The Pennsylvania Ballet presents Swan Lake

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Sunday, February 18, 2018
6abc Loves the Arts: Swan Lake
6abc Loves the Arts: Swan Lake. Karen Rogers reports during Action News Mornings on February 18, 2018.

Swan Lake is world-renowned for its iconic score and choreography, and the Pennsylvania Ballet is debuting an all new action-packed version of the dance.

"I don't think there's anyone in the world that doesn't know the story of Swan Lake," says Angel Corella, Artistic Director of the Pennsylvania Ballet who vows that If you've seen the company perform the ballet before, you haven't seen it like this. "It's a lot more energetic. There's a lot more dancing. There's a lot more technical difficulties for the dancers. But at the same time, it makes it very exciting, very fresh."

The beloved story remains the same. Prince Siegfried falls in love with the Queen of Swans who is cursed by an evil sorcerer.

"So during the day, she's a normal swan but when it gets into the evening she turns into a woman," explains Corella.

The spell can only be broken by true love, and the show follows their journey of romance, adventure and betrayal.

"It's a great ballet for the whole family," says Corella who promises a theatrical performance with a lot of action. "In the third act, there's a little explosion when the black swan tricks the prince."

It's all brought to life with the iconic Tchaikovsky score.

"Such beautiful strong music," says Corella. "There are moments where you actually could hear almost the music crying."

The costumes came directly from Corella's former studio in Spain.

"They're very lavish, a lot of velvet, a lot of colors that sort of evokes the period," he says.

And with a total of six different casts, Corella adds, you'll never see the same show twice, "It's actually a very beautiful production, beautiful to the eye but also beautiful to the soul."

The Pennsylvania Ballet performs Swan Lake March 8-18 at the Academy of Music. For tickets and showtimes visit The Arts in Philly.