Introduction / 2018, The Tokyo Ballet (June 2018): Swan Lake / NBS-Japan Performing Arts Foundation

Introduction

Swan Lake

Music：Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography：Vladimir Burmeister

Choreography of Act II：Lev Ivanov, Alexander Gorsky (Three Swans)

Dramatic Interpretation of Swan Lake by Vladimir Burmeister

Swan Lake is synonymous with classical ballet. It is a timeless love story of Princess Odette transformed into a white swan during the day and Prince Siegfried who falls in love with her. The ballet is filed with highlights: mystical Dances of Swans in the moonlight in Act 2, a passionate sequence of national dances in a ball and dramatic grand pas de deux, widely known as the 'Black Swan pas de deux' in which Odile, the daughter of an evil witch, seduces Prince Siegfried, in Act 3. It is arguably a monumental work of classical ballet.

The Tokyo Ballet premiered an important version by Vladimir Burmeister in 2016, which received an enormous acclaim. It was Yukari Saito's one of the first projects as Artistic Director. Natalia Burmeister, the daughter of the great choreographer who attended The Tokyo Ballet's premiere said "it brought me back the memories of its world premiere".

Join us to experience the magnificent, dramatic Swan Lake by Burmeister restaged with new casting of The Tokyo Ballet.

Photos: Kiyonori Hasegawa

What is Vladimir Burmeister's Version of Swan Lake?

Vladimir Burmeister was a Soviet dancer, choreographer and ballet master. He is best remembered for his 1953 production of Swan Lake which restored Tchaikovsky's music to its original order. One of the major revisions was that he reinterpreted all the national dances in Act 3 as part of the evil Rothbart's spell, which greatly heightened the dramatic impact of the scene.

In 1960, the Paris Opera presented this version for its premiere of Swan Lake. It is also an important part of the repertoire of La Scala Theatre Ballet in Milan.

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