Le Lac Des Cygnes - Sofia City Ballet (tournée)

Radiant-Bellevue welcomes Sofia City Ballet with Le Lac des Cygnes

At Radiant-Bellevue, we are honored to host Sofia City Ballet as they bring Le Lac des Cygnes to our stage, inviting our audience in Caluire-et-Cuire and the greater Lyon area to encounter one of ballet’s most cherished masterpieces in an intimate, finely tuned setting. From our vantage point as a performance venue, this engagement is about much more than a date on the calendar: it is the meeting point of tradition, craftsmanship, and a carefully curated audience experience. Our technical teams are preparing light, sound, and stagecraft to frame the shimmering lines of the corps de ballet and the dramatic chiaroscuro that defines the lakeside scenes. Whether the score is delivered by live ensemble or a masterful recording, the hall’s acoustical clarity preserves the depth of Tchaikovsky’s orchestration while maintaining the breath and silences dancers need. We design sightlines to honor the geometry of the choreography—those unmistakable patterns of swans moving as one—and to give every seat a privileged view of the duets and solos that chart the fable’s arc of love, deception, and redemption.

The company’s artistry, here and now, in our house

Sofia City Ballet arrives at Radiant-Bellevue with the assurance that comes from a classical lineage and the freshness of a touring ensemble that thrives on meeting new audiences. Their Le Lac des Cygnes places musicality and narrative clarity at the forefront, preserving the spirit of the Petipa/Ivanov tradition while highlighting the individuality of today’s dancers. As a venue, we sense the company’s current momentum in the way its artists articulate phrasing—long, unbroken lines in the white scenes, diamond-cut precision in the ballroom—and in their nuanced character work. The ballerina’s dual portrait is cast with sensitivity to contrast and continuity; the prince’s partnering is transparent, musical, and unforced; and the corps de ballet’s unison has that essential quiet that lets the story breathe. Recent performances on their tournée have underscored the company’s reputation for cohesive ensemble work and elegant dramaturgy, and we are proud to provide the stage conditions that let these virtues shine. Lighting bridges crafted for our grid will deepen the transition between courtly opulence and nocturnal mystery, while our stage crew calibrates floor resilience and wing traffic to support secure jumps, silent landings, and seamless scene changes.

Presenting Le Lac des Cygnes at Radiant-Bellevue also aligns with our programming ethos: to welcome artists who speak fluently in the language of tradition while engaging audiences today. For newcomers, this production offers a clear pathway into the ballet through storytelling that is readable from the stalls to the balcony; for seasoned balletgoers, it offers the refinements that distinguish a living classic—measured tempi that let adagios unfold, crisp beats in allegro passages, and a fine balance between bravura and musical truth. Our audience will recognize the iconic signatures of the work: the hush that accompanies the first ripple of swans, the long-spun phrasing of the lakeside adagios, and the magnetism of the great ballroom sequences with their flashes of virtuosity. In our space, intimacy heightens those moments—the shared breath before a promenade, the glint of light on a feathered crown—so that the grand scale of the ballet is matched by a close, human pulse. We look forward to opening the doors, dimming the house, and letting Sofia City Ballet’s Le Lac des Cygnes fill Radiant-Bellevue with the beauty of a story that renews itself each time the curtain rises.