This moving romantic fairy tale caused shivers over 100 years ago. Like Tchaikovsky's famous ballet music of the same name, Van Dantzig's Swan Lake still manages to touch a sensitive chord with new generations of spectators. The first and so far only Dutch production of the 'ballet of ballets' was not only labeled by virtually all newspapers as a milestone in Dutch dance history, but also - according to the critics - far preferable to many foreign interpretations of Swan Lake.
Tchaikovsky
Van Dantzig drew much of his inspiration for Swan Lake (1988) from Tchaikovsky's music as well as his letters and diaries. The choreographer interpreted the basic premise of the ballet - the boy who is supposed to acquire a bride and fails - as a direct reflection of the life of the composer, who, it is now generally assumed, was homosexual.