The great era of Imperial Russian ballet, crowned by Marius Petipa’s and Lev Ivanov’s transcendent Swan Lake in 1895, is one I can fervently analyze, discuss and simply revel in. French choreographer Petipa almost singlehandedly defined the virtuosic full-length narrative ballet, most notably its structure and grand pas deux (including Odile’s frenzy-generating 32 fouettes). The familiar story, though fantastical, has long provided fodder for intense psychosexual dissection, often with a feminist bent. Understandable - considering the unsettling premise of an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, who transforms maidens into swans and holds them captive.
