Le Lac des Cygnes

Rachel Beaujean, choreography | Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski, music Colin Richmond, set design, décors and costumes | Alastair West, lighting | Uzma Hameed, dramaturgy Ballet de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux | Éric Quilleré, dance director Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine Maria Seletskaja, (from 9 to 23 December), Judith Yan (from 26 December to 3 January), conductor Created in 1877 to Tchaïkovski’s enchanting music, Le Lac des cygnes has continuously evolved, from Marius Petipa to Rudolf Noureev.

This new version by Rachel Beaujean and Colin Richmond offers an interpretation that deepens the psychological dimension of the characters: Odette is no longer merely a victim; she chooses her own destiny.

Between nature and society, she asserts a freedom that the world denies her. Carried by the elegance of the score, this production highlights contemporary themes — domination, heritage, emancipation — and restores the ballet’s full dramatic scope.

Here, the final metamorphosis is no longer an inevitability; it is an act of freedom. Coproduction Northern Ballet, Opéra National de Bordeaux Ateliers du Northern Ballet et de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux