1981 – Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet dances Peter Wright and Galina Samsova’s new production of Swan Lake

In the autumn of 1981, Sadler’s Wells (now Birmingham) Royal Ballet undertook an ambitious undertaking – a new production of Swan Lake. Produced by Peter Wright and Galina Samsova and incorporating much of the original choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, the new staging offered a challenge to the dancers of a company that had not performed any of the ‘Tchaikovsky classics’ for a decade. Wright sealed his reputation as a magnificent stager of classical ballets with this production. He worked closely on it with Samsova, who researched the choreography as passed down in Russia. The original cast included Samsova, David Ashmole and Desmond Kelly. Designed by Philip Prowse to tour to regional theatres, the production was also performed in London and remains in the repertoire of Birmingham Royal Ballet to this day.