Swan Lake: Tchaikovsky's masterpiece revisited by Ballet Preljocaj

Ballet Preljocaj tackles Swan Lake in a contemporary version, somewhere between faithfulness to the original tale and a committed reinterpretation, presented as part of the TranscenDanses season. The ballet runs from December 21 to January 4, 2026 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.

Angelin Preljocaj returns to narrative ballet with a new work inspired by Swan Lake, one of the pillars of the classical repertoire. Already acclaimed for his rereadings of Snow White and Romeo and Juliet, this time the choreographer makes Tchaikovsky's masterpiece his own, blending it with contemporary arrangements to make it relevant to the concerns of our time. The show will be presented at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées as part of the TranscenDanses season .

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While retaining the dramatic structure of the original work, Angelin Preljocaj would set his adaptation in a contemporary world, where the characters would evolve within current ecological and economic tensions. The character of Rothbart would no longer be just a magician, but an industrial player seeking to exploit a fossil fuel deposit on the shores of a lake. Odette, the unwitting opponent of this project, would become a swan, a symbol of metamorphosis and resistance. For his part, Siegfried, at odds with his father's ambitions, refuses to make a pact with Rothbart, giving the plot modern resonances of commitment and generational conflict.

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The creation, co-produced by several prestigious institutions such as Chaillot - Théâtre national de la Danse, the Biennale de la danse de Lyon, and the Maison de la Danse, would reflect a desire to bring the general public together around a work that is accessible yet thought-provoking. The scenic work would be based on an aesthetic blending narrative sobriety, technology and the symbolic power of bodies, characteristic of Preljocaj's style.

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This ballet would appeal to a wide audience, sensitive to contemporary dance as much as to the great classical stories. Fans of the traditional repertoire would find the main lines of the story of Odette and Siegfried, while spectators curious about new scenic writing would discover a committed and contemporary reading of this universal legend. Because of its symbolic scope and contemporary themes, the show would seem particularly well-suited to teenagers and adults, rather than very young audiences.

This article is based on publicly available information. The show has not been viewed by the editorial staff.

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