For all of its origins in Russian myth more than a century ago, "Swan Lake" has never seemed more relevant than in today's politically charged world, where the struggle between good and evil is often translated into black and white.

It's all told in the highly popular tale of broken promises, manipulation and disguise, but the strength of "Swan Lake" takes it to a personal level, where the heroine Odette struggles to overcome a ruthless sorcerer and cause of her Swan Queen predicament, Von Rothbart. She engages a wayward Prince Siegfried to aid her cause, setting up a dysfunctional love triangle of epic proportions.

"Swan Lake" is famously divided into white and black scenes. The second and fourth acts revolve around a bevy of beautiful swans who circulate the stage in a series of swirling patterns that have remained remarkably untouched since Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov first created them. The third act soars on the performance of the wicked Odile, a Von Rothbart creation in Odette's image, and her prince.

But there is more to "Swan Lake" than simply black and white, as evidenced by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's latest production that played the Benedum Center last weekend. With artistic director Terrence Orr once again fielding four leading casts (I was able to view three of them), it was easy to observe the changing nuance and, yes, color among the varying interpretations.

Conductor Charles Barker, all power and finesse, provided the musical platform with which to launch them. Despite a scaled-back string section, he was able to galvanize the orchestra, particularly on Friday night, where the tempos seemed to provide wings for the dancers, even slightly accelerating within the course of a variation to latch onto a soloist's escalating excitement.

As for the dancing itself, the third act most consistently dominated over the others. It was a genuine surprise because the nationality dances usually were a snooze over the years, merely a dutiful prelude for the technical storm in the Black Swan Pas de Deux. But for the first time, they had their own spirit and authority, with the rich Mazurka a real standout.

The first act pas de trois also shone with the sublime delicacy of Alexandra Kochis and dark beauty of Christine Schwaner. Alexandre Silva (Benno) partnered them with a deeply masculine flair and showed great height in his jumps, with his solid turns a noble finishing accent. Likewise, Robert Moore's particularly nefarious Von Rothbart combined his jumps with a commanding air.

That suggested a trend among the male dancers, also visible in a pair of Siegrieds, Nurlan Abougaliev and Kwang-Suk Choi, who presented a vivid finale for his retirement. There was a sense overall that pirouettes were more numerous and controlled and jumps more assertive. Although the always spot-on Christopher Budzynski had rare technical problems on Sunday as Siegfried, his Friday night jester hit all of the virtuosic elements with ease.

Among the Swan Queens there was a beginning, an ending and a new direction. Ms. Kochis made her debut at the Friday matinee with Mr. Choi, using her uncommon intelligence and sense of phrasing to give equal balance to her Odette and Odile.

Kumiko Tsuji gave her final performance at PBT on Sunday. Although she was nervous in a few places, she achieved the most breathtaking angles and sweep to her Odette. And her Black Swan hit all the technical notes, including double fouettes.

Despite a somewhat confined second act, Erin Halloran finally succeeded in funneling her enormous technical skills into a cohesive dramatic whole. Certainly there were the teasing balances that have quickly become her signature (she established that at the start of the PBT season in "Sleeping Beauty") and she was perfectly centered in any turn, from piques to double fouettes.

With her Friday performance, Ms. Halloran took it a step further, turning her performance into a showpiece worthy of any company, one that had the audience swooning with appreciation in the third act. Then she internalized that passion during the fourth act for a genuinely poetic finish.

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