International Ballet to perform Swan Lake with live symphony at the Peace Center

Swan Lake spins a classical ballet tale of good, evil, and unforgettable beauty.

Greed. Deception. Sacrifice, drama, and riveting beauty. This spring, internationally acclaimed dancers will flock to the Upstate to perform what is arguably the greatest love story in classical ballet—Swan Lake—to the unforgettable score by Tchaikovsky, performed live by the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. 

As sure as a perfect pointe technique is painstaking before it can be awe-inspiring, this world-class performance is only made possible by decades of hard work and dedication from local visionary group, The International Ballet. “According to my research, the full length ballet (all four acts of Swan Lake) has never been done in the Upstate,” reveals Sarah Shoemaker, president. “Our mission is to inspire joy and success through professional ballet training and performances, and we’re building a legacy for Greenville—the end of last season was the conclusion of our 20th anniversary season, and it seems fitting to have our most ambitious production, Swan Lake, happening at the beginning of the next decade.”

International Ballet is known for its Academy, which was founded on the Vaganova Method, a rigorous and precise style that demands dancers possess a thorough attention to detail, unique elegance, cleanliness, and strength. These qualities will be impossible to miss in the stars of the show, internationally acclaimed principal guest artists Katherine Barkman and Esteban Hernández from San Francisco Ballet, who will dazzle in the roles of Odette/Odile and Prince Siegfried. “They’re incredible dancers, athletes, and actors, and have both won numerous competitions. They’re physically spectacular to see,” adds Shoemaker.  

Edvard Tchivzhel returns for Swan Lake

Such an iconic and challenging score called for a maestro—and even though celebrated Greenville Symphony Orchestra Conductor Edvard Tchivzhel is the music director emeritus of GSO, he signed on for the ambitious project, which required a herculean effort of reworking the entire score in order to match Internationally Ballet’s rendition. “[Tchivzhel] has been working on the score for months already, to make it perfect for the musicians. He also has to study it himself, to know it intimately, in order to direct it. You can imagine how much work that is—but he is very excited,” Shoemaker says. 

“The corps de ballet will be stunning, and to know they are local dancers will blow people away. The amazing work of Artistic Director Vlada Kysselova will be on full display. We hope that people will realize what a once-in-a-lifetime chance this [performance] is—and we couldn’t have done it without the enthusiasm of the Greenville arts community,” reflects Shoemaker. “Swan Lake is a really ambitious ballet.  I’m really proud of our city for having supported us in a way that International Ballet could grow to this point. I think Greenville is a special place . . . It’s definitely a community that appreciates the arts in so many ways. This is a feather in the cap of Greenville.”