Swan Lake

For his adaptation of this famous classic, former artistic director Rudi van Dantzig was largely inspired by Tchaikovsky; not just by his music, but also by his letters and diaries. Van Dantzig stayed true to the surviving sections of the ‘standard’ version by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov from 1895, while opting for a less superficial, more human interpretation of the other sections, thus lending his production heightened emotion and expression.

Love and deception

Love and deception are the keywords in Swan Lake. Siegfried, a young prince with the soul of a poet, meets a white swan, Odette, at the lakeside one night. He promises to be faithful to her and thus also to his ideals. Back in the palace, however, Siegfried allows himself to be seduced by the sorcerer’s daughter Odile, who is disguised as a black swan. He realises his mistake too late and, after a poignant reunion with Odette, he drowns in the lake.

Dutch Masters

Just as Petipa received assistance from Ivanov for Swan Lake, so Van Dantzig called on the multi-talented Toer van Schayk. Van Schayk choreographed the colourful folk dances that add lustre to Siegfried’s birthday party in the third act. He also designed the impressive sets and costumes, taking inspiration from the ‘golden’ paintings of the seventeenth-century Dutch Masters.