Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, Sat, Feb 26, 2011

Swan Lake, scheduled for February 26, 2011 at 7:30 in Orange Park at Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, will be performed by National Russian Ballet Theater.

The story of the Odette, the swan queen (so called because she is the 'queen' of her companions at the lake, who have met a similar fate at Von Rothbart's hand), cursed by Rothbart to live as a swan by day and as herself at night, a curse that can only be broken by securing the eternal love of a man.

This man (in the story) is Prince Siegfried, who sees Odette one evening as she is transforming from swan to human. For him, it is love at first sight. He invites her to a ball at the castle where he says he intends to choose her as his bride. Instead of pledging his love to Odette, he (mistakenly) pledges his love to Odile, Von Rothbart's daughter, thinking she is Odette. Before Siegfried pledges his love to Odile, Odette appears at the (window) opening, pleading, in swan form, that Siegfried remain faithful to her.


Afterward, Odette flees to the lake and throws herself in, expressing that she cannot live without
Siegfried; Sigfried follows her, and in this display of eternal love, Rothbart's spell is broken over the other swans of the lake; they are transformed into their human forms permanently.


The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded with the help and support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

Talent and devotion to Art is its major principal. This is supported by the outstanding talent and devotion of the celebrated masters of the Russian ballet, such as, People's Artist of the USSR Professor Igor Moiseev, People's Artist of Russia Professor R. Stuchkova, People's Artist of USSR M. Lavrovsky, People's Artist of USSR Y. Vladimirov and others.


(photos courtesy of SARA Artists- Societe Anonyme de Representation Artistique).