One hundred and thirty-five years ago, audiences heard the Swan Lake music by the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for the very first time. From this moment on, the world of ballet would never be the same again. Swan Lake is a tale of two young women, Odette and Odile, who resemble each other so closely one can easily be mistaken for the other.

 

 

It is the compelling legend of a tragic romance in which a princess, Odette, is turned into a swan by an evil curse. Prince Siegfried chances upon a flock of swans while out hunting. When one of the swans turns into a beautiful young woman he is instantly captivated - will his love prove strong enough to break the evil spell that she is under?

 

 

From the impressive splendour of the palace ballroom to the moonlit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. Swan Lake captures, like no other, the full range of human emotions - from hope to despair, from terror to tenderness, from melancholy to ecstasy.

 

 

The Russian National Ballet Theatre
The Russian National Ballet Theatre got a new lease of life when it was re-registered and renamed in 2001. However, it is steeped in the ancient ballet tradition of its predecessor Russian Theatre Ballet Ensemble, which was established Oct. 22, 1878.

 

 

Boasting more than 60 ballet dancers and a team of celebrated masters of Russian ballet, including People's Artists of the former Soviet Union — Igor Moiseev, R. Struchkova, M. Lavrovsky and Y. Vladimirov, the ballet theater has injected new life into traditional ballet.