Swan Lake

Ballet and dance

A princess cursed. A prince deceived. A love immortal. Classical ballet's most powerful story returns in Liam Scarlett’s spectacular production for The Royal Ballet, bringing together Tchaikovsky’s towering score and John Macfarlane’s picturesque designs.

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The Royal Ballet dancer Fumi Kaneko wears a white tutu and feathered headdress stands en pointe. She is embraced from behind by The Royal Ballet dancer Vadim Muntagirov who is wearing a black soldiers uniform. Slightly blurred from view, behind the two dancers, are a group of ballet dancers wearing the same white tutus and feathered headdresses. They are performing in The Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake.

How to watch
Dates and cast
About
Synopsis
Creatives
Discover
Reviews
Access and resources

How to watch

Watch on stage At the cinema Stream at home

Not yet on sale

General booking opens on 21 October 2026

Priority booking dates

Booking Period 2 26/27

Dates

27 March - 31 May 2027

Location

Main Stage

Approximate timings

The performance lasts approximately 3 hours, including two intervals.

Accessibility

Audio Described
Captioned
Touch Tour

Expand all dates

Saturday 27 March, 1:00 pm

Saturday 27 March, 7:00 pm

Wednesday 31 March, 7:30 pm

Show all dates until 31 May 2027

Guidance

Content suitable for all. Children under the age of five are not permitted into our theatres. Children over the age of five must have their own ticket and sit next to an accompanying adult.

Contains themes of suicide.

Generous support from

Exceptional philanthropic support from

Royal Ballet and Opera Principal The Julia Rausing Trust

Generous philanthropic support from

Alex and Elena Gerko, Kenneth and Susan Green, Philipp Freise, Lindsay and Sarah Tomlinson, Doug and Ceri King, Stephen and Dina Lucas and Royal Ballet and Opera Patrons

The 2026/27 Royal Ballet Season is generously supported by

Aud Jebsen

Production generously sponsored by

Schools' Matinees are generously supported by

The Taylor Family Foundation, The Gerald and Gail Ronson Family Foundation and David and Molly Lowell Borthwick

Synopsis

A princess cursed. A prince deceived. A love immortal – classical ballet’s most powerful tale returns.

The story of Swan Lake

Princess Odette is bound by a terrible curse: transformed into a swan by day by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. The spell can only be broken with a pledge of eternal love. When she meets Prince Siegfried, he is immediately enamoured by her fragile beauty and vows to free her. But Von Rothbart conspires to thwart the lovers’ plans.

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Creatives

The artists and creatives behind the production

Choreography

Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov

Additional choreography

Liam Scarlett, Frederick Ashton

Music

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

Production

Liam Scarlett

Designer

John Macfarlane

Lighting Designer

David Finn

Discover

An Enduring Classic

The history

Swan Lake was Tchaikovsky’s first score for ballet. Given its status today as arguably the best loved and most admired of all classical ballets, it is perhaps surprising that at its premiere in 1877, it was poorly received. It is thanks to the 1895 production by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov that Swan Lake has become part of not only ballet consciousness but also wider popular culture. That success is secured not only by the sublime, symphonic sweep of Tchaikovsky’s score, but also by the striking choreographic contrasts between Petipa’s royal palace scenes and the lyric lakeside scenes created by Ivanov. In popular culture, the premise of Swan Lake and the imagery associated with the ballet has inspired films such as Funny Girl (1968) and Black Swan (2010) and pop artists such as Taylor Swift.

The Ultimate Ballet Spectacle

The production

Swan Lake has had a special role in the repertory of The Royal Ballet since 1934. Since then, there has been a succession of productions, the most recent of which was a new production created in 2018 with additional choreography by Liam Scarlett. Scarlett, while remaining faithful to the Petipa-Ivanov text, brought fresh eyes to the staging of this classic ballet, collaborating with designer John Macfarlane, who has also designed some of Scarlett’s other works. Macfarlane’s painterly sets and impressive costuming set the scene, providing the majestic backdrop for all the passion and deception of Swan Lake.

Dance Highlight: Dance of the Cygnets

Gallery

A view from above onto a dark set stage with several ballet dancers wearing white tutus and white feathered headdresses standing en pointe in a triangle shaped formation. They perform in front of a dark rock front and the background is dark, moody skies. They are performing in The Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake. (1 of 5) — Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet, © 2018 ROH. Photographed by Bill Cooper

A ballet dancer wearing a black tutu and ornate tiara looks directly towards the audience. She is embraced from behind by another dancer wearing a long, embroidered dress jacket. Several dancers stand behind them on the stage. They are performing in The Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake. (2 of 5) — Fumi Kaneko as Odette/Odile and Lukas B. Brændsrød as Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet ©2024 ROH. Photographed by Andrej Uspenski

Four ballet dancers wearing white tutus and white feather headdresses perform together on stage in front of a moody sky backdrop and a sharp rock face. They are performing as swans in The Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake. (3 of 5) — Ashley Dean, Sophie Allnatt, Sae Maeda and Charlotte Tonkinson as Cygnets in Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet ©2022 ROH. Photographed by Tristram Kenton

Several ballet dancers in traditional Russian costumes perform on stage that is set like an ornate ballroom with a curved staircase. (4 of 5) — Dancers of The Royal Ballet in Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet

A groups of Royal Ballet dancers wear white tutus with white feathered headdresses and hold hands as they all stand en pointe. They are performing as swans in The Royal Ballet's production of Swan Lake. (5 of 5) — Dancers of The Royal Ballet in Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet

Reviews

Accessibility and resources

There is lift access and there are step-free routes to over 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre. Some seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony, Amphitheatre and the Donald Gordon Grand Tier are accessed by 9 steps or fewer. There are 10 steps or more to access seats in the Orchestra Stalls.

You can use the assistive listening systems in our auditoriums. Surtitles, captions and translations in English are displayed on screens above the stage and around the auditorium.

Join our Access Scheme for priority access to tickets and to inform us of your access requirements.

See our Accessibility page for more information or view a visitors guide (PDF, 12.0 MB).