SWAN LAKE Comes to Bolshoi This Week

Swan Lake is performed at Bolshoi this week. Performances run November 16 and 17, 2021. The world premiere took place at La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand on October 7, 2020.

Odette is a young woman who is preoccupied with environmental matters. One night, as she is strolling along the shore of Swan Lake, she encounters Rothbart, a corrupt businessman and evil sorcerer. He is looking for ways to exploit a fossil fuel deposit he just discovered near the lake. Fearing that the young woman might thwart his plans, he uses his powers to turn her into a swan.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of a drilling rig sales company, the CEO and his wife are unveiling the model of a new plant. During the party, Siegfried, the son of the CEO, finds out that the new plant will be built on the lake's shore. His love for nature urges him to veto the project and to oppose his father, despite being heir to the company's presidency. That same night, he goes to the lake to investigate. There, he meets the strange and fascinating swan maiden and follows her along the shore. But he is soon stopped by Rothbart and his men, who take him for an opponent. They knock him unconscious at the water's edge and leave him there. After a ballet of swansalights on the lake, one of them approaches Siegfried. As the young man regains consciousness, he sees the swan maiden he met earlier, Odette, standing before him and falls madly in love with her.

After signing a secret agreement with Rothbart to sell the plant and have it built near the lake, Siegfried's father throws a party and invites Rothbart and his daughter, Odile. She is Odette's evil twin and Siegfried's father wants her to seduce his son. Deceived by Odile's resemblance with Odette, Siegfried informs the guests that he is going to marry her. Rothbart agrees, under the condition that he acquires the plant. Blinded by love, Siegfried accepts the condition. But when the real Odette appears, he understands his mistake and becomes overwhelmed with excruciating pain. He goes to his mother to relieve his suffering, but to no avail. Siegfried returns to the lake to see Odette again, but the fate he brought upon himself is already in motion.

Choreographer: Angelin Preljocaj
Video Designer: Boris Labbé
Costumes Designer: Igor Chapurin
Lighting Designer: Éric Soyer
Assistant, Deputy to the Artistic Direction: Youri Aharon Van den Bosch
Rehearsal Assistant: Cécile Médour
Choreologist: Dany Lévêque

Dancers:
Lucile Boulay, Celian Bruni, Elliot Bussinet, Araceli Caro,
Zoé Charpentier, Li Chi-Shu, Baptiste Coissieu, Leonardo Cremaschi,
Mirea Delogu, Lucia Deville, Antoine Dubois, Isabel García López,
Jack Gibbs, Mar Gómez Ballester, Naïse Hagneré, Verity Jacobsen,
Beatrice La Fata, Laurent Le Gall, Théa Martin,
Florine Pegat-Toquet, Agathe Peluso, Mireia Reyes Valenciano,
Simon Ripert, Khevyn Sigismondi, Micol Taiana, Anna Tatarova