After a six-year wait, the globally acclaimed Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake has returned to the Guangzhou Opera House from September 12th to 14th as part of the 5th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. A new generation of dancers showcased the power and wild beauty of the swans.

Since its premiere at London's Sadler's Wells in 1995, Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake has captivated audiences with its groundbreaking creativity. The production has become the longest-running full-length ballet in London's West End and on Broadway, with performances across the UK, the United States, Russia, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Israel, Singapore, and China, among others. It has also won over 30 international theater awards. Over its 30-year history, it has had a profound influence on the ballet industry, live performances, and popular culture.

The story is based on the Russian romantic work Swan Lake, from which it takes the music by Tchaikovsky and the broad outline of the plot. For the creation of this version of Swan Lake, Bourne spent considerable time studying the features and behaviors of swans. He remarked, "Swans are incredibly powerful creatures. Their wings resemble the muscle structure of males, full of tension. Only male dancers can truly embody the strength and power of the swan." 

In this reimagined version, Bourne innovatively cast an all-male ensemble to portray the swans, showcasing their wild and powerful beauty. Bourne believes that the Prince is clearly searching for something different, and the swans represent everything missing in his life: freedom and wildness.

马修・伯恩《天鹅湖》暌违六年再临广州

时隔六载，享誉全球的马修·伯恩舞剧《天鹅湖》作为第五届粤港澳大湾区文化艺术节入选剧目于9月12日至14日再临广州大剧院，新世代舞者尽展天鹅的力量与野性美。

马修・伯恩舞剧《天鹅湖》自1995年在伦敦萨德勒威尔斯剧院首演以来，便以颠覆性的创意震惊世界。这部作品成为伦敦西区和百老汇上演时间最长的芭蕾舞剧，曾在英国、美国、俄罗斯、澳大利亚、韩国、日本、以色列、新加坡和中国等地演出，并曾获得了30多个国际戏剧奖项。问世30年来，其对芭蕾产业、现场演出、流行文化的影响极其深远。

故事基于俄罗斯浪漫经典芭蕾《天鹅湖》改编而成，沿用了柴可夫斯基的音乐和情节梗概。为了《天鹅湖》的创作，马修·伯恩大量观察天鹅的神态特征，他曾说：“天鹅是一种强悍的生灵，翅膀与男性肌肉组织非常相像，充满了张力，只有男性舞者才能如实表现出它的力量和威力。”因此在该版《天鹅湖》中他颠覆经典，大胆起用了全男班舞者饰演天鹅，一展天鹅的野性与力量美。他认为王子显然在追寻着某种与众不同的东西，天鹅象征着他生命中缺席的一切：自由和野性。

文｜记者 艾修煜
图｜广州大剧院提供
译丨黄宇洁
英文审校丨王枥焓