Swan Lake! As soon as you mention the title of this ultimate classical ballet, the images and associations will come by themselves: a lake in the moonlight, the Dance of the Little Swans, Prince Siegfried torn between Odette and Odile, the evil sorcerer Rothbart. There have been countless traditional renditions, modern interpretations and spoofs, on stage as well as on the big screen. So is there nothing more to tell about Swan Lake? Certainly not, at least if you come up with a new format for the story…
Swan Cake
A dark undercurrent bubbles beneath the fairy tale of “Swan Lake”, a story that is based on the assumption of the beautiful, pure and clean. In Hofesh Shechter’s version, nothing is clean, nor pure. Delivered by those who have no home, no place, no choice–their desires, fantasies and dreams are to our eyes a dark, pathetic, at times humorous version of things – but the cracks of our own perception of beauty then bubbles to the surface and a communal collusion and acceptance of the values we were fed is revealed.
Untitled for 7 dancers
The new work by Cayetano Soto for the bill “Swan Lakes” will show the moment of transformation from man to animal, from woman to swan by making visible the effect and the magic of the spell. The connecting element between living creatures is the phenomenon of the instinct. It is universal, supra cultural, inherent to all creatures–and cannot be adulterated. Soto’s trademarks are the unusual ideas and the eccentric, but highly sensitive view of the world.
Shara Nur
This is not the first time that Marco Goecke deals with the subject of “Swan Lake”: He has already choreographed the Black Swan pas de deux and a Valse from “Swan Lake” to the original music. As a child he had a record of the fairy tale, and he is very familiar with the music, of course–like many ballet students and dancers. Together with a group of male dancers, he will explore what the ballet dream of Swan Lake might look like today.