You've Never Seen Swan Lake Like This Before

June 27, 2013

And I mean that title two ways!

The English National Ballet just finished a run of Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall in London. But Royal Albert Hall isn’t your average proscenium theater. Instead, it’s a theater in the round:


Photo by Laurent Liotardo

So right off the bat you know this isn’t your everyday production of Swan Lake. The unorthodox stage apparently made for some inventive entrances and exits, among other things. It looks like the evil Von Rothbart, for example, emerged in a cloud of smoke from smack dab in the middle of the floor:


Photo by Laurent Liotardo

The second new perspective you’re going to get on Swan Lake today comes courtesy photographer Laurent Liotardo—who, as you can tell from those last images, was seated high in the balcony during ENB’s performances. He was able to capture the swans’ intricate, ever-shifting formations from above, and the photos are gorgeous in an otherworldly way. They almost feel like moonscapes. Take a look!

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