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“A mind blowing, beautiful interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s original”

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On the 30th anniversary of Tchaikovsky’s original, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: The Next Generation provides an innovative and exciting theatrical experience.

As someone who has had a love for ballet from a young age, I have seen basically every ballet imaginable at least once, but I was truly blown away by this interpretation of Swan Lake which was unlike anything I have seen before. The use of classical, neo classical and contemporary ballet techniques blended seamlessly together to create interesting and dynamic choreographic decisions which captured the audience’s attention the whole way through. Matthew Bourne continues to be an innovative practitioner in his field.

The all male Ensemble which replaces the traditional female Corp de ballet were phenomenal and remain a legendary aspect of Bourne’s repertoire. Their ability to embody the Swans in both their grace and physicality made the audience not only admire their beauty, but fear them in the later acts. The set and concept itself was wonderfully executed and fit into the story perfectly with nods to the original. My personal favourites were the ballet theatre featuring the box and the bar with themed Swan motif.

The stranger performed by Jackson Fisch, who should also be commended for his performance as the swan, represents the black swan in this interpretation and has a sequence of pas de deux with different characters on stage which was possibly my favourite section of the whole ballet. The contrast between the scene before and after his entrance ending in chaos was shocking to watch and his dynamic movements as a hyponotic and mysterious character were beautifully executed.

The ballet was engaging and took the audience on an emotional journey with comedic elements such as the character of the girlfriend and the corgi and the darker more psychological elements which can only be described as “nightmare fuel”. The swans in the final act becoming a thing of the Prince’s nightmares and appearing from the set almost like magic was unexpected and instilled the audience with morbid curiosity which was satisfied by the harrowing ending.

Many of the dancers within the company have trained with the New Adventures talent development program which supports training dancers from backgrounds with limited access to the arts. The work, dedication and passion put into this show by the production team and the dancers involved is evident to the audience.

Overall I was hugely inspired and impressed by this piece of work and would suggest this to anyone who wants to experience a unique and different interpretation of the winter classic. Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake: The Next Generation is at the Lowry from the 19th- 30th of November.