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The bird in Swan Lake Barbie represents Odette, the White Swan and the main character in the ballet Swan Lake. Swan Lake Barbie is based on the classic ballet and the character Odette, a princess who has been transformed into a white swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. In the ballet, Odette is portrayed as a beautiful and graceful swan. The Barbie doll captures this imagery with its elegant white swan tutu and tiara.
Background on Swan Lake
Swan Lake is a famous ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–1876. It tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. By day she is a swan, but at night she can turn back into her human form. The sorcerer Von Rothbart has trapped Odette and the other swans in a lake by his magical powers. Prince Siegfried meets Odette by the lake and the two fall in love. Siegfried vows to break the curse so they can be together. But Von Rothbart tricks Siegfried into declaring his love for his daughter Odile instead, the Black Swan. When Siegfried realizes his mistake, he returns to the lake and begs Odette for forgiveness. The two choose to die together, uniting in death, which breaks Von Rothbart’s spell. Swan Lake is known for its beautiful and tragic love story, as well as its iconic dances featuring graceful ballerinas dressed as white swans. It is considered one of the most famous and revered ballets of all time.
The White Swan – Odette
Odette is the White Swan and the main heroine in Swan Lake. She represents goodness, innocence, and grace. By day she is transformed into a swan due to Von Rothbart’s evil curse, but at night she can return to human form. Odette lives with the other swan maidens who are also under the sorcerer’s spell. She longs to break free from the curse and be human all the time again. When Odette meets Prince Siegfried, the two fall deeply in love. But the curse prevents them from being together. Odette’s fate is tragically tied to the curse – she will remain a swan forever unless the spell is broken. Her only hope is Siegfried’s love and commitment to her. As the White Swan, Odette wears a white feathered tutu and portrays feminine poise and fragility through her movements. She is often depicted dancing a Pas de Deux with Siegfried, showcasing her grace and beauty. The White Swan represents idealized femininity and true love in the ballet.
Significance of Swan Lake Barbie
The Swan Lake Barbie doll brings the iconic ballet character of Odette to life in doll form. She wears a white feathered tutu and tiara similar to what Odette wears when performing the ballet. Her dance pose with arms curved overhead mimics the graceful movements of a ballerina portraying a swan. The doll’s packaging features an image of Barbie as Odette the White Swan dancing with a prince, directly referencing the love story between Odette and Siegfried.
Swan Lake Barbie allows children to imagine themselves dancing the role of Odette. Playing with the doll provides inspiration for little girls who dream of becoming ballerinas one day. The doll teaches girls about classical ballet stories and characters. It also promotes beauty, poise, and the arts. Owning a Barbie doll modeled after such an iconic ballet role provides a sense of prestige for young children. Overall, Swan Lake Barbie represents the magic and artistry of ballet while inspiring ballerina dreams.
Details on the Swan Lake Barbie Doll
Swan Lake Barbie was released in 2006 as part of the Barbie “I Can Be…” line of career dolls for girls. The doll is dressed in a white satin bodice and tutu layered with sheer mesh and feathers meant to resemble swan plumage. The bodice features flowers and leaves made of satin ribbon. The tutu falls just above the knee in the front and angles longer toward the back to resemble an actual ballerina tutu. Underneath the tutu, Swan Lake Barbie wears theatrical pink tights and satin pointe shoes. Pointe shoes allow ballerinas to dance on the tips of their toes. Barbie’s arms are held in an oval curved up to resemble a ballerina’s port de bras arm placement. Her wrists are articulated so the arms can move into different ballet poses.
Swan Lake Barbie’s face makeup is applied with dramatic eyeshadow and eyeliner to emulate stage makeup. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a classical ballerina bun. A small silver rhinestone tiara sits on top of her head, completing the costume. The tiara, tutu, arm pose, and pointe shoes allow children to readily identify the doll as Odette from Swan Lake. Girls can act out scenes from the ballet or imagine their own ballet stories with the intricately costumed Barbie.
The doll came with a certificate of authenticity and booklet about Swan Lake and the character Odette. The packaging provided key information about the ballet for children to learn from. There was also a picture inside the booklet of Barbie and a Ken doll posing as Odette and Prince Siegfried. This supported imaginative play by showing girls they could recreate the Swan Lake story with their dolls.
Other Ballerina Barbies
In addition to Swan Lake Barbie, Mattel has created many other Barbie dolls dressed as famous ballerina characters. These include:
- The Nutcracker Sugar Plum Fairy Barbie (2010)
- Coppelia Barbie (2013)
- Romeo and Juliet Barbie (2011)
- Sleeping Beauty Barbie (2008)
- La Esmeralda Barbie (2012)
- Jewel Sparkles Barbie (2012)
- American Ballet Theatre Barbie (1999)
Mattel’s ballet Barbies teach girls about classical stories and ballets through inspired fashions and accessories. They also promote beauty, imagination, and the arts. Owning and playing with Barbie dolls dressed as famous ballerina characters provides many benefits for young girls:
- Introduces them to classical ballet stories and characters
- Encourages interest in dance, theater, and music
- Inspires creative role play acting out ballets
- Teaches poise, elegance, and grace
- Promotes girls’ dreams of becoming ballerinas
- Provides prestige of owning doll dressed as iconic character
For generations, ballerina Barbies have allowed girls to imagine themselves dancing these revered roles on stage one day. They bring ballet dreams to life in doll form.
Swan Lake Story and Characters
Here is an overview of the full Swan Lake story and main characters:
Odette
– Princess Odette is the White Swan and main protagonist. She is kind, gentle, and graceful.
– Von Rothbart’s curse transforms her into a swan by day. She regains human form at night.
– Odette longs to be free from the curse and marry Prince Siegfried.
– She meets Siegfried by the enchanted lake and they fall in love.
Prince Siegfried
– Prince Siegfried is the hero. He falls for Odette and vows to break her curse.
– On a hunting trip, he spots Odette as a swan and pursues her. At night she transforms back into a woman.
– Siegfried invites Odette to his ball, but she declines, as she must return to the lake when dawn breaks.
– Tricked by Von Rothbart, Siegfried declares love for Odile instead of Odette.
– Devastated when he realizes his mistake, Siegfried hurries back to beg Odette for forgiveness.
Von Rothbart
– Von Rothbart is the evil sorcerer who cursed Odette to live as a swan.
– He wants to marry his own daughter Odile to Siegfried to increase his power and prestige.
– Von Rothbart tricks Siegfried into declaring love for Odile by disguising her as Odette at the ball.
– His dark magic traps Odette and the swans on the enchanted lake. Only true love can break the spell.
Odile
– Odile is Von Rothbart’s daughter. She disguises herself as Odette to trick Siegfried at the ball.
– She dances the Black Swan Pas de Deux with Siegfried, who mistakenly declares his love for her.
– Odile represents darkness, deception, and trickery – the opposite of the good and vulnerable Odette.
Story Summary
– While hunting, Prince Siegfried spots a beautiful swan who is actually the princess Odette under a spell. At night she becomes human again. The two dance and fall in love.
– Von Rothbart disguises his daughter Odile as Odette to trick Siegfried at a ball. Siegfried declares love for Odile, breaking his vow to Odette.
– Siegfried hurries back to apologize. The lovers choose to die together, reuniting in death, which breaks Von Rothbart’s curse.
Comparison of Odette and Odile
Odette and Odile are foil characters in Swan Lake. Here is a comparison:
Odette
– Princess cursed by Von Rothbart into being a swan
– Represented by the White Swan
– Symbolizes goodness, innocence, grace, light
– Wears all white feathered costume when dancing
– Loves Prince Siegfried truly and selflessly
– Longs to break free of Von Rothbart’s curse
Odile
– Von Rothbart’s daughter, aligned with her father’s evil magic
– Represented by the Black Swan
– Symbolizes darkness, deception, trickery, evil
– Wears black feathered costume when masquerading as Odette
– Tricks Siegfried into declaring love for her
– Seeks to foil Siegfried and Odette’s chances of being together
Odette is kind and vulnerable while Odile is cunning and deceptive. One represents light and hope while the other promotes darkness and despair.
Conclusion
Swan Lake Barbie brings to life the iconic ballet character Odette, the White Swan. With her white tutu and tiara, she allows girls to imagine dancing the lead role in Swan Lake. The doll teaches about classical ballet while promoting poise, beauty, and the arts. Swan Lake Barbie joins other ballerina Barbies that encourage girls to envision themselves as prima ballerinas. Playing with the dolls provides an introduction to famous ballets and their stories. For generations, ballerina Barbies like Swan Lake Barbie have inspired little girls’ dreams of dancing these revered roles on stage one day. The dolls keep the magic of ballet alive while promoting girls’ creativity. For any young child who loves ballet, Swan Lake Barbie makes a cherished gift and keepsake.