Backstage: Swan Lake

Czech Television time-lapse documentary about a new production of the most famous classical ballet title – Swan Lake at the National Theatre in Prague.

Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky in Cranko's choreography presents brilliant performances by soloists and corps de ballet, the stage set and costumes, and a deep emotional experience. Swan Lake is one of the most famous classical ballet titles and is undoubtedly the most staged and attended ballet performance. Although at first glance the ballet is far from the prosaic reality of everyday life, it can still catch the audience by heart, at any time and in almost every scenic processing.

A total of 12 versions of Swan Lake have been staged at the National Theatre in Prague. A new version of this immortal story is presented by the National Ballet in the choreography of the famous creator John Cranko, one of the world's leading choreographers, who created this work shortly before his tragic death. His aim was to capture the romantic atmosphere and merge the splendor of the whole concept with some degree of intimacy. The Czech National Theatre Ballet is the first large ensemble to obtain permission to stage this work outside the home theatre scene of the Stuttgart Ballet.

The current version is the thirteenth production of this immortal title at the National Theatre and will surely become a great ballet event not only in the Czech Republic but also in the European context. In our documentary we follow the whole creative process from the beginning of the rehearsals to the premiere in March 2019.

English title Backstage: Swan Lake
TV Director Renata Šáchová
Production Company Czech Television
Production year 2019