Characters & Choreography

Odette—a princess turned swan by an evil spell—exemplifies innocent, ethereal beauty. She is kind, forgiving, and ever hopeful. She sacrifices herself for what (and who) she loves. Like the swan form she inhabits, her steps are feathery and soft. She is eternally graceful. Her movement is characterized by a smooth, sweeping quality. She often illustrates the ballet’s characteristic swan arms: one, or both arms overhead, softly curved, and the palm turned upwards to resemble the elegant curve of a swan’s neck. Her choreography features sustained balances en pointe (standing on the tip of a pointe shoe, the ends of one’s toes); delicate bourrees (tiny, quick traveling steps en pointe that give the illusion of floating) and quick chaines (fast traveling turns with heels close to each other). 

Odile is Von Rothbart's daughter, who distracts the prince from his vow to Odette. She is also known as the “Black Swan” and it is her role that displays the iconic 32 fouettés (whipping, sequential turns on one leg) in the climax of her solo. This moment has become a cornerstone of classical ballet—a skill that many ballerinas spend years striving to achieve. The fouettés highlight Odile’s general movement style and character: she is strong, independent, fierce, precise, and magnetizing. She grabs attention!  

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The young and carefree prince begins the ballet celebrating his birthday. His mother beckons him to find a wife to marry, but Prince Siegfried doesn't want to be bothered by such things until he meets Odette, whose beauty charms him. In the beginning, the prince is boyish and unburdened, but as the ballet progresses, he matures through both his love for Odette and his betrayal mistake. His dancing is typical of male Russian Imperial choreography: open chest, taking up space, and extended limbs with chin upturned. Siegfried is unique because his dancing transforms as his character emotionally matures. His movement becomes empathetic to how Odette and the swans move and even takes on some of their qualities.

Von Rothbart is often depicted as half-bird, half-man (perhaps explaining why his spell turns women into swans), with either a mask or heavy makeup that draws his eyes outwards and compliments his leering smirk. In this form, he also wears a cape, which adds to his mysterious nature. Don't let this photo of final bows fool you! Von Rothbart's movement style accentuates his evil nature: he lurks, slinks, bends low, hunches, and usually moves with a curved, rather than upright or open, stature, indicating that he hides his intentions from the people with whom he interacts. 

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Swan Lake offers one of the most impressive corps de ballets (ensemble dancers). The swans who accompany Odette are striking examples of the corps de ballet in action. These swans, twenty or more dressed alike in white tutus and pointe shoes, create mesmerizing uniformity that takes immense precision and technical skill to accomplish. They run, turn, and seemingly float across stage to form large-scale configurations that guide, shield, and/or block other characters. Even though they are supposedly indistinguishable from each other, their group identity is critical. They function like a flock, even creating V-like flying patterns. Their loyalty to and protection of Odette (and later Siegfried) emphasizes the steadfast nature of love that Swan Lake imparts to viewers. 

One of the most iconic choreographies in the corps de ballet, the four little swans requires extreme synchronicity to achieve the sharp, upbeat, tiny steps--all while being woven together in the infamous crossed arm position. While all the group elements of the ballet require a sense of sameness, this part particularly emphasizes the coordination needed to be a swan in the flock of the corps.