LONDON, May 28 — The BBC has commissioned award-winning choreographer Corey Baker for a new take on Swan Lake, which will be available to watch online as part of the broadcaster’s Culture in Quarantine programme.

Swan Lake Bath Ballet will take the form of a three-minute dance video set to Tchaikovsky’s music, which will be performed by a lineup of ballet dancers from the confines of their respective bathtubs.

The BBC has yet to announce the performers involved in the splashy project, although they come from various international companies and include a few dancers Baker has collaborated with in the past.

"Everyone has a bath or a shower. And I love choreography with water. We thought about recreating The Rite of Spring and then Swan Lake came to mind. I turned the music on and had a splash around,” Baker told the Guardian of the genesis of Swan Lake Bath Ballet.

While the BBC has yet to announce a release date for the project, the British broadcaster has commissioned 25 new works of literary, musical, visual, sonic and performance arts themed around lockdown.

Among them is a multi-disciplinary performance piece by Cathy Mager, entitled Sign Night, in which the British-based artist will use sign language to "illuminate the streets of Bristol with mysterious film projections revealing deaf culture in lockdown.”

Other works among the commissions include Transcendence: Making A Digital Rave,an interactive "rave-theatre” show written and performed by world-record breaking beatboxer SK Shlomo; as well as Somina "Mena” Fombo’s Home Carnival, a virtual parade choreographed by carnival queen Precious Onyenekwu Tata and realized through the homes and gardens of various Black artists.

Elsewhere, Michael Jenkins will present the spoken word film We Are Not The Virus, in which the Bristol filmmaker explores the themes of isolation through the Black and migrant perspectives in the UK.

"The commissioned artworks have a breath of viewpoint, tone and innovation, offering something for everybody. Together, with similar schemes we have in all the nations, these projects provide a powerful snapshot—both for now and posterity—of our country during lockdown,” Jonty Claypole, Director of BBC Arts, said in a statement.

These newly announced pieces will be shown and broadcast across the BBC channels, including BBC Radio 3, the BBC Sounds app, as well as the BBC Arts website. — AFP-Relaxnews