The swan lake. As soon as the title of this ultimate classical ballet is mentioned, images and associations almost automatically come to mind for most of us: a lake in the moonlight, the dance of the little swans, Prince Siegfried who is torn between his love for the White Swan Odette and the temptations of the Black Swan Odile, and the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart who manipulates everything and everyone. Countless traditional versions and modern interpretations and parodies of Swan Lake have been created, both on stage and on screen. Does that mean that there is nothing more to say about Swan Lake? Certainly not! Eric Gauthier, artistic director of Gauthier Dance/Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, asked four contemporary top choreographers to give their vision on the 'ballet of ballets'. The four creations – by Marie Chouinard, Marco Goecke, Hofesh Shechter and Cayetano Soto – are not intended as one full-length work, but as 'Swan Lakes in the plural': four separate, stylistically completely different choreographies by four makers who, starting from a well-known story, each giving a completely new meaning and interpretation to Swan Lake.
Sensual experience
In her contribution to Swan Lakes, internationally acclaimed Canadian avant-garde choreographer Marie Chouinard, who has been internationally acclaimed for decades, immerses the audience in a sensual experience, merging dance, electronic music - a reworking of Tchaikovsky's famous ballet music - and video projections. The desires, fantasies and dreams of all those who have no home, no place and no choice are an important starting point for the dark, extremely physical contribution of the Israeli, politically committed hit choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter.
Magical transformation
In his contribution to Swan Lakes, Spaniard Cayetano Soto – who has been loved by dancers and audiences of Gauthier Dance for years with his flamboyant choreographies – makes visible the magical moment of the transformation from human to animal, from woman to swan. Swan Lake has long been a source of inspiration for 'artist in residence' Marco Goecke: he previously created, among other things, a sublime contemporary version of the famous Black Swan pas de deux. In his new creation for Swan Lakes, he explores with a group of male dancers 'what the ballet dream of the ultimate classical ballet could look like today'.
