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Summer Swans

Like picnicking in Central Park, catching the ferry to the Rockaways, or heading to Citifield for a Mets game, American Ballet Theatre’s “Swan Lake” is a well-established summer tradition for countless New Yorkers. The company’s production, debuted by then-artistic director Kevin McKenzie in 2000, is based on Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s 1895 version of the ballet; as such, it’s one of the most classic works in the repertoire. Still, dancers can find opportunities to bring something new to such storied roles.

Performance

American Ballet Theatre: “Swan Lake” by Kevin McKenzie

Place

Metropolitan Opera House, New York, NY, June 19 and 20, 2026

 

Words

Rebecca Deczynski

SunMi Park and Daniel Camargo in “Swan Lake.” Photograph by Steven Pisano

This is why each of the many Odette/Odile and Siegfried pairings result in performances that feel distinct. The opening weekend of Ballet Theatre’s summer season, Chloe Misseldine and SunMi Park—the latter in her debut of the role—brought to life different visions of the tragic tale, each affecting in its own way: Misseldine, tall and willowy, is naturally swanlike with endlessly bewitching extensions, while Park, a deft actor, tugs at the heartstrings and surprises with artistic embellishment.

Of course, “Swan Lake” succeeds as a ballet only if it can create a fully realized world in which we may find this princess cursed to be a swan. McKenzie’s version starts with a behind-the-screen skit, showing Odette’s capture by von Rothbart and subsequent transformation into a swan (here, a puppet). 

The first act, depicting Prince Siegfried’s birthday celebrations, has a wholly different tone, replete with a maypole, sprightly pas de trois, and plenty of pantomime. The Saturday night cast for the pas de trois (soloists Léa Fleytoux, Jake Roxander, and corps member Yoon Jung Seo) was strong, with breezy jumps and a playful sense of musicality. Roxander, as Benno, has a particular ease of movement, lifting his arms to fifth in a pirouette that goes on and on. With ample charm and panache, he made a perfect foil to Daniel Camargo’s moody, searching Siegfried. 

Camargo, who has striking lines, especially in arabesque, was grounded in his role. I don’t usually recognize the sadness in Siegfried in the first act, while his party celebrates around him, yet Camargo is careful in his artistry—equally attentive to the steps and the story they tell.

Aran Bell, Misseldine’s Siegfried, is a natural standout for his grand jumps and skillful partnering, though his persona onstage retains a more princely air, not quite communicating any inner turmoil—at least, not just yet.

With 26 swans, including two soloists and four cygnettes, the second act of McKenzie’s “Swan Lake” is a visual thrill, requiring utmost precision and athleticisim from the dancers. They deliver (though Saturday night’s performance is slightly tighter with regards to unison); Ingrid Thoms and Zhong-Jing Fang, as the soloist swans on Friday, are entrancing as they leap and tour jeté across the stage. 

Chloe Misseldine and Aran Bell in “Swan Lake.” Photograph by Kyle Froman

Chloe Misseldine and Aran Bell in “Swan Lake.” Photograph by Kyle Froman

Misseldine and Bell are a refined pairing and well equipped to delight with moments of technical brilliance; the former holds an arabesque for a full two to three seconds longer than could be expected and the latter twists her around in endless revolutions in retiré. Misseldine’s développé consistently soars to her ear. With her eyes largely cast downward, hers is a shy, scared swan who at times flaps her arms with a tenor of panic.

While Misseldine is more avian, Park plays off the role of Odette with a deeper sense of humanity; it’s not just a swan, but a princess trapped in a curse. Her chemistry with Camargo heightens the drama of the pas de deux, as the two convey a sense of longing, even while physically together. With small shakes of her head and one standout flourish from a pirouette into an assisted penché, she adds character to a technically strong performance.

The real test for these dancers comes in the third act as they transform into Odile. But before that, we have more scene-setting, with character dances and pas de deuxs as Siegfried is presented with four eligible princesses. Most lively of these performances is the Neapolitan, which the veritable dream team of Roxander and Takumi Miyake pull off on Friday night, both pirouetting into oblivion in a competitive canon.

While the black swan pas de deux is the undeniable standout of this act, the dance between the disguised von Rothbart and the princesses is another dreamy delight. Joseph Markey, on Saturday, makes a charismatic and slippery villain.

And then Sigfried and Odile enter. Both swans are beguiling and execute the difficult turn sequences of the act; Misseldine plays the part with a certain sense of coyness and seduction, while Park, smiling, is magnetically confident. Misseldine, now in her third season of playing this role, may be more assured in the steps, but Park’s debut confirms the soloist’s star potential.

Léa Fleytoux, Jake Roxander, and Yoon Jung Seo in “Swan Lake.” Photograph by Steven Pisano

Léa Fleytoux, Jake Roxander, and Yoon Jung Seo in “Swan Lake.” Photograph by Steven Pisano

After a dramatic close to the third act—complete with pyrotechnics—the beginning of the final act tends to feel stalled as fog spills out of the wings and a few swans meander across a mostly sectioned-off stage. (Even from the balcony, the set-change behind the mid-curtain is audible). The few moments during which no dancers at all appear on the stage are weak points of this production.

Still, that’s easy to overlook with a dramatic pas de deux, a fight, and a strong ensemble finish. Cy Doherty, as Friday’s von Rothbart, is towering and compelling; he pulls off what could otherwise be an overly campy role with his dynamism.

I don’t always register the love story in “Swan Lake” as one of equals; the tragedy, it’s long seemed to me, is more that Odette is cursed to swandom after Siegfried’s fatal mistake. Park and Camargo, however, are convincing in their heartbreak as she walks with her head pressed against his chest. I believe, this time, that she’s in love, too.

When Odette jumps to her death, it’s usually a moment of devastating beauty; when Siegfried does, it’s a shock. That is due to both Bell and Camargo’s great ambition as they shoot into the air at great heights; Bell, with his arched back, is almost gymnast-like.

It is, admittedly, a bit silly, when von Rothbart falls to his knees at his fate, but that image is quickly overtaken with rows of swans running through one another, arms outstretched in an organized frenzy. When they nearly disappear, bent in repose under a layer of fog, there are just a few seconds left in the ballet to marvel at the spectacle. In the rising sun, Odette and Sigfried stand together once more.

Rebecca Deczynski

Rebecca Deczynski is a New York City-based writer and editor publishes the newsletter Mezzanine Society. Her work has appeared in publications including Inc., Domino, NYLON, and InStyle. She graduated from Barnard College cum laude with a degree in English and a minor in dance.

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