

Swan Lake has long been regarded as one of the most demanding ballets to perform. This is largely due to one ballerina, Pierina Legnani. She performed Swan Lake with such grace and skill that the bar was quickly set for other ballerinas to follow.

What fairytale is Swan Lake based on?

Swan Lake is about a prince named Siegfried. He falls in love with the Swan princess, Odette. She is a swan by day, but a young woman at night….

What does the black swan represent in Swan Lake?

Here, Odette, the white swan, symbolises the perfect woman, the one to which Siegfried must go to, even though he is irremediably attracted to a darker more shameful desire (homosexuality?) represented by Odile, the black swan.

Is Swan Lake part of Nutcracker?

Tchaikovsky’s compositions include three full-length ballets, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beautyand The Nutcracker. The first of these had its early origin in a home entertainment devised for the children of his sister Sasha, who had settled at Kamenka in the Ukraine.

What was Tchaikovsky’s fear?

Fear and Loathing Tchaikovsky was prone to immense angst, self-doubt and bouts of depression. As an artist, he doubted his work. As a gay man living in 19th century Imperial Russia, he also experienced extreme self-loathing and constant fear of being outed over his sexuality.

Why is Swan Lake so difficult?

The technically and artistically demanding double role of Odette (White Swan) and Odile (Black Swan) is perhaps the most difficult in all of ballet. It’s a potentially heartbreaking portrait of two complex and very different women: one trapped in a swan’s body by a cruel spell, the other a villain scheming against her.

What is the most technically difficult ballet?

Pirouettes. Pirouettes are notoriously one of the most difficult ballet moves and it can take years for a dancer to learn how to properly execute a pirouette. One of the most common and widely known dance moves, however, it requires an insane amount of balance and technique.

What is the number 1 ballet school in the world?

#1 – The Vaganova School – St. This Russian school dates back to 1738 when established as the Imperial Theatrical School. Jean-Baptiste, a French master of ballet was the first director.

Who is the best ballerina today?

Top 10 Female Ballet Dancers of the 21st Century

• Misty Copeland. Born in Missouri, the dancer Misty Copeland has African, Germany and Italian blood.
• Olga Smirnova.
• Tamara Rojo.
• Alina Cojocaru.
• Polina Semionova.
• Marianela Núñez.
• Julie Kent.
• Diana Vishneva.