How Swan Lake Came to Be: A History
- Cindy Case
- Apr 7
- 4 min read
Our performances of Swan Lake are only a few weeks away! As the dancers have delved into the story and choreography of this production, we've become curious about how Swan Lake developed into the ballet we know today. Join us for a look back on the twists and turns of its history.
The Original Production, 1877
Tchaikovsky is one of the most famous composers of ballet scores, but Swan Lake was his first completed ballet. He had previously worked on an ambitious four-act adaptation of Cinderella, but didn't see the project to fruition. Swan Lake would be a different matter.
Much of the music from the original Bolshoi production is retained in the version we know today, but its story had some surprising differences. Odette was not yet a princess cursed by an evil sorcerer--instead, she was a swan maiden. These fairytale creatures of Germanic and Norse folklore have the supernatural ability to put on or take off their swan skin at will. True to storybook conventions, Odette's wicked stepmother wishes her ill. Odette's only protection is a magic tiara from her grandfather.
Another notable difference in the 1877 original production is that Baron Von Rothbart and his daughter Odile are secondary villains who only show up as a distraction for the royal ball. The role of the vengeful, bird-like antagonist goes to Odette's stepmother. She is triumphant at the ballet's end when Siegfried sees no happy ending possible and desperately pulls off Odette's crown. Removing Odette's magical protection seals their fates, dooming the lovers to drown in the lake.
This original version of the ballet was moderately successful, but it fell out of the Bolshoi's repertory after six years.
Swan Lake, More or Less As We Know It, 1895
Over a decade after Swan Lake's premiere, the Bolshoi was interested in trying again. Tchaikovsky lived long enough to learn that they wanted Marius Petipa to restage and rechoreograph Swan Lake, but sadly the composer passed away before the production premiered.
Restaging the ballet meant transforming parts of the story, so Riccardo Drigo took over revising parts of Tchaikovsky's score to match the new narrative. Odette went from being a supernatural creature to a young woman living under an enchantment, and Siegfried's relationship with her transformed into one that was more tragically romantic. Instead of Siegfried dooming them both by pulling off Odette's crown,* the 1895 version had Odette and Siegfried be lovingly reunited in the afterlife after willingly sacrificing themselves.
Although Petipa signed on to choreograph, he was in ill health himself. To make the project more manageable, he shared his duties with fellow choreographer Lev Ivanov. Petipa took on the grand court scenes, which were his strength, while Ivanov became responsible for the iconic ballet blanc scenes with the swans on the lake.
Audiences received this new production more positively than the original, particularly Pierina Legnani's performance as Odette/Odile. This reception cemented Swan Lake's legacy.
Swan Lake Evolves and Makes Its Way to the U.S.
Over the years, Swan Lake has traveled around the world. Along the way, aspects of the production evolved.
Alexander Gorsky's 1901 production for the Imperial Bolshoi added a playful jester, a character who contrasts with the prince's stoic personality. The jester still appears in some modern productions.
Different productions also played with the ending of the ballet. We've already seen the complete tragedy of the 1877 production and the bittersweet redemption of the 1895 revival. Later versions would play with other conclusions, including a straightforward happy ending where Siegfried and Odette defeat Rothbart and all of the swans become human once more.
Perhaps most notably, later productions also changed the portrayal of Odette's imposter, Odile. In the 1895 revival, Pierina Legnani played Odile as simply an enchantress in a royal blue costume. Later designers would costume Odile in black to heighten the contrast between her and Odette, and this eventually led to the nickname "the Black Swan." We think of ballet roles like this one as classics, but Odile didn't receive her characteristic black feathers until as late as 1941!
This is also around when the ballet arrived in the United States. In 1940, Willam Christensen staged the first American production of Swan Lake for San Francisco Ballet.
Swan Lake at BTM
While Founding Artistic Director Edward Stewart excerpted Act II of Swan Lake during his tenure, it was Former Artistic Director Dianna Cuatto who staged BTM's first full-length production in 2013. Her version took inspiration from Willam Christensen's, as he was her mentor when she danced in Utah.
BTM restaged Cuatto's Swan Lake in February 2020. This production was not only our last one before lockdowns started, but also Nicole Kelsch's retirement performance! Before taking on the role of BTM's Artistic Director, Nicole took her final bow as a dancer in the dual role of Odette/Odile. This season, she is staging our all-new production for our growing audience.
This Swan Lake has its own significance, too. Several BTM dancers will have their final "swan song" at our performances of this special ballet, including beloved principal dancer Lindsey Bell. After 10 years with the company, Lindsey will retire in the role of Odette/Odile at the 4:30 performance on Saturday, April 26.
To learn more about all of our retiring dancers and other company updates, please visit our social media on Facebook and Instagram. We hope you will join us at Swan Lake to say a special farewell to these dancers!
Further reading:
Jennifer Homans's Apollo's Angels (2010)
Promotional photo by Joanne Salyer
Rehearsal photos by Lauren Martinez
*The crown was no longer magical, but it's still part of Odette's costume to this day.
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