News Release

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Modern telling of ‘Swan Lake’ 
coming to UNC’s Memorial Hall

By MARK STEFFEN
Carolina Performing Arts Series

CHAPEL HILL — The Carolina Ballet will perform "Swan Lake," considered the most popular ballet of all time, at 8 p.m. Feb. 4 and 2 p.m. Feb. 5 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Memorial Hall performance will be part of the 2005-2006 Carolina Performing Arts Series.

Carolina Ballet Artistic Director Robert Weiss choreographed the updated version using a recent book by Viennese children’s writer and illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger as inspiration.

The production’s sets, costumes and story line are based on the book’s rich illustrations and text. Zwerger, a recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Lifetime Achievement, said she was pleased to give the project her blessing.

Critics have noted that Weiss’ version is a more modern telling of the old classic, with more emphasis placed on the evil sorcerer Rothbart. The New York Times called the updated Rothbart "a real antithesis" to Prince Siegfried, the central character of "Swan Lake."

This production’s more uplifting and optimistic ending is closer to Tchaikovsky’s original 1877 version, differing from the more tragic endings that have become commonplace since "Swan Lake" was reworked in 1893 after Tchaikovsky’s death.

The Carolina Ballet is widely regarded as one of the top 10 ballet companies in the United States. A reviewer for News & Observer of Raleigh once wrote, "Carolina Ballet achieves front-rank status, confirmed by the extreme technical confidence and sublime artistic commitment of its dancers."

Single tickets – $28 to $60 for the public and $10 for Carolina students – are available by calling (919) 843-3333, or from the Memorial Hall box office on Cameron Avenue, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Carolina students should call the box office for purchasing information.

On performance days, the box office is open from 10 a.m. until intermission weekdays and noon until intermission on weekends. For more information, e-mail performingarts@unc.edu or visit www.unc.edu/performingarts. 

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/memorial/carolina_ballet.jpg

Website: www.carolinaballet.com

Carolina Performing Arts Series contact: Jennifer Smith, (919) 966-3834 or jwsmith@unc.edu
News Services contacts: Print, L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589; broadcast, Karen Moon,

(919) 962-8595