Not your father's Swan Lake

Matthew Bournes' breakout version of Swan Lake may have debuted more than ten years ago, but that doesn't mean it isn't still thrilling audiences around the world. Bourne took the rather staid, well worn classic (set to music by Tchaikovsky) and completely reinvigorated it by casting it with all men and, most importantly, as a love story between two men. It's still a tragedy about doomed love, but Bourne managed to take make it fresh and relevant, not just with the same-sex storyline, but with his striking choreography. It was undoubtedly controversial, but Bourne cleverly showed how to take something out of the past and make it relevant to the present.

His version of Swan Lake is now in rehearsals in Melbourne and I thought it interesting to post some pics from the rehearsals.

The Prince and his lover

Is it real or just a fevered dream?

The jealous swans

The lead swan

And a promotional still. The real swans don't seem terribly impressed, do they?