Dominic North (The Prince) with Richard Winsor (The Swan) - Swan Lake

🦢 Prince and the Swan. I’m so fond of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake choreography and contemporary ballet in general 💖

Sir Matthew Bourne

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 13 January 1960

Ethnicity: White - British

Occupation: Choreographer, dancer, theatre director

Note: His 1995 restaging of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake updated the ballet's setting, narrative and famously used all-male swans.

Ashley Shaw as Victoria Page in Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty – A Gothic Romance

Hey look what's on YouTube!

If you've ever thought "hm Sleeping Beauty could use more vampires in it" this is for you.

(Or if you just like gorgeous costumes and beautiful dancing. Still good.)

Since Jackson Fisch has been cast as The Swan in the upcoming Swan Lake I have been fancasting in my head who I want as The Prince. My first thought was Paris Fitzpatrick and Stephen Murray but then I was looking over the photos from Romeo and Juliet again and The Prince should so clearly be Rory MacLeod because look at them together.

They are the next generation SwanPrince. Matthew Bourne give me what I want!

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake (various productions)

Something about Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - how the Prince projects all his ideals onto one person. The Swan represents so much to the Prince - beauty, poetry, freedom, connection, self-expression. No-one could live up to that ideal. Even if the Stranger had been a better person, it would not have worked out for the Prince. How could it, when the Stranger was human?

Do you think about Matthew Bourne's SWAN LAKE once a week or are you normal?

Description: An illustration of two male ballet dancers in an intimate embrace.  They are dressed in the costumes used for the Bourne rendition of SWAN LAKE.

Will Bozier and Liam Mower in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake.

Ok the story is that while watching some bootlegs from Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake tour in China, I noticed something that was not so well captured on any proshots. The connection between The Prince and The Swan in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is characterized by a profound sense of acceptance and consent. Dominic North, who has portrayed The Prince for approximately 15 years, embodies his character with a deep understanding. In the depicted GIFs, he subtly adds a nod before embracing The Swan, as if he is softly asking, in a whisper only The Swan can hear, “May I embrace you?” The Swan allows it, although not reciprocating the embrace.

When confronted with confusion during the encounter with The Stranger at The Royal Ball, The Prince once again seeks solace in the consensual nod, perhaps desperately wishing that The Stranger were The Swan and that the other person would recognize him as before.

In the final act, The Swan reappears, now burdened with guilt for betraying The Prince by assuming the form of The Stranger, as well as for protecting another species from his own flock. Reunited, The Prince extends the nod once more, conveying forgiveness and recognition to The Swan. This time, The Swan embraces The Prince with his wings, symbolizing a deeper connection and reconciliation.

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Sam Salter in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty (New Adventures, 2022)

Photos by Johan Persson

Ashley Shaw as Victoria Page in Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes

I may have to book to see it again because it was just incredible 😍