As I myself have written at length about, Russian culture is obsessed with the idea of itself. The Russian nation’s identity is inexorably tied with its self perception, perhaps to an unhealthy level. In the 1800s, introspective pondering took maximum hold over the nation’s psyche. Russia found herself finally with a rich, unified history to look back on, and from which to derive a “Russian” identity. 500, 400, and 300 years beforehand, the direct impact and remnants of the Mongol occupancy were too fresh for Russia’s arts and culture to flourish in a self-derivative way, unconscious of their bastard influences. Before Muscovy united the lands east of the current Baltic states, and until that event was in not-recent memory, the singular Russian cultural focus of “Russian-ness” couldn’t be pursued.

Tchaikovsky’s seminal ballet Swan Lake (1875) represents an era of culture that would have been impossible hundreds of years prior. The great artists of the 1800s, (Tchaikovsky and Pushkin included) drew heavily on a Russian folk tradition that emerged after the solidification of a singular Russian state. The plot of Swan Lake is derived mostly from Russian folktales, just as Pushkin’s epic poem Ruslan and Liudmila is. Pushkin uses devices and imagery extremely reminiscent of folktales to craft a distinct story that is absolutely separate from any of its influences. Pushkin builds a poem that has a folktale-like framework, one that would be familiar to any adult in the 19th century from their childhood. In Swan Lake, the choreography is very similar to the basic structure of the Moiseyev ensemble dances. Extended sections of Swan Lake feature male and female dancers in front of a gender-balanced ensemble. This pairing by gender, as well as the basic ensemble structure is very alike when compared to the folk dancing. Musically, Swan Lake has many folk influences as well. Some melody lines in the ballet are starkly simple, giving reminder to the homophonic, almost monophonic Russian folk music. Often a single voice (melody line) dances above a drone-like, semi-static accompaniment. This is also a motif evident in Swan Lake.