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World-class ballet dancers perform Swan Lake in their bathtubs

Ryan Capstick
Ryan Capstick

With no stages available to perform on, ballet dancers are pirouetting wherever they can – including in the bath.

Corey Baker Dance has created a new short film which shows 27 dancers performing to Tchaikovsky’s famous Swan Lake score in their own baths.

Baker, who is choreographer in residence at the Royal New Zealand Ballet worked with dancers in lockdown around the globe – from the Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Paris Opera Ballet and more – who each filmed their piece on their phone.

Some splash water out of the tubs with their movements, while another emerges from a sea of feathers. The three-minute film is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Baker said: “I am hugely indebted to the amazing 27 dancers and all the companies who really pulled the stops (plugs?) out to make this film happen. Dancers became camera operators, stage managers, as well as costume and prop department not to mention performing tricky choreography at the same time, all from their bathtubs.”

The film was created as part of BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine programme, which has brought arts and culture into the nation’s homes during lockdown.

You can watch the video on BBC iPlayer

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