#Most difficult difficult ballet moves full#

Siegfried is drawn to her and they dance together. But he’s still thinking about Odette and tells his mother he can’t marry any of these women.Īt that moment, two new guests arrive: Von Rothbart and his daughter Odile, transformed to resemble Odette. We’re at his mother’s ball and she’s brought five prospective brides for him to meet. The Plot: This is when things begin to really go sideways for Siegfried. Also keep an eye out for one special moment for the four shortest girls in the corps de ballet: they’ll dance together holding crisscrossed hands and moving their feet and heads in perfect sync. Odette should really give a sense of being both a woman and a swan in this act-or a woman used to spending most of her time as a swan.

#Most difficult difficult ballet moves full#

Their ports de bras (movements of the arms) are particularly famous: a ripple through the full length of the arm, beginning at the shoulder blade and extending all the way to the fingertips. What Should I Look For? This is maybe the most famous scene in all of ballet: Odette and her dozens of swans, all dressed in white tutus, dance together, moving and breathing as one. At daybreak, the two part, Odette returning to her swan form and Siegfried heading off to his mom’s party with a secret of his own.

Siegfried jumps on the opportunity and declares his love. But there is a way out-if a man promises his love and remains faithful, the curse will be broken, and Odette and all her friends will be free. She tells him her whole sad story: evil sorcerer, swan during the day, woman at night. The Plot: That swan Siegfried sees? Turns out that’s Odette, who transforms back into a woman right as he’s about to shoot. Yuan Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets in Tomasson’s Swan Lake // © Erik Tomasson

Full of tricky steps and opportunities for each dancer to shine, this dance offers a chance for a few principal dancers to show their stuff, or for a few up-and-comers to make a big impression.

Also, keep an eye out for the “pas de trois,” a short piece danced by two women and a man. What Should I Look For? This is where we first meet Siegfried and start to understand his motivations: watch how he interacts with his friends, and also for his solo, which is full of big arabesques and long, reaching movements that suggest his yearning for a different life. Aha! Taking that new crossbow out for a spin will really help his mood. But just as he’s really getting upset, he notices a flock of swans. Though pleased about the new weapon, he’s not so pleased about the order to get married. The Queen lets Siegfried know that she’ll be hosting a ball the next day and has invited a variety of princesses to attend. And even worse, she comes bearing bad news: it’s time to get married. He’s enjoying the festivities-that is, until his mom shows up. The Plot: Prince Siegfried is turning twenty-one, and his friends are throwing him a party. San Francisco Ballet in Tomasson’s Swan Lake // © Erik Tomasson Notice how this brief interlude might change your perception of the story that’s to come. We meet her as a woman, instead of as a swan, and we meet her in the middle of her story, instead of being told about it via mime later on. This moment isn’t about dancing, but rather about introducing Odette. What Should I Look For? Many productions of Swan Lake jump right into Act I, but Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson wanted his production to start here, with just our heroine and our villain. Evil sorcerer Von Rothbart appears and, before Odette can escape, transforms her into a swan.

Now if this were a horror movie, you’d know this isn’t going to end well-and, indeed, it doesn’t. The Plot: The ballet opens with young Princess Odette taking a walk alone by a lake.

What Will I See? The story begins with a young woman named Odette. Who’s It For? Fans of movies that make you cry, Olympic-level athletics, and bird-watching. In Short? Tragic love a Tchaikovsky score and swans, swans, and more swans.

That history-plus the high drama, thrilling dancing, and gorgeous music in Helgi Tomasson’s 2009 production of Swan Lake-make it one of SF Ballet’s most popular productions. Thanks in part to this ballet’s prevalence in pop culture (think: Natalie Portman in Black Swan, but also, Rudolf Nureyev on The Muppets or Taylor Swift’s ballerinas in Shake It Off), swans and ballet have become nearly synonymous in the cultural imagination. What Is It? Ballet’s most famous love story, featuring one of the art form’s most iconic roles.