About
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet (1876) is the most famous and most performed ballet in the world. Its story of Odette, a princess transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer, and Prince Siegfried's tragic love for her, combines Tchaikovsky's heart-breaking score with some of ballet's most demanding and beautiful choreography.
The original 1877 premiere at the Bolshoi was a failure. The current version is based on the posthumous 1895 production by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. The dual role of Odette (the white swan) and Odile (the black swan) requires one ballerina to portray both characters — the Black Swan's 32 consecutive fouetté turns are one of ballet's most iconic technical feats.
# Top 10 Tchaikovsky Swan Lake facts
- 1Swan Lake's original premiere in 1877 was a critical failure — the conductor was reportedly drunk
- 2The dual role of White Swan/Black Swan requires 32 consecutive fouetté turns in the Black Swan variation
- 3Swan Lake has been performed by the Bolshoi Ballet over 3,000 times
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Swan Lake's original premiere in 1877 was a critical failure — the conductor was reportedly drunk
- ◆The dual role of White Swan/Black Swan requires 32 consecutive fouetté turns in the Black Swan variation
- ◆Swan Lake has been performed by the Bolshoi Ballet over 3,000 times
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