Imperial Classical Ballet Presents Swan Lake will come to York Barbican on Monday, 19 October, with an evening performance running from 6:30pm to 11:00pm.
The event is listed as a ballet performance at York Barbican, YO10 4NT, York, City of York, England. The supplied listing does not give a ticket price, although it does point readers towards ticket booking. It is aimed at audiences looking for a full-stage classical ballet built around one of the best-known scores in the repertoire.
The Visit York event listing describes the production as a new season of Swan Lake from Imperial Classical Ballet, following earlier tours. Its central pull is simple: the familiar story of Princess Odette, the lakeside setting, the Black Swan pas de deux and Tchaikovsky’s score performed live.
A classic ballet evening at York Barbican
Swan Lake remains one of the titles that can draw both regular ballet-goers and people choosing a first major classical production. The story is direct enough to follow without specialist knowledge, but the evening still carries the scale and formality associated with a full ballet programme.
The plot follows Princess Odette, cursed to live as a swan by day and a woman by night. Prince Siegfried finds her under moonlight and vows to break the spell, while the sorcerer Rothbart and his daughter Odile set out to deceive him.
That tension gives the production its contrast: moonlit lakeside scenes, courtly drama and the sharper theatrical charge of the Black Swan pas de deux. The Visit York listing frames the ballet as a visual and emotional work, with the music adding depth to the story rather than sitting in the background.
Live Tchaikovsky score anchors the performance
For many readers deciding whether to attend, the live performance of Tchaikovsky’s score will be the detail that separates this event from a filmed screening or a smaller dance programme. The source listing specifically notes that the score is performed live.
That matters because Swan Lake is carried as much by its music as by its choreography. The score gives the lakeside scenes their haunted quality, while the more forceful passages sharpen the sense of danger around Odile and Rothbart’s deception.
The listing also highlights the Black Swan pas de deux, one of the production’s best-known moments. It is often the section audiences remember most clearly: a display of control, theatricality and character as the story moves towards betrayal.
When and where to see Swan Lake in York
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Event | Imperial Classical Ballet Presents Swan Lake |
| Date | Monday, 19 October 2026 |
| Time | 6:30pm to 11:00pm |
| Venue | York Barbican |
| Address | YO10 4NT, York, City of York, England |
| Price | Not listed in the supplied event details |
| Source | Visit York event listing |
The performance is scheduled for one evening only in the supplied listing, beginning at 6:30pm and ending at 11:00pm. No additional performance dates are included in the event brief.
York Barbican is named as the venue, with the listed address given as YO10 4NT, York, City of York, England. The event contact email shown in the source text is info@yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Practical details before planning the night
The key planning point is the absence of a listed price in the supplied details. Readers should treat ticket cost as unconfirmed from this source text, rather than assuming a free or fixed-price event.
The source listing includes a Book Tickets prompt, but the supplied event brief does not provide booking terms, audience age guidance, accessibility notes, transport advice, food information or stall details. Those details should not be inferred from the venue name alone.
For a reader weighing up the evening, the confirmed offer is a classical ballet performance of Swan Lake in York, presented by Imperial Classical Ballet, with Tchaikovsky’s score performed live and the Black Swan pas de deux highlighted in the event description.
Source: Visit York Events
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This event preview uses the supplied Visit York event details and avoids adding unlisted prices, access notes or transport claims.
- Confirmed the event title as Imperial Classical Ballet Presents Swan Lake.
- Checked the listed date and time as 19 October 2026, 6:30pm to 11:00pm.
- Verified the venue as York Barbican with the listed York address.
- Noted that price, audience guidance, accessibility and transport details were not supplied...
- Source
- Visit York Events
- Scope
- York
- Updated
- 2026-06-12 13:29
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