Sir Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake:New Adventures in China

by Zhao Yue

In 1995， Sir Matthew Bourne， a renowned British choreographer and director， created a new version of Swan Lake. The firmly established British artist， who is well-known for his innovation and creativity， named his own dance company “New Adventures.” Using Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskys musical masterpiece created in the late 19th century， Bourne boldly adapted Swan Lake into a new production. The biggest difference between his version and previous staging was his all-male cast of swans. His version thus became known as the “all-male Swan Lake.”

Since its debut， this version of Swan Lake has maintained popularity in Londons West End and New Yorks Broadway， winning more than 30 international awards. The production made Bourne the only British artist to win the Tony Awards for both Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical. The Tony Awards are considered the highest American theater honor， equivalent to the Oscars for film. However， when recalling his “careful” launch of the production more than two decades ago， Bourne admitted he had “no idea that the show would still be running decades later.” And he likely never imagined the love and enthusiasm Chinese spectators would bestow on his creative and unconventional interpretation of the classic ballet. In mid-August 2019， five years after its debut in China， Sir Matthew Bournes Swan Lake returned to the country for a tour of the five Chinese cities of Shanghai， Harbin， Beijing， Xian and Guangzhou.

Unconventional Innovation

The all-male cast is only one of the two major innovations of Bournes Swan Lake. The other is a drastically different plot.

In Bournes Swan Lake， the story is set in the UK in the 1950s： The prince is living a boring and rigid life. Facing various frustrations including a bad relationship with his controlling mother， pressure of living in the royal family and a breakup with his girlfriend， the prince makes up his mind to commit suicide. Before he can complete the deed， he encounters a group of male swans. The prince is so deeply attracted to the beautiful and free-spirited principal swan that he regains hope for life. However， at a subsequent ball， a stranger resembling the principal swan wins over the queen with a slick， arrogant attitude while completely ignoring the prince. The devastated prince breaks down and dies the next morning. Upon hearing the news of the death of the prince， the principal swan commits suicide.

Some critics and ballet experts once used the word “carnage” to describe the changes to the original plot. However， Ian Wheatstone， tour manager of the new Swan Lake， told China Pictorial that the addition of realism to classic fairy tales and breaking past perfect character designs were both part of Sir Matthew Bournes realistic stage philosophy. Princes and princesses appeared frequently in classical ballets and usually ended up living“happily ever after.” However， Bournes modern adaptations interpret traditional characters from a completely new angle. When the princes and princesses face the same problems as ordinary people， they become as imperfect as regular folks and seem more real. Spectators see a weak and scandal-ridden prince in the new Swan Lake. The storys setting in 1950s London creates an even stronger sense of reality for audience.

The all-male cast of swans is the most glaring breakthrough in this revival of Swan Lake. “In classical ballet， female dancers clearly occupy a dominant position，” noted Max Westwell， who danced as the principal swan in the China tour. He argued that the flock of menacing and masculine swans in Bournes staging better showcased the wild charm and power of the bird. Male swans wipe away images of ballerinas embedded into the psyche of dance lovers， and the production inspired young male dancers to set their sights on center stage.

Flourishing China-UK Cultural Exchange

For Chinese dance lovers and the wider public， Sir Matthew Bournes productions are becoming familiar. In 2014， the new Swan Lake first landed in Shanghai and immediately caused a sensation. Two years later， Sir Matthew Bourne took his Sleeping Beauty to China. In front of an awe-inspiring gothic set， the rewrite of the classic romance delivered a more complicated story to the Chinese audience. In 2018， he staged Cinderella set in World War II during the London Blitz as the city was being regularly bombed， which was also well received by Chinese critics and spectators alike. In 2019， the new Swan Lake flew back to China， and in 2020， Bournes The Red Shoes adapted from the Academy Award-winning movie of the same name is scheduled to visit China. Bourne revealed that he often sits among the audience to watch his own productions to understand the audiences responses better and more directly. “The Chinese audience is quite unique and I am eager to know how they interpret things differently，” he said.