Swan Lake Unfolded

JEN ATKINS
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Arts

Swan Lake Unfolded uses popular culture as a playground for learning about ourselves and the world around us. This first season is part of a larger project, “Popular Culture Movements,” which maps how cultural touchstones move through media (and what that means). So Swan Lake Unfolded really isn’t solely about Swan Lake—it’s about myths, parody, music, history, games, dancing, food, memory, and more! It’s a celebration of reinvention and what the past reveals about our present and the kinds of futures we want to create… How do we do this? This season we dive into three streaming tv shows—Hulu's The Handmaid’s Tale, Ted Lasso, and Bridgerton—to explore how references to Swan Lake open up larger conversations around identity, love, community, and art. Through podcast episodes that involve solo sessions, group chats, and interviews, we question how popular culture is a portal to thinking through ways of moving through the world, not only reflecting our values and dreams, but also our ideal solutions, too. We pair podcasts with website content on www.swanlakeunfolded.com to engage listeners even more, creating webs of ideas that we hope will continue to ripple outward.

  1. 2d ago

    Ted Lasso 4: Deep Dive with Andrew Miragliotta

    What do Mardi Gras, professional wrestling, dance, and Ted Lasso have in common? More than you’d expect. Andrew Miragliotta introduces us to New Orleans’ Lucha Krewe, where wrestling, Mexican Lucha Libre traditions, music, dance, and celebration come together to build community. Like the AFC Richmond locker room, the krewe reminds us that movement—whether in sport, dance, or parade—can create connection and belonging. Join us for a conversation about joy, performance, and why moving together continues to be one of our most powerful ways of connecting with one another. 📸: Lucha Krewe

    Ted Lasso 4: Deep Dive with Andrew Miragliotta

  2. 6d ago

    Ted Lasso 3: Deep Dive with A.M. Darke

    A haircut can be so much more than a haircut. And hair is more meaningful than just a style. Inspired by Sam's barbershop scene in Ted Lasso, this conversation with performance, play, and digital arts scholar A.M. Darke explores the cultural significance of Black hair and the importance of representing Black culture with care, complexity, and joy. We also discuss the Open Source Afro Hair Library, an innovative project expanding how Black hair is represented in digital spaces. Join us for a conversation about culture, representation, and the ways thoughtful design can help people feel seen, valued, and celebrated. Soon to be released, wherever you get your podcasts! 📸: “Inga” by Seren Sensei from Open Source Afro Hair Library

    Ted Lasso 3: Deep Dive with A.M. Darke

  3. Oct 30

    Ted Lasso 2: Group Chat!

    What happens when “boys will be boys” gets turned on its head—and we start seeing men differently? In this Group Chat about Sam’s haircut scene, our team reflects on how Ted Lasso, and even Heated Rivalry, challenged some of the stereotypes we’ve come to associate with masculinity. Instead of the expected locker-room bravado, these stories give us spaces shaped by vulnerability, friendship, care, community, and even queer intimacy. We talk about how seeing these possibilities in popular culture have impacted us, encouraging us to think differently about the men and masculinities we encounter in our own lives. And, of course, there’s a little Swan Lake in there, too. 🦢 Join us for a conversation about the popular culture that doesn’t just reflect the world around us, but can change the way we see it—and each other.

    Ted Lasso 2: Group Chat!

  4. Oct 29

    Ted Lasso 1: Transformation, Barbershops & Positive Masculinity

    What happens when sports and dancing collide in popular culture? Can a haircut be a performance? This episode explores one of the most memorable scenes in Ted Lasso: Sam's haircut before a first date. A teammate's offhand joke about Swan Lake opens an unexpected pathway into thinking about transformation, ritual, and community. Along the way, we consider what sports and dance have in common, how rituals help us become who we want to be, and why Black hair carries deep cultural significance. What begins as a seemingly simple moment of self care becomes a story about friendship, positive masculinity, and the communities that help us grow into ourselves.

    Ted Lasso 1: Transformation, Barbershops & Positive Masculinity

  5. Oct 2

    The Handmaid's Tale 4: Deep Dive with Kirill Smolkin

    Why does a few seconds of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake instantly feel mysterious…or even unsettling? Music scholar Kirill Smolkin joins us to unpack the famous “Swan Theme,” exploring its emotional power, its surprising afterlife in horror films, and why music boxes have such a lasting psychological pull. Together we trace how these sounds shape our emotional responses and discover how all of these threads come together in The Handmaid's Tale. Once you hear the “Swan Theme” this way, you may never hear it quite the same again.

    The Handmaid's Tale 4: Deep Dive with Kirill Smolkin

  6. Oct 1

    The Handmaid's Tale 3: Deep Dive with Trent Montgomery

    What is it like to spend your career dancing swan roles? Professional ballet dancer Trent Montgomery takes us behind the curtain of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the internationally acclaimed all-male ballet company celebrated for its extraordinary technique, pointe work, drag performance, and infectious sense of humor. Together we talk about what it means to embody swan roles, why audiences connect so deeply with them, and how comedy can open doors to appreciating one of ballet's most enduring works. It's a conversation about artistry, athleticism, tradition, and the joy of performance.

    The Handmaid's Tale 3: Deep Dive with Trent Montgomery

  7. Sep 30

    The Handmaid's Tale 2: Group Chat!

    Come behind the scenes with us as our team chats about our own first experiences with The Handmaid’s Tale, how Gilead reflects contemporary social commentary, and the ways the show connects to conversations happening on social media. And, of course, we couldn’t leave out the music box and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Theme”…and how that sound brings so many of these ideas together. It’s a conversation about memory, culture, and the unexpected ways Swan Lake continues to show up in the stories we tell about our world. 📸: IMDb

    The Handmaid's Tale 2: Group Chat!

  8. Sep 28

    The Handmaid's Tale 1: Sylphs, Swans, and Duality

    Our first streaming TV series to highlight is Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale! But what does Swan Lake have to do with Gilead? This episode uncovers the ballet references woven throughout the show’s first season, from a music box playing Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Theme” to how Handmaids are staged like a corps de ballet of sylphs and swans. These choices aren’t accidental. Together, they reveal how ballet becomes a powerful language for exploring identity, power, and the roles women are expected to perform. Once you notice the swans, you’ll never watch The Handmaid’s Tale the same way again. 📸: Hulu

    The Handmaid's Tale 1: Sylphs, Swans, and Duality
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Swan Lake Unfolded uses popular culture as a playground for learning about ourselves and the world around us. This first season is part of a larger project, “Popular Culture Movements,” which maps how cultural touchstones move through media (and what that means). So Swan Lake Unfolded really isn’t solely about Swan Lake—it’s about myths, parody, music, history, games, dancing, food, memory, and more! It’s a celebration of reinvention and what the past reveals about our present and the kinds of futures we want to create… How do we do this? This season we dive into three streaming tv shows—Hulu's The Handmaid’s Tale, Ted Lasso, and Bridgerton—to explore how references to Swan Lake open up larger conversations around identity, love, community, and art. Through podcast episodes that involve solo sessions, group chats, and interviews, we question how popular culture is a portal to thinking through ways of moving through the world, not only reflecting our values and dreams, but also our ideal solutions, too. We pair podcasts with website content on www.swanlakeunfolded.com to engage listeners even more, creating webs of ideas that we hope will continue to ripple outward.

Information

  • Creator
    JEN ATKINS
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © JEN ATKINS
  • Show Website
    Swan Lake Unfolded