Dance lovers are familiar with “Swan Lake,” the classic ballet with music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, but there are various versions of “Swan Lake” performed by ballet companies around the world.
Miami City Ballet is bringing yet another “Swan Lake” to Segerstrom Center for the Arts for five performances June 20-22, but this one is special for two reasons: brilliant choreographer Alexei Ratmansky is staging the ballet, and he has “reconstructed” this Swan Lake based on historical notations and archival material dating back to the 1895 Marius Petipa production at the Marinsky Theater. What is presented in this production, as Ratmansky explains, is “a historically informed” presentation of the iconic classic.
Center audiences have a long-standing relationship with Ratmansky, having seen the premieres of his “The Sleeping Beauty,” “Whipped Cream,” and “Of Love and Rage.”
According to information from Segerstrom Center, Tchaikovsky’s moving and joyful music is played live by Pacific Symphony as some of ballet’s most iconic moments unfold. From a grand and gorgeous medieval court to a misty lakeside under a midnight moon, the romance of this beautiful Swan Lake creates a luminous production of a classic that is all its own.
More than 50 dancers adorn the stage in lush and glittering costumes to tell the story of Prince Siegfried, Princess Odette and her fellow spellbound swans, the evil Baron and impostor Odile.
Upon its 2022 world premiere of “Swan Lake,” Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez said, “Every major ballet company performs a version of Swan Lake as it is truly considered the epitome of classical ballet. I had wanted to bring this production to our audiences for more than six years and to finally see it come to life feels like an incredible achievement. Over the past 13 seasons with the company, I have watched our dancers grow artistically and technically and it is a thrill to see them take on this challenging ballet. Add Ratmansky’s genius and being witness to the genuine love and dedication he put into restoring the ballet’s original intent, we are simply honored and extremely excited for our audiences to experience the greatest of all classical ballets.”
“Miami City Ballet is honored to share Alexei Ratmansky’s magnificent Swan Lake with audiences beyond Florida for the first time since its creation in 2022,” said Executive Director Juan José Escalante. “This production has been a labor of love and performing it at the Segerstrom Center is a thrilling milestone for the company. We are grateful for this partnership and look forward to captivating Southern California audiences with Ratmansky’s spectacular vision.”
Gia Kourlas said in The New York Times, “Swan Lake is one of Ratmansky’s greatest successes in using notations to take a dusty jewel, examine it from all angles and wipe away its grime. It’s crisp and refreshingly clean. In his enthralling production, the dancing is alive as it lends flavor and picturesque richness to Tchaikovsky’s score. Part of this has something to do with how warm and gracious these Miami City Ballet dancers are. As George Balanchine once said, dancing Tchaikovsky’s ballets is like flying. They fly.”
Tickets for Miami City Ballet’s “Swan Lake” at Segerstrom Center for the Arts start at $55.37 and are available for purchase online at www.scfta.org, in person at 600 Town Center Dr. in Costa Mesa, and by phone at (714) 556-2787. Performances are Friday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 21 at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 22 at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
