Swan Lake story for kids: a short retelling of the ballet

Swan Lake is a ballet about a princess named Odette. A sorcerer has put a spell on her, and she is a swan by day and a woman only at night. A prince promises to free her, and the sorcerer tricks him into breaking his word. The music is by Tchaikovsky. This page tells the story act by act, in words to read aloud.

Who is who

• Odette: a princess under a spell, and queen of the swans
• Prince Siegfried: a young prince who must choose a bride
• Rothbart: a sorcerer, who often appears as a great owl
• Odile: Rothbart’s daughter, known as the black swan
• The Queen: Siegfried’s mother
• The swans: young women under the same spell as Odette

One dancer plays both Odette and Odile. That is part of what makes the ballet famous.

Act 1: the birthday

It is Prince Siegfried’s birthday. His friends dance for him in the palace garden.

His mother, the Queen, arrives with a present. It is a crossbow. She has news too. Tomorrow night, there will be a ball. Princesses will come from many lands, and Siegfried must choose one to marry.

Siegfried does not feel ready. As the sun sets, a flock of swans flies overhead. He takes his new crossbow and follows them into the forest.

Act 2: the lake

Siegfried comes to a lake in the moonlight. The swans are gliding on the water. He raises his crossbow.

Then one swan steps onto the shore and turns into a young woman with a crown. She is Odette.

She tells him her story. A sorcerer named Rothbart cast a spell on her and her friends. By day, they are swans. Between midnight and dawn, they are themselves again. The lake was made from her mother’s tears.

Only one thing can break the spell. Someone who has never loved before must promise to love Odette for all his life, and he must keep the promise.

Siegfried makes that promise. He invites her to the ball. As dawn breaks, Odette and her friends turn back into swans.

Act 3: the ball

The next night, the palace is full of guests. Dancers from Spain, Hungary, Italy, and Poland perform for the Queen. Six princesses dance for Siegfried. He turns them all down. He is waiting for Odette.

Trumpets sound. A stranger sweeps in with his daughter. The stranger is Rothbart in disguise. The daughter is Odile, dressed in black. Rothbart has used magic to make her look just like Odette.

Siegfried is fooled. He dances with Odile all evening. At the end, he tells everyone that he will marry her.

Rothbart laughs. At the window, a white swan beats its wings against the glass. It is the real Odette. Siegfried sees what he has done, and he runs out into the night.

Act 4: the lake again

Odette has come back to the lake in tears. Her friends try to comfort her. A storm rises over the water.

Siegfried finds her and begs her to forgive him. She does. But the promise has been broken, and the spell cannot be undone in the old way.

How does it end?

It depends on which company is dancing. Swan Lake has more than one ending.

The sad ending. Odette and Siegfried choose to stay together and leap into the lake. Their love destroys Rothbart’s power, and the other swans are set free. The two are seen together in a world beyond this one.

The happy ending. Siegfried fights Rothbart and tears off one of his wings. Rothbart’s magic dies with him. The sun comes up, and Odette stays a woman.

Ask at the box office or read the program before you go, so that you can tell your child which one to expect.

What to watch for

The swan arms. The dancers ripple their arms from the shoulder to the fingertips, the way a swan moves its wings.

The four little swans. In Act 2, four dancers link arms and dance in a row. Their feet and heads move as one.

White and black. Odette is soft and shy. Odile is sharp and proud. Watch how one dancer changes the way she moves.

The turns. Near the end of Act 3, Odile whips around on one leg 32 times in a row.

How long is it?

A full Swan Lake lasts two and a half to three hours, with one or two breaks. That is long for a child under seven or eight. Some companies offer a shorter family version.

Things to do together

Swan and owl. Take turns being a swan and being Rothbart the owl. How does each one move?

Two characters. Walk across the room as Odette and then as Odile. Change nothing but the way you move.

Choose an ending. Tell your child both endings. Ask which one they would pick, and why.

Draw the lake. Draw the lake at night, with the swans and the owl in a tree.

Print and play

For a second ballet with ghosts in white, read the Giselle story for kids. For five more plots, read ballet stories for kids. Hear the best-known music in the Swan Lake listening guide. Draw a scene on a listening journal page. To get ready for a first ballet, read ballet for kids. For the composer, read Tchaikovsky for kids. For his other famous ballet, read The Nutcracker story for kids.