Swan lake mans up

The all-male cast of swans clad in feathered pants presents a show that is aggressive, savage and virile.

The boldest change is that the all-male cast of swans clad in feathered pants presents a show that's aggressive, savage and virile in stark contrast to the ballerinas' traditionally elegant, romantic and delicate portrayal.

The prince in Bourne's Swan Lake is a melancholic young man with an Oedipus complex. He has his first encounter with the swans while sitting on a park bench, contemplating suicide.

He's attracted to, and inspired by, the wildfowl's beauty, vitality and freedom, and is especially infatuated with the lead swan. The lead swan enters the royal ball as a mysterious man who seduces every woman present, including the queen, sending the prince into a fit of insanity. (Some characters other than the swans, such as the queen, are women.)

Bourne's choreography is especially important for male dancers.

"It gives the center stage to the best of them - men with excellent dancing techniques and deep emotions," modern Chinese dancer Jin Xing says.

In traditional ballet productions, male dancers often merely accompany and support female colleagues.

"This time, all the male dancers are heroes," she says.

Jin was China's first transgender dancer and became known all over China for her talent more than 10 years ago.

"The idea of a male swan makes complete sense to me," Bourne says.

"The strength, the beauty, the enormous wingspan of these creatures suggests to me the musculature of a male dancer more readily than a ballerina in her white tutu."

He used to spend hours watching swans in parks. Hitchcock's film The Birds influenced him, too.

"Matthew showed extreme respect for Tchaikovsky's music," Jin says.