The swan has been a recurring motif in the myths of Western civilisation since the Crusades. In this month’s Limelight cover story, The Stuff of Legend, Jansson J. Antmann talks to the creators of three new – and very different – productions of Swan Lake by The Australian Ballet, United Ukrainian Ballet and West Australian Ballet. As they discuss the DNA of the famous ballet, it becomes clear that this archetype is as old as time itself.

And how beautiful is the cover image! It features Robyn Hendricks, a Principal Artist at The Australian Ballet, in a photo shoot by Simon Eeles for the company’s production of Swan Lake, opening next year.

The October 2022 cover image of Limelight features Robyn Hendricks in a promotional image for The Australian Ballet’s Swan Lake, opening in 2023. Photo © Simon Eeles

October 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams. But there’s more to the quintessential English composer than Greensleeves and a lark on the wing. In our second feature, Ralph Vaughan Williams: Free Radical, Clive Paget looks at the forging of English music’s most distinctive voice and, with the help of...