The words “Swan Lake” evoke images of graceful female dancers wrapped in celestial tulle and glistening feathers. The ballet, written by Tchaikovsky, is synonymous with elegance, sophistication and femininity. Or it was, until legendary choreographer Matthew Bourne subverted age-old conventions.
Beginning December 4th at Sadler’s Wells, using a predominantly male cast, Bourne seeks to explore the swan’s more aggressive and masculine side.
In 1875, when Tchaikovsky composed Swan Lake, he suppressed his homosexuality – nearly committing suicide after marrying a young female music student. His music became an outlet for his frustrations. Finding an outlet for personal turmoil hits close to home for Sam Salter, who has dealt with his own demons to become a homegrown break-out star.
Beginning December 4th at Sadler’s Wells, using a predominantly male cast, Bourne seeks to explore the swan’s more aggressive and masculine side. Photo: Sadler’s Wells
On a recent sunny afternoon at the Southbank Centre, Sam discussed how social media has created a new breed of dancer, facing harsher scrutiny than ever: “I know that people often talk about women and body anxiety, however for men it is just as exhausting. We’re constantly being shown to men who are leaner, taller, more muscular, and it breeds insecurity.”
Indeed, the promotional pictures for Swan Lake show the muscular physicality of the male swan. Sam describes how he has thrown his anxious energy into work and exercise. When not performing, he is running, taking interval classes and uploading selfies to Instagram. He notes he receives more likes when he wears fewer clothes and his followers often now expect him ‘shirtless’ – another byproduct of the world of social media.
Sam Salter, who is part of the production, has dealt with his own demons to become a homegrown break-out star. Photo: Holly Fleet
But Salter is determined to battle on. Coming out as gay in his teenage years and battling alcoholism in his twenties, he now finds his feet in Bourne’s Swan Lake.
Bourne acknowledges the visceral nature of the production. “There’s a power and violence in the music (of Swan Lake) that doesn’t come across in classical productions,” Bourne said, in an interview with The Guardian. In the turbulent and unsettled times we live in, Bourne’s Swan Lake can be viewed as catharsis, where people unwind and forget the day’s troubles.
Beginning December 4th at Sadler’s Wells, using a predominantly male cast, Bourne seeks to explore the swan’s more aggressive and masculine side. Photo: Sadler’s Wells
Bourne’s Swan Lake will also educate an audience on the importance of breaking gender boundaries and exploring sexual identity in ballet. There is undoubtedly a need to facilitate diversity in the ballet world. As Misty Copeland, the first African-American dancer to become principal at the American Ballet Theatre, said: “When it comes to the ballet world, it’s always been extremely challenging for minorities to exist and to thrive.”
An art form that has traditionally been perceived as “upper class”, “white”, and “heterosexual”, Bourne’s Swan Lake looks to feature dancers who are diverse and engaging regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation or religion. The majority of dancers are not from a ballet-trained background, after Bourne held open auditions attended by more than 400 dancers.
As a society, we try our best to be accepted – looking for likes on social media, or depicting a lifestyle that is not entirely truthful.
It is no coincidence, then, that when asked about the message of his modernised Swan Lake, Bourne said: “I think the piece moves people because it has a message about looking for acceptance, but it also moves people because it’s about loss as well, and it’s about people that you’ve lost.”
Swan Lake begins on 4th December at Sadlers Wells. https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2018/matthew-bournes-swan-lake/