Judicious editing of the music must take place in order to maintain the integrity of the original score. Essential themes must be retained and also placed in an order that will make dramatic sense to the plot development. For example Mr. Nixon edited much of the divertissements music, some of which was added after the original production, and none of which furthers the plot of the ballet. This is not to imply that there is a dearth of dancing in Mr. Nixon's Swan Lake , the dancing closely coincides with the narration of the story. The biggest structural change in Mr. Nixon's Swan Lake is that he has chosen to produce the ballet in two acts and four scenes, which allows for more continuity in the action of the story.
Music often missing from productions of Swan Lake is the Russian Dance.
Mr. Nixon has used this in the ballroom as the moment for Odile to try and convince Siegfried that this swan who looks somewhat like Odette, is really her. From its outset, the music for Swan Lake does not sound happy and definitely sets the mood for the tragedy that is to follow. Although Swan Lake does not offer the classic happy ending, Mr. Nixon believes there is reason to be happy at the triumph of good over evil, and the forgiveness of love, tempered by the reality of life that continues on. He notes that most traditional fairy stories do not have happy endings, which are mostly the product of revisions this century. As is true in life, you cannot take back what has happened but only try to make the best of it.