The Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy (CBA) will present two performances of the full-length ballet, Swan Lake, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House on May 24, 2025. The world’s most frequently performed ballet enraptures audiences of all ages as it explores universal themes of innocence, deception, and emotional conflict.
All CBA students enrolled in Level 1 through the Pre-Professional Division will celebrate the conclusion of the academic year by performing the complete ballet featuring classical choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with adaptations by Academy Director Erica Fischbach and CBA faculty, set to the iconic music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
“I couldn’t be more proud of how hard the students have been working and the extraordinary amount of commitment and passion they bring to this production,” stated Academy Director Erica Fischbach. “I am excited for our students to enjoy this incredibly special opportunity to perform a full-length production on Denver’s premiere stage at the Ellie with professional staging, lighting, and costumes.”
By presenting a full-length classical production on a professional stage at an academic level, Colorado Ballet Academy students get the opportunity to train, rehearse, and perform like they would in an actual company, where every cast member plays an important part in the story with their role or character.
This year, over 250 students are involved, and each dance is level-appropriate, along with the amount of stage time. As students learn to be onstage reacting to the scenes, and as they rise through the academic levels, their dancing time increases accordingly.
The iconic roles of Odette, Odile and Siegfried will be danced by CBA Pre-Professional students who receive coaching from CBA and company Artistic Leaders. Some of the students cast in these lead roles are current Trainees who have been awarded contracts with Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.
“It's a heartwarming experience to see so many young dancers giving it their all and beaming onstage—having the time of their lives performing on a professional stage for such a supportive audience,” added Artistic Director Gil Boggs.
THE STORY OF SWAN LAKE
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is a dramatic and timeless tale of love and magic that follows the story of the tragic romance between Prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess cursed by the evil sorcerer Rothbart to live as a swan on a lake of Odette’s mother’s tears. The Prince is enchanted by Odette and vows to break the curse, but he is thwarted by Rothbart who deceives him with Odile, his daughter whom he has transformed to look exactly like Odette. Unaware of her false identity, the Prince is infatuated with Odile, and, believing her to be his true love, the queen of the swans, asks for her hand in marriage. Meanwhile, Odette, who has witnessed everything, is heartbroken and throws herself into the waters of the lake to drown. Realizing his mistake and not wanting to live without her, Prince Siegfried follows her, but the power of their love and sacrifice weakens Rothbarth’s evil spell, allowing the lovers to finally unite.
SWAN LAKE PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES
Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 1:00PM
Saturday, May 24, 2025 at 6:00PM
TICKETS
Tickets for Colorado Ballet Academy’s Swan Lake are now available online, ranging from $20 to $75. You can also purchase tickets by contacting Colorado Ballet’s Patron Services team via email tickets@coloradoballet.org, or over the phone at (303) 339-1637, from Monday–Friday from 10am-4pm. Visit our website at coloradoballet.org and follow us on social media to remain up-to-date on all Colorado Ballet’s latest announcements, events, media, and more.
ABOUT COLORADO BALLET ACADEMY
Founded in 1951 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet Academy (CBA) is the official school of Colorado Ballet. Under the leadership of Colorado Ballet Artistic Director Gil Boggs and Academy Director Erica Fischbach, the Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy (CBA), is the region’s premier source for ballet training and currently serves over 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year. CBA’s unique relationship with the professional company and artistic staff of Colorado Ballet provides superior faculty who are dedicated to developing and inspiring each child to reach their full potential. Aspiring pre-professional students along with those who simply enjoy dance and wish to gain the benefits of studying this classical art form receive the highest caliber ballet instruction in an environment that fosters excellence, individuality, and creativity. CBA’s curriculum is grounded in formal classical ballet technique and follows the traditional classical sequence of training intended to increase each student’s technical skill, stamina, and artistry. Elements of the Russian, French and Italian schools are taught according to age and physical development, resulting in finished dancers with clean and virtuosic technique, brilliant artistry, stylistic versatility, and the prowess to thrive in the diverse choreographic demands of today. Colorado Ballet Academy also offered focused training for male dancers starting at age 6, with specialized technique and conditioning designed to support the physicality and athleticism necessary to succeed in the professional field of ballet.
ABOUT COLORADO BALLET
Presenting exceptional classical ballet and innovative contemporary dance through performances, training, education and community engagement, Colorado Ballet continues to inspire and grow an increasingly diverse audience base in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet is a non-profit organization celebrating 65 years of excellence. As a world-class professional company serving over 100,000 national and international patrons, Colorado Ballet presents 58 performances annually to sold-out audiences in the 2,000 seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The Company’s 40 professional dancers and 22 studio company dancers come from all over the world. Colorado Ballet’s The Armstrong Center for Dance, a 35,000 square foot building, boasts eight state-of-the-art professional dance studios and amenities for the professional Company. Under the direction of Artistic Director Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet performs classical ballet masterpieces, full-length story ballets and its critically acclaimed repertory production MasterWorks, featuring varied works from neoclassical ballets to world premieres. The Raydean Acevedo Colorado Ballet Academy serves over 1,200 students from toddlers to seniors each year. Colorado Ballet’s Education & Community Engagement offers programs to students and community members, making over 25,000 contacts and reaching over 200 schools and organizations annually. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses including youth, families, teachers, and people with and without disabilities. For more information, please visit coloradoballet.org.
