3 - The Music

THE STORY: SWAN LAKE

PYSEd-Ballet05-SwanLakeStory-DRAFT2.mp4

Adventure 9 - The Story

Your Mission: Find out what story is being told by the music and ballet of Swan Lake.

Instructions: Finish the quests below to make progress on your mission. Answer the Final Challenge questions to complete your mission!

Quest 1: The story of Swan Lake

Read

Swan Lake is a timeless story that mixes magic, tragedy, and romance together in 4 parts. Each part takes place in a specific location and shows a key event that helps tell the story.

Part 1: At the palace - Siegfried's birthday gift

Part 2: In the enchanted forest - meeting the Swan Queen

Part 3: At the palace - Siegfried's birthday party

Part 4: In the enchanted forest - the Swan Queen's forgiveness

Listen & Watch

Listen and watch to learn about the story of Swan Lake! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.


  1. Did you enjoy the story of Swan Lake?

  2. What was your favorite part?

  3. How did the story make you feel?

  4. Who was your favorite character and why?

Quest 2: Pantomime

Read

Pantomime is a form of entertainment where performers tell a story through gestures (movements).

You are not allowed to talk or use words when performing pantomime.

Mime began a long time ago in Ancient Greece and is still practiced today!

Listen & Watch

Listen and watch to learn more about pantomime! Think about the questions below after you finish the video.


  1. Why does mime gesture need to be so big and exaggerated?

  2. What kinds of gestures do you use in your daily life to say something without speaking?

FINAL CHALLENGE

Instructions: Read the questions below and try to answer them with information you discovered on your Quests. Click on the arrow to reveal the correct answer!

What is pantomime?

Pantomime is a form of entertainment where performers tell a story through gestures and movements!

Why was Prince Siegfried sad about his birthday?

He was sad because he was turning 21 and his mother, the Queen, expected him to get married and take on adult royal responsibilities.

Why do Odette and her friends turn into swans at night?

They turn into swans because the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart put a curse on them and keeps them at the lake under his spell.

Does Swan Lake have a happy ending?

No! Swan Lake is considered a tragedy - a story that has sad events and an unhappy ending.