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Birmingham Royal Ballet performers visit Swan Ride ahead of Swan Lake production
Via Helen for Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet returns to the stage with Swan Lake from from Wednesday 23rd September to Saturday 3rd October 2026 at Birmingham Hippodrome. To mark this production Birmingham Royal Ballet’s first cast of four cygnets – Rachele Pizzillo, Reina Fuchigami, Rosanna Ely and Sofia Liñares – headed to Swan Lake Boating in Cannon Hill Park to strike a pose alongside the Swan Boats and look out for the swans that inhabit this victorian park.
The dancers will perform in Birmingham Royal Ballet’s revival of Sir Peter Wright and Galina Samsova’s Swan Lake– with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia performing Tchaikovsky’s superb music live alongside BRB’s spectacular dancers. The production will then transfer to London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Wednesday 28th to Saturday 31st October 2026.
The cygnets in Swan Lake perform the iconic Danse des petits cygnes (Dance of the Little Swans) in Act II. One of the most recognisable pieces of choreography in ballet, the four dancers cross their arms in front of one another and move sideways in precise unison to mimic young swans huddling for perfection.
Prince Siegfried is out hunting one night when he happens upon a flock of graceful swans. When one of them turns into a beautiful woman, the Prince is utterly smitten – but Odette explains that she has fallen under an evil spell cast by Baron von Rothbart, which keeps her in swan form from dawn to dusk. Can Siegfried’s love break the spell?
For more information and tickets for Swan Lake, visit brb.org.uk
About the boating
Swan Lake Boating is in Cannon Hill Park and features two-seater and four-seater Swan Boats for hire. The boating lake, open daily until 2nd September and then open on weekends through the Autumn. It is to the rear of Midlands Arts Centre (mac) and one of a number of activities for families that can be found in the Park.
Originally donated to the citizens of Birmingham by Louisa Ryland, Cannon Hill Park was opened to visitors in 1873, and was designed by TJ Gibson, who also designed Battersea Park in London. Find out more: cannonhillpark.co.uk.
