Beneath the lake: a swan’s perspective

The formations make Act II and Act IV so visually pleasing. What strategies do you have for staying in line?

Peripheral vision is key. I must stay present, because even though I’ve been told to stand on a certain mark on the stage, I need to always be ready to adjust and follow the dancer in front of me. As a tall dancer, I’m rarely at the front of the line, so I have a lot of experience keeping in line with dancers around me. For a long-standing line, I must prioritise exactly where I place my foot. I only have a split second to decide, and it’s so important because once I’ve stood, I can’t move if I’m not in line.

How do you deal with cramps during the long stands?

Leading up to a Swan Lake season I always make sure I'm sufficient in calcium, potassium, and magnesium. I also do the stands properly in rehearsal, so that I build up my endurance. When I cramp on stage, I breathe deeply and focus on the music to take my mind off the pain. If it’s my feet cramping (most likely), wriggling my toes helps, but to be honest, mental strength is what pushes me through. After the show, I massage my muscles straight away.

What about when you go from standing still to jumping?

The longest stands are when all the diverts perform, during lead swans, cygnets, and Odette’s solo. During Odette’s solo I start wriggling and doming my toes (imagine picking up sand with your toes), activating my core, and focusing on my breathing. It always works!

What’s the most rewarding part?

The comradery within the Company both on stage and in the change room. Performing a season of Swan Lake changes your perspective on what you are capable of as dancer. Some of my favourite memories of my career are towards the end of Act IV. The music is out of this world, and you feel such a sense of achievement because a few hours before you had no idea if you could even get through the show.

What’s your relationship with the other swans?

The cygnets are the little swans, so we’re usually the shorter dancers. This creates a contrast between us and the majestic Lead Swans, who are usually taller dancers. The magical thing about swans is the sense of everyone breathing together on the lake, whether it be in the quiet moments the pas de deux, or even when the swans are jumping around and puffing our lungs out. The sense that we are in it together gives us such pride and a sense of power. 



How does it feel to be interlinked to other dancers during cygnets?

Dancing interlinked to other dancers is a unique part of cygnets. The middle cygnets feel the most boxed in, but the cygnets on the end have the job of leading the angles when we’re travelling, so every spot has it challenges! Dancing without the use of our arms is also very challenging. You need a firm enough grip to hold onto each other but not too firm that you disrupt your fellow cygnets!

What's the rehearsal focus for cygnets?

Getting all four cygnets to move and dance at the same time takes a lot of rehearsal. The dance needs to look in sync, so for the audience it’s like looking at just one person. It’s also technically challenging, so we build up the stamina needed for the fast petit allegro and pointe work. Teamwork, patience, and a sense of humour are important in rehearsals.

What’s your relationship to the others in the lake?

I imagine the lead swans as the matriarchs and of the swan flock. They are the mature protectors and leaders of the group, the ones flying or swimming at the front of the flock.

What’s challenging about being a lead swan?

I love dancing lead swans because you get to imbue a sense of maturity into the swan scenes. To show this quality, we must cover a lot of space. There’s a lot of grand allegro and so much jumping and travelling that gets tiring very quickly and requires good stamina.

You dance in the group and as a duo, what different skills do you need?

Dancing in a group is one of the hardest things about being in the corps de ballet, you can’t dance full out in way that feels natural to your body as you must become one with every other dancer on stage. You can’t get lost in the movement, which can feel restrained and requires a lot of concentration. Dancing in a duo allows you much more freedom to dance more fully and enjoy the space. However, you still must have an eye out for your partner because you need to make sure you are evenly spaced and in time with one another. Essentially the skills required are the same, you still need awareness of the lead swan, but dancing outside the swan flock allows more freedom to dance in a way that is unique to yourself.

What’s the rehearsal focus for lead swans?

The rehearsal focus is on the expansion of movement to portray the maturity and size of the lead swans. Timing and musicality are important as you must be in unison with the other lead swan. In the early stages of rehearsal, we work on building the stamina and rhythm needed to produce large, suspended-in-the-air jumps.