BRB's Swan Lake: A Picture Guide

Birmingham Royal Ballet in Swan Lake

Céline Gittens and Tyrone Singleton in Swan Lake

Birmingham Royal Ballet in Swan Lake Act 3

Céline Gittens and Tyrone Singleton in Act 3 of Swan Lake

Birmingham Royal Ballet in Swan Lake

Céline Gittens as Odette in Swan Lake

Céline Gittens and Tyrone Singleton in Swan Lake

Tyrone Singleton and Céline Gittens in Swan Lake

Birmingham Royal Ballet in Swan Lake Act 1

By Deborah Weiss, 10 February 2023

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Lawrence Dunn, 17th December

From Buxtehude, Bach and Handel, to contemporary composer Liza Lim, we take a tour of the myriad forms of composers’ handwriting and calligraphy – and how music makes itself on the page.

BRB’s Sofia Liñares on Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker

Bachtrack, 17th November

Birmingham Royal Ballet soloist Sofia Liñares talks about the joys and fears of dancing multiple roles and performances of Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker.

The art of memory: classical music for mourning

Danny Riley, 28th October

From fulfilling funerary functions, to eulogising friends and fellow artists, or lamenting the waste of war: here are some of the finest examples of music written in mourning.

Fresh air and Swiss classics: Olga Scheps returns to Andermatt

Elodie Olson-Coons, 23rd September

The German pianist makes a return to Switzerland to tour Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto with conductor Lena-Lisa Wüstendörfer, in a William Tell-inspired programme that delves into the heart of Swissness.

Miyako Yoshida brings National Ballet of Japan to London

Deborah Weiss, 7th July

Miyako Yoshida talks about her deep connection to Giselle, bringing her own production to London with the National Ballet of Japan, and the challenges of being an artistic director.

Ralph Fiennes to direct new staging of Eugene Onegin in Paris

Bachtrack, 2nd April

A longtime connoisseur of Pushkin’s novel, Fiennes’ production will hit the boards at Palais Garnier in February 2026.

Deborah Weiss

Deb joined Bachtrack in 2022 and commissions reviews and writing on ballet and dance. She was Royal Ballet School-trained and is a former principal dancer for companies including London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet) and Bayerisches Staatsballett. She has been writing for more than 30 years – publications have included Dancing Times, DanceTabs, Dance for You and Dance Europe. She also interviews for Voices of British Ballet, an oral archive of people who have worked in the industry in the UK. In addition to her writing, since 2016 she has been facilitating programmes that support victims of domestic abuse. Deb is passionate about her rescue dog, Bruce, and daughters (not in that order), swims a mile at least five days a week and is an avid reader.

A Picture Guide to Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake