2014/15
choreography Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov
music Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
MARCH 04/2015
STUDY GUIDE
Sophia Lee + Liang Xing (Guest Artist) PHOTO: Réjean Brandt Photography
Swan
Lake
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
T-B Gweneth Lloyd, Betty Farrally, Her majesty Princess Elizabeth’s visit to Winnipeg
includes a command performance which introduces her to The Winnipeg Ballet (1951)
Company Dancers
PHOTO: Réjean
Brandt Photography
ABOUT
Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally founded Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
School nearly 75 years ago. The two women met when Lloyd was running
a dance school in Leeds, England and Farrally was her student. They both
immigrated to Canada in 1938, and settled in Winnipeg. There they offered
dance classes to the community – starting out with only six students in their
first year. Word quickly spread, however, and by year two their enrolment had
grown and they were able to establish the “Winnipeg Ballet Club.”
By 1943, The Winnipeg Ballet was formed with all of its dancers coming
from the Club. Six years later, the Company officially became a not-for-profit
cultural institution. In 1951, the Company was invited to perform for then
Princess Elizabeth during her visit to Winnipeg, just prior to her becoming
Queen of England. Following her coronation in 1953, she bestowed The
Winnipeg Ballet’s “Royal” designation.
Between the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) School’s two divisions of study, there
is a place for virtually every type of dance student: from preschoolers to adults,
those new to dance and those aspiring to become professional dancers.
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PREPARING to see the ballet
This booklet is designed to enhance the student’s experience at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s performance of
Swan Lake. The activities and information included are organized to help students prepare, understand, enjoy, and
respond to their experience watching the performance.
DURING THE PERFORMANCE:
Enjoy the ballet! As part of the audience, your attendance is as essential to the ballet
performance as the dancers themselves. Prior to arriving at the theatre, discuss
proper audience etiquette using the keywords below. These steps will help students
handle their feelings and enthusiasm appropriately. It is also very important to arrive
on time or even early for the performance in order to allow enough time to settle in
and focus on the performance.
CONCENTRATION: Always sit still and watch in a quiet, concentrated way. This
supports the dancers so that they can do their best work on stage.
AFTER THE
PERFORMANCE:
Process and respond
to the performance
by engaging in class
discussions or writing a
letter to the RWB. We love
to get feedback from our
student groups.
WRITE TO:
QUIET: Auditoriums are designed to carry sound so that the performers can be
heard, which also means that any sound in the audience (whispering, laughing,
rustling papers or speaking) can be heard by dancers and other audience members.
Your movement or checking your phone and texting disrupts the performance for
everyone, so always ensure that phones and other electronic devices are turned off
during the entire performance.
RESPECT: By watching quietly and attentively you show respect for the dancers. The
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
380 Graham Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4K2
E [email protected]
facebook.com/RWBallet
twitter.com/RWBallet
dancers show respect for you (the audience) and for the art of dance by doing their very
best work.
APPRECIATION: Do clap at the end of a dance (when there is a pause in the music) if
instagram.com/RWBallet
pinterest.com/RWBallet
you feel like showing your appreciation.
At Canada’s Royal Winnipeg
Ballet, our mandate is:
RWB Company Dancers
PHOTO: Bruce
Monk
“To enrich the human experience by
teaching, creating and performing
outstanding dance.”
Whether touring the world’s stages,
visiting schools, offering rigorous
dance classes for all experience
levels, or performing at Ballet in
the Park each summer, the RWB
consistently delivers world class
dance and instruction to the citizens
of Winnipeg and far beyond.
Find out more about us at rwb.org.
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ABOUT
Marie Camargo, with her ankles exposed
The First Ballet
In 16th century France and
Italy, royalty competed to
have the most splendid
court. Monarchs
would search for and
employ the best poets,
musicians and artists.
At this time, dancing
became increasingly
theatrical. This form of
entertainment, also called
the ballet de court (court
ballet), featured elaborate
scenery and lavish
costumes, plus a series
of processions, poetic
speeches, music and
dancing. The first known
ballet, Le Ballet comique de
la Reine, was performed at
court in 1581 by the Queen
of France (and her ladies)
at her sister’s wedding.
The Sun King
In the 17th century,
the popularity and
development of ballet
could be attributed to
King Louis XIV of France.
He took dancing very
seriously and trained daily
with his dance master,
Pierre Beauchamp. One
of the King’s famous
roles was the Rising Sun
which led him to become
known as the “Sun King.”
King Louis also set up
the Academie Royale de
Danse (Royal Academy of
Dance) in 1661, where, for
the first time, steps were
structurally codified and
recorded by Beauchamp.
These are the same steps
Ballet
that have been handed
down through centuries,
and which now form the
basis of today’s classical
ballet style.
The First
Professional Dancers
At first, ballets were
performed at the Royal
Court, but in 1669 King
Louis opened the first
opera house in Paris.
Ballet was first viewed
publicly in the theatre
as part of the opera.
The first opera featuring
ballet, entitled Pomone,
included dances created
by Beauchamp. Women
participated in ballets at
court, but were not seen
in the theatre until 1681.
Soon, as the number of
performances increased,
courtiers who danced
for a hobby gave way to
professional dancers who
trained longer and harder.
The physical movement
of the first professional
dancers was severely
hindered by their lavish
and weighty costumes
and headpieces. They also
wore dancing shoes with
tiny heels, which made it
rather difficult to dance
with pointed toes.
Revealing Feet and Ankles
Early in the 18th century
in Paris, the ballerina,
Marie Camargo, shocked
audiences by shortening
her skirts to just above the
ankle. She did this to be
freer in her movements
DID YOU KNOW … ?
Dancing ballet puts
a lot of wear on a
dancer’s shoes. Some
dancers need to get
new shoes every week!
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and allow the audience to
see her intricate footwork
and complex jumps, which
often rivaled those of the
men. Ballet companies
were now being set up
all over France to train
dancers for the opera. The
first official ballet company
(a collection of dancers
who train professionally)
was based at the Paris
Opera and opened in 1713.
The Pointe Shoe
By 1830, ballet as a
theatrical art form
truly came into its own.
Influenced by the Romantic
Movement, which was
sweeping the world of
art, music, literature and
philosophy, ballet took
on a whole new look. The
ballerina ruled supreme.
Female dancers now
wore calf-length, white,
bell-shaped tulle skirts.
To enhance the image of
the ballerina as light and
ethereal, the pointe shoe
was introduced, enabling
women to dance on the
tips of their toes.
Classical Ballet
Although the term
“classical” is often used to
refer to traditional ballet,
this term really describes
a group of story ballets
first seen in Russia at the
end of the 19th century.
At this time, the centre of
ballet moved from France
to Russia. In Russia, the
French choreographer
Marius Petipa collaborated
SEE FOR YOURSELF!
with the Russian composer
Pyotr Tchaikovsky to create
the lavish story ballet
spectacles such as Swan
Lake, The Sleeping Beauty
and The Nutcracker. Today,
these ballets still form the
basis of the classical ballet
repertoire of companies all
over the world.
One Act Ballets
In 1909, the Russian
impresario Serge
Diaghilev brought
together a group of
dancers, choreographers,
composers, artists
and designers into his
company, the Ballets
Russes. This company
took Paris by storm as
it introduced, instead
of long story ballets in
the classical tradition,
short one act ballets
such as, Schéhérazade,
Les Sylphides, The Rite
of Spring, Firebird and
Petrouchka. Some of the
worlds greatest dancers,
including Anna Pavlova
(1881-1931), Vasslav
Nijinsky (1889-1950) and
choreographers Mikhail
Fokine (1880-1942) and
George Balanchine
(1904-1983) were part of
Diaghilev’s company.
Do a search for images of ballet
dancers throughout the ages.
Can you notice the differences
in costumes over time? What do
most dancers wear today?
THE LIFE OF A DANCER
The career of a dancer is relatively short and it is not
unusual to spend more years training than dancing
professionally. As in Olympic-level sport, the movements
demanded of the human body in ballet are very specific
and require great precision and care. For that reason, the
physique must be prepared for a professional ballet career
at a young age.
The professional training period usually consists of at least
seven years of intensive, precise work. Ideally, girls and boys
should begin their professional training by age ten. Training
is a very progressive process. The young professional
student begins with daily classes, practicing the basic ballet
positions and movements, learning body placement and
how to move through the space with balance and artistry.
As the student progresses, time spent in classes each week
increases, as do the difficulty and extensiveness of the skills
taught. In addition to daily class in classical technique,
students also receive instruction in variation (solo) work,
pointe (dancing on the toes), pas de deux (a dance for two),
character (ethnic), jazz and modern dance.
Amanda Green
PHOTO:: David
Cooper
Prior to the introduction of pointe work, a number of criteria
must be considered. These include the amount of previous
training, a dancer’s strength and ability, as well as age as
it relates to the bone development in the dancer’s feet. Pas
de deux and repertoire (the collection of different ballets
a dance company performs) are introduced only when the
student has adequate strength, ability and training.
Students who graduate to a professional ballet company
usually begin dancing as a member of the corps de ballet
(ensemble). After a few years, corps de ballet members
whose artistry, technical ability, musicality and ability to
communicate with the audience set them apart may be
promoted to first or second soloist. Finally, the highest
achievement in the company, the position of principal dancer
or ballerina, is attainable by only a few select dancers.
ESTABLISHING DANCE IN NORTH AMERICA
Almost all contemporary ballet companies and dancers are influenced by Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes. The first visit by
this company to North America in 1916-1917 stimulated great interest in ballet. Dancers from the Ballets Russes
were instrumental in furthering this new interest in ballet. For example, dancer George Balanchine went to the
United States and founded the New York City Ballet (originally called the American Ballet). He became renowned
for perfecting the abstract ballet and for establishing neo-classicism through his choreographic masterpieces such
as Serenade, Agon and Concerto Barocco. Ninette de Valois and Marie Rambert also went on to found, respective,
England’s Royal Ballet and the Rambert Dance Company. It is from these English roots that two English Women,
Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farally, founded the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1939 (the oldest ballet company in Canada).
Celia Franca also came to Canada and in 1951, she founded The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. Some of the
worlds greatest dancers, including Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), Vasslav Nijinsky (1889-1950) and choreographers
Mikhail Fokine (1880-1942) and George Balanchine (1904-1983) were part of Diaghilev’s company.
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SWAN LAKE
Synopsis
SCENERY & COSTUME DESIGN: Peter Farmer
LIGHTING DESIGN: Nicholas Cernovitch
LENGTH: 2 hours (run times are approximate)
Sophia Lee
PHOTO: Réjean
Brandt Photography
CHOREOGRAPHY: Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov
MUSIC: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
STAGED BY: Galina Yordanova
ACT I
On the terrace of a magnificent castle, festivities are
under way. Villagers and courtiers are celebrating
Prince Siegfried’s coming of age, his 21st birthday.
The guests are entertained by a mischievous Jester,
when servants announce the arrival of the sovereign
princess, the prince’s mother. The Queen Mother
offers Siegfried an arbalest as a gift and reminds
him that the time has come for him to choose a bride
at the next evening’s ball.
Reluctant to marry until he is in love, Siegfried is
distressed by his mother’s request, but maintains his
composure until darkness falls over the terrace and
the guests depart. Alone, Siegfried is depressed by
obscure premonitions. Seeing a flock of white swans
in the sky, Siegfried follows them to the lake.
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ACT II
At the lake, located in the thick of a forest, swans
come ashore and are transformed into young
women. On seeing them, Siegfried is stunned by their
incredible beauty and lowers his arbalest.
The Queen of the Swans, Odette, explains that all of
them are under the spell of the evil magician, von
Rothbart, and only the power of a faithful lover is able
to destroy the sorcerer’s spell. Siegfried is enraptured,
he has never seen such a beautiful maiden, and falls
in love with Odette, vowing eternal love to her. Odette
warns the youth that if he breaks his vow, no one will
ever be able to help the swan maidens.
Dawn approaches. Once again the maidens are
transformed into swans and swim into the lake.
Odette bids Siegfried farewell.
ACT III
The following evening in the castle ballroom, a
magnificent ball is being given in Siegfried’s honor, with
the full court in attendance. Beautiful princesses from
various countries appear before the Prince, but no one
captures his attention. Siegfried is distracted and thinks
only of his love for Odette, who has captured his heart.
Only at his mother’s insistence is Siegfried polite to the
young ladies attending the ball.
Trumpets suddenly herald the arrival of new, uninvited
guests. Impersonating a noble knight, the sorcerer von
Rothbart appears with his daughter, Odile. Siegfried is
confused – this beauty looks unusually like his beloved
Odette. Odile does not give the Prince time to collect
himself. She lures him on, charming and captivating him
with her allure. Enraptured, the Prince is carried away by
her bewitching presence and makes a declaration of love.
Henceforth, she is to be his bride.
Delighted at the Prince’s betrayal of his love, von
Rothbart triumphs. Siegfried has broken his oath to
Odette. Love and faithfulness no longer exist and nothing
can withstand von Rothbart’s evil power. With mocking
triumph, Odile reveals her true identity.
For a moment, Siegfried has a vision of the swans by the
lake and, understanding the terrible deception of which
he is victim, the distraught Prince rushes to the lake in
search of Odette.
Brandt Photography
ACT IV
PHOTO: Réjean
At the lake at nightfall, Odette explains von Rothbart’s
perfidy and Siegfried’s unintentional betrayal to her
swan maidens. He promises to redeem his misdeed and
challenges von Rothbart to single combat.
Sophia Lee
Von Rothbart’s powers are destroyed and an end has
come to evil wizardry. As Odette and Siegfried are united,
the rays of the rising sun grant life, love, and happiness.
CHARACTERS
ODETTE
The Queen of the Swans, Odette is a beautiful heroine
who has been transformed into a swan by the evil
sorcery of Baron von Rothbart. She can only regain
her human form at night, and will remain a swan
forever unless the spell is broken by faithful love.
PRINCE SIEGFRIED
Prince of the kingdom and heir to the throne,
Prince Siegfried is young and lusts for adventure.
The time has for him to marry and take on royal
responsibilities, but he refuses all the suitors in
hopes of finding true love.
BARON VON ROTHBART
An evil magician who has placed a spell upon Odette,
transforming her into a swan.
ODILE
Baron von Rothbart’s daughter who bears a striking
resemblance to Odette.
DID YOU KNOW … ?
The word ‘ballet’ refers to a specific dance technique
that has evolved over the last 350 years. Ballet involves
a combination of movement, music, and design, where
emotions and stories are translated through precise body
movement and facial expressions.
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BIOGRAPHIES
Lev Ivanov was born in Moscow, Russia, on February 18, 1834. He studied dance in
Moscow and in St. Petersburg, where he was a pupil of Jean Petipa (Marius Petipa’s
father). He was already a member of the corps de ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre two
years prior to graduating from the Imperial Ballet School in 1852. While a student,
Ivanov also showed great musical talent and was an excellent pianist as well as
composer of numerous pieces.
He made a name for himself as a respected character dancer with the Maryinsky
Theatre and later was promoted to the status of both premier danseur and mime. In
1882 he took on the duties of chief regisseur and in 1885 was named second ballet
master and assistant to the aging Marius Petipa.
Ivanov’s first work of choreography was a new version of La Fille mal gardée in 1885, and
in 1887 he staged the full-evening The Tulip of Harlem. In 1892, Petipa became ill and
Ivanov took over the choreography of The Nutcracker.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
LANGUAGE ARTS
SOCIAL STUDIES
Did you find that you became emotionally
affected by the story of Swan Lake? If so, why?
Is there a universal theme inherent into the
story that drew you to the plot?
Research a famous Russian personage of the late 19th century
and discuss his or her contribution to the period. You can
choose from a number of fields: poets, novelists, playwrights,
composers, singers, dancers, painters, philosophers,
statesmen, politicians or members of the Russian royal family.
You can even research one of the individuals involved in the
creation of Swan Lake – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky or Lev Ivanov.
Also tell us about his or her personal life. Does it reflect the
society within which the person lived?
Tchaikovsky had written a tragic ending to
Swan Lake, in which the Prince, wishing to
remain forever with Odette, hurled her crown
into the lake. The wicked magician, in the
form of an owl, flew off with the crown, and
the Prince and Odette were both destroyed in
the rising waters of the lake. Petipa disliked
unhappy endings and he had the Prince and
Odette united in “a temple of eternal happiness
and bliss.” The Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s
production of Swan Lake has a similar ending,
with Odette and the Prince united following the
destruction of von Rothbart. Do you think Swan
Lake would have been as successful if it still
had Tchaikovsky’s tragic ending? How would
you end Swan Lake? Brainstorm ideas for
alternate endings.
To understand Swan Lake you should be
familiar with terms related to the world of
princes and kings. Discuss the words below,
and see if you know their meaning.
• Heir
• Regal
• Court
• Quest
• Kingdom
• Romantic love
• Coming of age
• Courtship
• Nobility
• Betrayal
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When Swan Lake was performed in Russia during the late
1800s who would have been watching the ballet? What does
this say about the society of that time period? Research the
class and social structure of Russia in the late 1800s. How
does this differ from today’s society and the audience that
attends the ballet?
FINE ARTS
Listen to the music from the lakeside scenes of Swan Lake
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Is it different from the music
heard in the court and ballroom scenes? Is there distinctive
music used to let you know that the swans are present? What
musical instruments are used to characterize the swans?
Pay special attention to the costumes used in Swan Lake.
What do the costumes say about the characters? What
animals do they remind you of? Make your own masks that
represent your different personas.
Ballet uses movement to tell stories and express character.
How do the movements of Odette and Odile differ? What
does this tell you about them? Pick your favourite literary
character and use movement and body language to portray
their personality - see if your class can guess who you are!
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsky, Russia, on May 7, 1840. At age four
he composed his first song and soon began piano lessons. His family settled in St.
Petersburg when the boy was 12 and he entered the School of Jurisprudence. After the
death of his mother two years later, Tchaikovsky found solace in music with singing
and piano lessons. Under the influence of the Italian singing teacher Luigi Piccioli, he
composed his first published work, the Mezza Notte.
In 1861, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music, where he worked on
musical theory under the instruction of Anton Rubenstein. When he graduated four years
later, Tchaikovsky was awarded the coveted silver medal.
The only one of his ballet scores acclaimed during his lifetime was The Sleeping
Beauty, which he completed in the summer of 1889. Tchaikovsky considered it one
of his best works and although initial reception toward the ballet was cool, it quickly
gained popularity and Tchaikovsky was publicly acclaimed on stage at the ballet’s 50th
performance.
Tchaikovsky began work in 1893 on what was to be his Pathetique Symphony, named by
his brother Modeste the day after its premiere in St. Petersburg on October 28. Nine
days after the premiere, on November 6, Tchaikovsky was found dead. He was 53. The
circumstances surrounding his death remain wrapped in mystery.
Galina Yordanova trained for nine years at Baku in the former USSR and for five
years with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow where she received her Teacher’s Diploma
in 1960. She holds diplomas in Choreography and Teacher Training from the G.I.T.S.
in Moscow. In 1960, Yordanova was Ballet Mistress of the Varna Norodna Opera in
Bulgaria where she staged a number of classics including Romeo & Juliet, Raymonda,
Le Corsaire, Coppélia, Les Sylphides, Giselle and Nutcracker. She also worked
extensively with the Ballet der Deutschen Oper, Berlin and with companies in Madrid
and Valencia, Spain and in Nagoya and Kyoto, Japan.
In 1980, Yordanova began to spend a portion of each year in Winnipeg, teaching at
the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Professional Division Summer Session. Her expert
teaching of the Russian style contributed to the development of this teaching style in
the RWB School Professional Division.
In 1995, she joined the artistic faculty full-time as Resident Guest Teacher. She
worked extensively with the RWB dancers to prepare them for the Company’s 1987
premiere of Swan Lake, which she staged in the Russian style. In 1990, Yordanova
shared her expertise and talent in the staging of the RWB’s premiere of La Bayadère,
Act II, featuring members of the Company together with young artists from the Royal
Winnipeg Ballet School.
For the RWB’s 1999/2000 season, Yordanova, along with Nina Menon, choreographed
a new version of Nutcracker for the Company which premiered in Ottawa at the
National Arts Centre on December 2, 1999.
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SWAN LAKE
History
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. Tchaikovsky happily accepted the
commission, “partly because I need the money, and partly
because I have long cherished the desire to try my hand at
this kind of music,” he wrote to Russian composer Nikolai
Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov in September 1875.
Legend has it that in 1871 Tchaikovsky composed a
children’s ballet-pantomime, The Lake of the Swan, for
his young nephews and nieces. The ballet score was
essentially completed in 1876, although Tchaikovsky was to
add a few pieces later.
Need Generic Filler photo for here
- Music related.
Swan Lake was first performed on March 4, 1877, at
Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. The choreography was by Julius
Wenzel Reinsinger, a German who was ballet master at the
Bolshoi Theatre from 1871 to 1878.
RWB Company Dancers
PHOTO: Bruce
Monk
The Maryinsky Ballet’s new version of Swan Lake was first
performed on January 15, 1895, at the Maryinsky Theatre
with the Italian Pierina Legnani scoring a great success
as Odette/Odile. She was acclaimed for her technique in
performing Odile’s 32 fouettes (turns in which the ballerina
balances on pointe with one foot while the other leg whips
semi-circles in the air) which no Russian dancer could
execute at the time. Since then, the dual role of Odette/
Odile has become a touchstone for greatness for every
classical ballerina.
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PHOTO: Bruce
Sophia Lee
Eleven years passed before the ballet was again
performed. Tchaikovsky died in 1893, not living to see the
success of his ballet.
Monk
The ballet was revised by Belgian choreographer Joseph
Hansen in 1880 and remained in the repertoire of Moscow’s
Bolshoi Ballet until 1883. All of the 33 performances of the
ballet between 1877 and 1883 were sold out, attesting to
the work’s popularity.
SOUNDTRACK
If you were to make a soundtrack for
Swan Lake, what music would you pick?
SWAN LAKE
Music
Tchaikovsky was fascinated by the challenge put to him
of composing music for a ballet about the legend of
Odette, and the score was probably the most fulfilling of
his three ballet compositions.
The first production of Swan Lake using his complete
score was not performed until 1877, although it is said
that as early as 1871 Tchaikovsky had composed for his
nephews and nieces a little ballet entitled The Lake of the
Swan.
Tchaikovsky’s inspiration for The Lake of the Swan came
from a holiday he had spent travelling down the Rhine
River and visiting the cities of Berlin and Paris – the
sight of many romantic castles triggered his imagination.
The ballet score for Swan Lake was composed during
the winter of 1875-76. By April 4, 1876, preliminary
rehearsals of several excerpts were played by a single
violin at the Bolshoi Theatre School. By April 22, the
ballet score was completed.
Elizabeth Lamont, Sophia Lee
PHOTO: Réjean
Brandt Photography
Tchaikovsky’s score for Swan Lake is an important
milestone in ballet history, as it revolutionized the
conception of music for ballet. Its symphonic approach
and colourful orchestration were in complete contrast
to the conservatism and musical triviality of the time.
His music is especially noted for its ability to create
atmosphere, as in the contrast between the romantic
mood of the two lakeside scenes and the brilliance
of the ballroom. This contrast in itself highlights the
personalities and relationships between the Prince and
both Odette and Odile.
DID YOU KNOW … ?
• Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and The
Nutcracker are all Petipa ballets.
• In 1894, Ivanov choreographed a very
successful staging of Act II of Swan Lake
and was subsequently invited by Petipa
to choreograph both the Act II and Act IV
lakeside scenes for the new production
of the ballet. When contemporary
choreographers produce their own
versions of Swan Lake, they leave the
lakeside scenes virtually intact, attesting
to Ivanov’s perfectly conceived original.
• Ivanov’s chorography provided a perfect
complement to composer Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky’s symphonic score, bringing out
its emotional qualities to their fullest.
• In the original production, Odette’s
persecutor had been her wicked stepmother
but Petipa substituted a male villain, Baron
von Rothbart.
• There are 28 tutus in Swan Lake and each
one took over 50 hours to sew by hand.
That’s over 1400 hours of sewing!
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LIKE ALL LIVE PRODUCTIONS, EACH BALLET
PERFORMANCE ONLY HAPPENS ONCE.
It is a combination of the performers on stage and
the audiences in front of them that make each
performance unique.
RWB Company Dancers
PHOTO: Bruce
Monk
For this reason, it is in the audience’s best interest
to be visibly and audibly attentive and appreciative –
the better the audience, the better the performance
on stage will be.
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
Write to:
Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet
380 Graham Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3C 4K2
E [email protected]
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