The Lake

Odette, the enchanted protagonist of Swan Lake, stands at the intersection of a ballerina’s existence—a moment of transformation and transcendence. Ivan Cavallari, artistic director of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, former principal dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet, and a choreographer of great vision, masterfully weaves past and present, dream and reality, into a stunning mise en abyme of the legendary ballet.

With a dramaturgy that is cinematic in its scope and deeply original, Cavallari immerses himself in this masterpiece of the classical repertoire within a contemporary narrative that mirrors Odette’s fate as a woman transformed into a swan. The choreography, steeped in the traditions of imperial ballet, breathes new life into the iconic white acts, epitomizing the Romantic ethos while delving into timeless themes of love, conflict, and freedom. The music of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and his Symphony No. 6, the ‘Pathétique’ underscores the dramatic intensity of a world where two destinies collide: Odette, the White Swan, and Odile, the Black Swan. These heroines embody dualities—light and shadow, innocence and guile, purity and deception.

The Lake’s currents and depths reflect the fervour of dance itself—a medium that is both exhilarating and consuming. With a bold embrace of both tradition and innovation, Ivan Cavallari reminds us that dance, beyond its visual splendor, serves as a profound instrument of personal transformation.