Swans is a radical reimagining of the classic ballet, recast entirely with male swans and led by two male protagonists. This work queers the romantic and gender dynamics of the original, disrupting ballet’s deeply rooted heteronormative traditions. By placing queer love and male vulnerability at its core, the piece reclaims a space in classical dance where those stories have long been excluded or coded. This reconfiguration is not simply about representation; it is about liberation—of movement, identity, and narrative. Swans invites us to imagine what ballet can become when its boundaries are broken open.
(2025)
Performers | Noah Broadway, Daniel Da Silva, Thiago dos Santos, Eric Hall, Norika Isomura, Nicole Prefontaine, Adrian Ramirez, Marcio Teixeira, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff
Premiere | May 2025, Toronto ON
Director | Lisa Karen Cox
Choreographer | Kunal Ranchod
Playwright | Sadie Epstein-Fine
Rehearsal Director | Sarahi Cardenas
Music | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Lighting | Theodore Belc
Sound Design | Jacob Lin
Costume Design | Tanya White
Ballet Integrity Consultant | Tanya Evidente
Stage manager | Laura Baxter
Photos | Drew Berry