In times of crisis, the Soviet Union turned to something unexpected to calm the masses
At times of political instability and crisis, Soviet authorities turned to Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet to inspire calm and patriotic fervour. Today, it is a means of standing up against the regime
Surely the most famous ballet in the world is Swan Lake, by Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. And if there’s an argument for another ballet being more popular, then chances are it will be one of his other contributions, such as The Sleeping Beauty (1889) or The Nutcracker (1892).
Swan Lake tells the doomed love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a beautiful princess cursed to transform into a swan during the day after the evil Baron Von Rothbart put a spell on her. The only way she can be freed is for a person to declare their undying love for her and remain faithful.
Before Siegfried can break the spell, however, he is tricked by Rothbart into choosing his daughter, Odile, disguised as Odette, as his bride. The real Odette, knowing that Siegfried’s vow of love has been broken, throws herself into the lake to drown. Siegfried follows her into death.
That is the most common denouement: over the years and countless versions, there have been a myriad alternative endings, including happy ones where the lovers break the spell and survive.
Despite its renown today, Swan Lake had an inauspicious start. Upon its premiere in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, it was critically panned for being overly complicated both in its score and choreography. The dancers themselves supposedly said they could not dance to the music.
It would be a revival, with major changes and additions, in 1895, a couple of years after Tchaikovsky’s death, that established Swan Lake’s reputation. To this day, it is the 1895 version that forms the basis for most stagings of the ballet, rather than the original 1877.
How Swan Lake became a Soviet saviour
The early 20th century saw a renewed Swan Lake grow in popularity around the world. It essentially became a Russian export, and the Russians fiercely protected it as an icon of their culture.
Such was its status that under the Soviet Union, the authorities turned to Swan Lake as a calming influence at times of crisis.
After the death of the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, state television replaced the scheduled programming with a recording of the ballet on a loop, while the fractious process of selecting a successor was done behind closed doors.
The same thing happened with the deaths of the following premiers, Yuri Andropov in 1984 and Konstantin Chernenko in 1985.
In 1991, when communist hardliners launched a coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, who was instituting widespread reforms that would eventually help bring about the dissolution of the Soviet Union, television stations once again broadcast Swan Lake rather than show the chaotic scenes.
By then, Russians knew that to see Swan Lake on their screens was to know that there was political instability in the country.
Swan Lake as a symbol of protest
In the 21st century, Swan Lake the ballet has taken on new meaning, transformed from a tool of the state into a symbol of protest. In particular, images from the ballet have been adopted as a coded means of opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the regime of Vladimir Putin.
The four figures of the Dance of the Cygnets have appeared in graffiti on the walls of Russian cities. And when the independent news channel TV Rain was forced off the air for its coverage of the war, the last thing it broadcast – much like the Soviet authorities did at times of political crisis – was a clip of Swan Lake.
Authors
Jonny Wilkes is a former staff writer for BBC History Revealed, and he continues to write for both the magazine and HistoryExtra. He has BA in History from the University of York.