The Royal Opera Ballet Cinema Series one night showings at a Boston area theater:  SWAN LAKE on Thursday March 19, and La Fille Mal Gardee  on Tuesday May 5!

TO ENTER-TO-WIN TICKETS PLEASE E-MAIL FATHOMEVENTSBOSTON@GMAIL.COM WITH YOUR FULL NAME, AGE, MAILING ADDRESS AND “JOYCE-BALLET ” IN THE SUBJECT LINE.

Swan Lake
March 19
Swan Lake, surely the greatest of all Romantic ballets, is the captivating story of a beautiful woman transformed into a swan, and a heart-rending tribute to the power of love. Swan Lake is a perfect synthesis of choreography and music and, though Tchaikovsky did not live to see it become a success, his first ballet score is now synonymous with ballet itself, inspiring generations of dancers and crossing over into popular culture.  From the earliest days of the Vic Wells Ballet, Swan Lake has been one of The Royal Ballet’s signature works. In creating this production, Anthony Dowell aimed to return to an authentic version of the choreography created by the great Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov for the Mariinsky Theatre in 1895. Yolanda Sonnabend’s designs draw on the Russian Imperial Court of that period with an inspired blend of historical accuracy and gothic fantasy. The court scenes of Acts I and III have a dark glamour rooted in the opulent style of Carl Faberg?, while the famous lakeside ‘white’ acts are rich with mist, shadow and moonlight.

La Fille Mal Gardee

May 5

Frederick Ashton’s final full-length ballet is one of his most joyous creations, inspired by his love for the Suffolk countryside. It is based on an 1828 French ballet and the music was adapted by John Lanchbery from Ferdinand Hérold’s original score. La Fille mal gardée was a resounding success on its premiere in 1960 and has remained a firm favourite in The Royal Ballet’s repertory. The title translates as ‘The Wayward Daughter’. La Fille displays some of Ashton’s most virtuosic choreography – the youthful passion of Lise and her lover, Colas, is expressed in a series of energetic pas de deux. The ballet is laced with good humour and a whirl of dancing chickens, grouchy guardians and halfwit suitors take to the stage. Ashton affectionately incorporated elements of national folk dance into his choreography, from a Lancashire clog dance to a maypole dance, making La Fille mal gardée (despite its title) The Royal Ballet’s most emphatically English work. Osbert Lancaster’s colourful designs reinforce the robust wit of the production.