Early audiences loved it, even as critics questioned its structure. Returning to the story helps illuminate what makes the ballet so strangely captivating.

The distinction between the leading female characters of Swan Lake—the swan princess and her “black” counterpart—initially wasn’t so sharp.

Madame von Meck offered Tchaikovsky her generous patronage, but spoke to him only through letters.

Ballet has been slow to accept African-American dancers in major companies, and those who make it tend to be offered limited roles.

Ballerinas have long made feminists both uneasy and excited, embodying fulfillment and the shackles of feminine performance.

Dance icon Carmen de Lavallade, 83, was the first African-American prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera.