Video of ‘A Swan Lake’

“Swan Lake” is the world’s best-known ballet. But why is it so famous? Why are we so fascinated at seeing people performing as birds on stage, and why exactly is it swans? These are some of the questions choreographer Alexander Ekman has asked himself about “A Swan Lake.”

The video of the dance will be shown at Design Society this Saturday.

“Swan Lake” premiered at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow in 1877, to the music of Tchaikovsky. What many people do not know is that the original version was a major fiasco and quickly forgotten. Not until Petipa/Ivanov’s new production eight years later did the ballet achieve recognition. This first “forgotten” version of “Swan Lake” interested Ekman; it is a work about which we know nothing. Now he has undertaken the recreation of the ballet’s original form, freely poeticizing.

Ekman is resident choreographer at the Dutch Dance Theater. “A Swan Lake” is his first time working on a full-length narrative ballet. The complete Norwegian National Ballet is managing the construction of costumes designed by Danish designer Henrik Vibskov. The Norwegian National Opera Orchestra plays Mikael Karlsson’s music, with references to Tchaikovsky’s original work. Ekman has created “A Swan Lake” with a whole company, a full orchestra in the pit and a real lake on the stage.

Time: 3:30-6 p.m., April 21

Venue: Mountain View Theater (境山剧场)

PechaKucha Night

PechaKucha Night, also called PKN, is coming to Shenzhen! A fast-and-snappy presentation in which each speaker shows 20 slides for 20 seconds each, is meant to keep presentations concise and fast-paced, facilitating the multiple-speaker events.

The Saturday night’s speakers are architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein, theater founder Yang Qian, storyteller Trey Hobbs, diver Dada Li, barista Liu Hsiang-yi, new media artist Li Yu and violinist Jodi Hu.

The first speakers will be founders of PKN and British architects Dytham and Klein. After working for Japanese architect Toyo Ito for two years, they established their own firm in Tokyo, where they remain one of only a handful of young foreign-run practices in Japan. Their work combines East and West, incorporating both traditional and contemporary components.

Speaker Yang is the founder of Fat Bird Theater, the first experimental drama theater in Shenzhen. He is also a visiting professor at the school of architecture at the University of Shenzhen. In a cross between architecture and drama, he will bring an engaging segment to the PKN.

Speaker Hobbs is not only an amazing storyteller, but also a good listener. A lot of people have been telling their stories in his event and here is a great chance to enjoy the story from Hobbs himself.

Time: 8-11 p.m., April 21

Venue: Coastal Stairs (滨海大台阶)

Add: Design Society|Sea World Culture and Arts Center, 1187 Wanghai Road, Shekou, Nanshan District (南山区蛇口望海路1187号设计互联|海上世界文化艺术中心)

Metro: Line 2 to Sea World Station (海上世界站), Exit A(SD News)