Swan Lake is one of the most beloved and memorable stories that keeps warming the hearts of both children and adults. Embodied by many ballet studios, it firmly holds its place as one of the most frequently performed ballets all over the world.
Because it is so popular and still regularly performed in theatres and schools, we prepared a list of the most magical backdrops you can use in your next Swan Lake production.
These backdrops can help you bring the show to life and invoke the true magic behind the story, so your audience feels like they are a part of it.
The Original Swan Lake Story
The origin of the Swan Lake story is not exactly clear. It includes elements of a few German and Russian tales, but differs from them in several aspects, like the ending, characters, or the overall direction of the plot.
Whatever the primary source may be, the story solidified itself into history thanks to Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, which goes something like this.
On the day of his birthday, a young prince Siegfried, burdened by his mother’s expectation to find a bride during the next ball, and saddened by the fact that he will probably not marry for love, decides to go hunting with his friends.
While riding through the forest, they come across a lake where a group of swans has just landed. The young prince draws his bow and arrow, aiming at one of the swans. And just when he was about to shoot the arrow, the bird transformed into a beautiful girl. Stunned by her almost unearthly beauty, he drops his weapon and tries to approach her.
At first, she is scared, but he convinces her that he will not hurt her, so she relaxes and introduces herself as Odette. He asks her how and why she transforms from a swan into a human, and she tells him about a curse placed upon her and other swans by an evil warlock, Rothbart. He transformed them into swans, so now, during the day, they all look like swans, but when the night falls, and they come back to the lake, they turn back into humans.
Just when she explained her sad destiny, the evil warlock appeared, and the prince tried to kill him, but Odette stopped him, explaining that if he did that, the curse would never be lifted. That is when she adds that the only way to truly lift the curse is for a pure-hearted man who has never loved before to fall in love with her. After that, Rothbart disappears, and Odette, the prince, and their friends stay together until the first morning light forces all the girls to go to the lake and transform into swans again.
The next day, the prince and his friends returned to the castle, where the court was preparing for the ball. Once the party starts, several princesses are formally introduced to the prince. Among them is Odile, Rothbart’s daughter, disguised as Odette. In the meantime, the real Odette is flying around the castle, trying to warn Siegfried about the disguise.
Once Siegfried sees Odile, thinking she is Odette, he confesses his love to her, only for Rothbart to reveal this treachery. Odette is watching all of that from the castle window, and when she realizes what happened, she flies back to the lake. Prince Siegfried follows her, deeply sad because of what he has done. He tries to apologise, but there is no coming back. Odette, crushed by heavy emotions, decides to take her life, so she throws herself into the lake. Prince Siegfried follows her, and the two of them leave the cruel world behind them.
Their death breaks the curse, and Odette’s friends all turn back into humans.
This ending is quite sad, so some directors decide to go with alternate versions, in which Siegfried’s and Odette’s love conquers Rothbart’s evil spell, and the two of them live happily ever after. This decision usually depends on the nature of the show and the audience. For example, if they are preparing a ballet for children, then they might choose a bit happier ending than the one from the classical version.
Magical Backdrops for Swan Lake
If you are preparing a production of Swan Lake, and you are looking for rentable backdrops that will perfectly blend into the stage and make your audience feel like they are pulled into the story, then you are in the right place. We have prepared a list of the most magical backdrops from our collection.
Lake Scenes
Several scenes from the Swan Lake ballet include the actual lake.
At the beginning of the story, the prince and his friends go to the forest to hunt, and they come across the lake, where he meets Odette.
This scene can be elevated by using our Swan Lake backdrop, which depicts a castle towering over a cliff and overlooking a calm lake. In the foreground of the drop, there are trees with snarled branches that seem to reach out into the night sky, while a full moon hovers overhead. The clouds are dark and foreboding, as if a storm is looming, which can symbolise what follows in the story.
This video shows just how perfect this backdrop is for the scene where the prince first sees the group of swans on the lake.
Blue Lagoon is another backdrop that can elevate this or similar scenes that include the lake. The backdrop features weeping willow trees in the foreground, all against a dark, blue night sky. Up top, a brilliant, full moon sits in the star-filled sky. Reeds and plants are peeking out from the dark, calm waters.
This is what this beautiful backdrop looks like on the stage.
If you are still looking for a perfect lake backdrop, then this Swan Lake Castle might be the one for you. The backdrop depicts a castle overlooking a lake under the moonlight.
With the right lighting, this backdrop can really lift up the scene.
And finally, the Classic Swan Lake backdrop is, just as the name says, a classic. It depicts a romantic nighttime design that harkens back to the time of kings and queens. The castle on this one is surrounded by a moat, and in the foreground stands a small forest of trees with green foliage and thin trunks. The sky is full of dark and foreboding clouds.
This is what one of the versions of this backdrop looks like on a smaller stage.
Castle Interior
The Queen, Siegfried’s mother, is organising a ball, where he is supposed to choose his bride. Unfortunately, Rothbart enchants his daughter Odile, making her look like Odette, so he professes his love to her.
This scene can be put together by using some of our iconic backdrops, like the Grand Ballroom. The backdrop depicts the inside of a large ballroom with an imperial staircase at the center. The staircase begins with two flights of stairs on both sides and leads down to the ballroom’s marble floors. The railings are painted red and marigold and end with two large goblets standing on the newels. In the foreground, a small terrace with marigold moldings and a large door in the back overlooks the scenery.
Just look how beautiful it looks on the stage.
If you are looking for different color combinations, consider our Royal Palace backdrop with a cut door. It depicts the interior of a ballroom with vanilla-colored walls, ornate decorative moldings, and gilded grilles. Two of the windows are shown draped with pink curtains, while the door is depicted as having sidelights flanking it on either side, as well as a grand curved transom window above.
It can perfectly blend into the stage.
And if you want to put more emphasis on the dancers, then this simplistic backdrop that still radiates with royal grandeur might be a good choice. It is called Empire Ballroom with Netting, and it depicts a balcony shielded by deep red drapes with golden trim, tall windows with similar draping, as well as large landscape paintings on the far left and right sides of the drop. Two white and gold Grecian columns stand slightly in front of the paintings.
This is what the same backdrop looks like on the stage.
Take a look at Ballrooms if you want to see more of our ballroom-themed backdrops you can use for Swan Lake production.
Other Scenes
If you are looking for more backdrops that will complete the collection for your next production, do not worry. Here are some of the backdrops that will perfectly blend into other Swan Lake scenes.
For example, for the scene when the Queen tells Siegfried that it is time for him to find a bride, right before he goes hunting, you can use this Colorful Garden backdrop. It depicts a stylized garden with differently colored flowers among tall and short bushes. In the background are tall, thin trees and the bush silhouettes. The sky above is blue with wispy, white clouds.
It really elevates the idea of a royal garden where a Queen would meet with her son.
If you are looking for something more formal, then our Formal Garden backdrop is a good choice. The drop portrays a garden with beautiful, ornate balustrades, pedestals, flower pots, a staircase, and a white building in the distance. A small pond reflects the garden’s luxuriant green color. In the foreground, maroon-and-gold drapes can be seen hanging from the ceiling. There are also two brown columns upon which are placed golden pots with yellow and pink flowers.
The backdrop can really accentuate the royal elegance.
If you are interested in any of these backdrops for rent, do not hesitate to contact us or simply place an order on our website.
Frequently Asked Questions
When it comes to backdrops, our customers often have several repeating questions, so we summarized them here.
What are the best backdrops for Swan Lake?
Some of the best backdrops for Swan Lake include those depicting lakes, castles, castle gardens, and ballrooms.
What themes are included in the backdrops for Swan Lake?
Swan Lake backdrops usually include themes like nature, especially forests and lakes, castles or castle surroundings, and regal ballrooms where the ball takes place.
