Discover Your Dark Side
SWAN LAKE tells a tale of enchantment, true love, and sacrifice in a fairytale world full of dark magic and deceit. Set to Tchaikovsky’s timeless score and featuring breathtaking costumes and scenery by Robert Perdziola, this production has been hailed as a “spellbinder” by THE BOSTON GLOBE.
The real magic behind the production isn’t sorcery—it’s hundreds of rehearsal hours, thousands of jewels, and countless hard-working Company members. Get the inside scoop on how this darkly poetic story comes to life.
Did You Know?
1. A total of 125 costumes appear on stage in a single performance of Swan Lake, but approximately 170 are made to accommodate multiple casts.
2. Each costume in Swan Lake is incredibly labor intensive. Every tutu has over 200 hand-tied tacks, each swan headpiece is finished with a handmade pearl centerpiece, and the tiaras for the Princess and Pas de Cinq are laser cut in leather before they are hand-painted and jeweled.
3. There are over 4,000 crystal jewels on each costume for Odile, the Black Swan.
4. Despite what the title of the ballet suggests, no actual feathers are used for the production’s costumes. Instead, the swan “feathers” are made of hand-painted organza ribbon. Over 25 yards of ribbon go into making a single swan costume.
5. In addition to Boston Ballet’s own Costume Shop and Wardrobe team, a combination of six costume shops from around the country collaborated to produce the costumes for Swan Lake.
