Prince Siegfried has come of age and entered upon a new world of affairs of war and the burdens of manhood. The Prince's subjects come from far and wide to take part in festivities. They confer upon him the sword and scepter of authority and swear allegiance to their new ruler. The Prince is overcome by a desire to be alone, far from his guests. As he begins to search the contents of his heart he notices a flight of white swans heading toward the nearby lake. He is inspired and follows them there, disappearing into the night.

By now a familiar name in the capital region, this company of 50 returns to Stage One with two works by Tchaikovsky. "The Russian National Ballet, directed by Elena Radchenko, is a cut above many of its rivals” (Washington Post), as they have proven time and again at the Harris Center. The company was founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union's ballet institutions were exercising new-found creative freedom by starting new, vibrant companies.The legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko was selected by Presidential decree to assume the first permanent artistic directorship of the company and she has steered the company unfailingly ever since, upholding the grand national tradition of the major Russian ballet works and developing new talents throughout Russia.