Swan Lake
Classification: 
Runtime: 170 minutes
synopsis
It’s no wonder that Swan Lake is one of the most loved of all classical ballets. It has that magical combination of Tchaikovsky’s music, a compelling story of tragic romance and choreography that allows the very best dancers to show just how amazing they can be. This new Royal Ballet Season opens with a revival of Anthony Dowell’s romantic production whose designs were inspired by Imperial Russia of 1895, when the ballet was first performed. Against this atmospheric setting, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s choreography provides an opportunity to see great dance partnerships in the leading roles and the whole Company in the dance ensembles. In its story, Prince Siegfried falls in love with the Swan Queen, Odette, condemned through the evil magic of magician Von Rothbart to transform into a swan by day. After trickery at a palace ball prevents the Prince marrying his new love and restoring her to her true form, tragedy is the only means left to him finally to break the spell. The ethereal forms of the swans, illuminated by moonlight, the charged solos for the Prince and Odette and her alter-ego Odile, the machinations of Von Rothbart and the colour of a palace ball – all combine with glorious music to make for an evening of inspiration and romance.
credits
choreographer
Marius Petipa
choreographer
Lev Ivanov
music
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
performers
Odette / Odile
Marianela Nuñez
Prince Siegfried
Thiago Soares
trailer
performers
Marianela Nuñez
Odette / OdileMarianela was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She started dance lessons at the age of three and at eight was admitted to the Instituto Superior de Arte of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires where she studied until she was invited to join the corps de ballet of the Company at the age of 14. She was selected to take part in a tour of Argentina as a Soloist with the Ballet Clasico de la Habama, Cuba. In 1997 Maximiliano Guerra chose her as his partner to dance with him in Uruguay, Spain, Italy and at the World Ballet Festival of Japan. She was then invited to tour with the ballet company of Teatro Colón in Europe and the US as a guest ballerina. In September 1997 she joined the Graduate Course at The Royal Ballet School and at the end of the year danced the leading female role in Kenneth MacMillan’s Soirée Musicale at Dame Ninette de Valois’ 100th Birthday Gala as well as the title role in Raymonda Act III and the Third Shadow solo in La Bayadère at the School’s performances. She joined The Royal Ballet at the start of the 1998/99 Season, aged 16 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2001 and made a Principal in September 2002. Since joining the Company she has danced roles in Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto, Romeo and Juliet, Mitzi Caspar and Princess Louise in Mayerling, Elite Syncopations, Lescaut’s Mistress in Manon, Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, La Fille mal gardée, Monotones I, Les Rendevous, Dante Sonata , La Valse, Ondine, Daphnis and Chloë and Isabel Fitton in Macmillan's Enigma Variations. The Royal Ballet opened the 2008/2009 season on Sat Oct 4th with Marianela cast as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. Due to the injury of other principals Marianela also danced Odette /Odile at the next two performances Mon 6th and Tues 7th to high acclaim.
Thiago Soares
Prince SiegfriedThiago trained at the Centre for Dance, Rio de Janeiro and then joined the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theatre Ballet (1998) where he performed roles including the Prince in The Nutcracker, Siegfried in Natalia Makarova’s Swan Lake, Solor in her La Bayadère, Romeo in Vladimir Vasiliev’s Romeo and Juliet and Basilio in Don Quijote. His awards include the Silver Medal at the Paris International Dance Competition (1998), the Gold Medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition (2001) and the Outstanding Classical Dancer at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards (2004). He joined the Royal Ballet in September 2002 as a First Artist, was promoted to Soloist in September 2003, First Soloist in September 2004 and Principal in September 2006. Since joining the Royal Ballet, he has danced the title rold in John Cranko production of Eugene Onegin, Siegfried in Anthony Dowell’s Swan Lake, the Prince in Peter Wright’s Nutcracker, the First Movement of Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, the Second Movement of his Symphony in C, Diamonds from Jewels as well as Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de deux.