Performing ‘Swan Lake’ is notoriously difficult. PNB dancers explain why

Around a table in the book-lined library at Pacific Northwest Ballet, a group of swans and princes are talking.

The topic of that conversation: “Swan Lake,” the classic, tragic 19th-century story ballet returning to PNB’s stage next month in a production choreographed by Kent Stowell. The roles of Odette/Odile (a dual characterization of a woman trapped in the body of a swan and of her scheming temptress doppelgänger) and her lovesick swain, Prince Siegfried, are among the most difficult — and most beloved — in all of ballet. It’s a four-act work, full of technical fireworks (the 32 fouetté turns for the ballerina in Act III are legendarily difficult) and wrenching emotion.

“One of the hardest parts is the journey of it all,” said principal dancer Angelica Generosa, who’s playing Odette/Odile for the second time. She singled out the transition from Act III, which contains the grueling Black Swan pas de deux, to a quick change into Act IV and the White Swan’s farewell — by that time in the ballet, she said, “you have no legs, and you’re trying to give all that emotion.” It helps, she says, to have done it before: “This time around, it does feel a little bit more comfortable, but it’s still challenging to get all the way through it”

Principal dancer Jonathan Batista, Generosa’s partner in this production, agreed. “The first time, I think we were just trying to get the steps — so many expectations,” he said. “But now it’s just like we’re feeling it, we’re ready to walk in and put ourselves into those roles. It’s been so organic and easier.”

Playing Odette/Odile or Siegfried is a rite of passage for a dancer, requiring impeccable classical technique and near-superhuman stamina. The legendary British ballerina Margot Fonteyn wrote in her autobiography that at the end of each “Swan Lake” performance, she felt “like a runner who has put his last ounce of effort into the race — the glorious satisfaction of having given everything to the moment.”

Because the roles are so challenging, multiple casts are required for the production: Artistic director Peter Boal, working with Stowell and stager Francia Russell, originally chose eight couples to rehearse the roles, with the understanding that in all likelihood only five would be needed for the run’s 10 performances. The other three couples are standing by in case of injury, but are more likely just learning the roles in order to gain a leg up, so to speak, for next time.

That was the case two years ago for principals Elle Macy and Cecilia Iliesiu, who learned Odette/Odile for PNB’s 2022 production of “Swan Lake,” but didn’t perform the roles on stage. Macy said it was disappointing to not go on — “I got the process, but I didn’t get the final moment” — but enormously helpful this time around. “It’s been really nice,” she said, “because I started at zero before, now I’m starting from at least 50.”

Now scheduled to perform the ballet, they’re both excited to find nuances in the role that they might not have noticed when learning it the first time. Iliesiu noted that what she’d thought of as hugs in Act II, when Odette and Siegfried embrace, was really more like the swan opening her wings and enfolding him in them, first one then the other. “I’d never visualized it that way before, but it’s really cool to find those details,” she said.

What happens ideally, said principal dancer Lucien Postlewaite, is that familiarity with the roles allows the dancer to focus less on technique and more on storytelling. “So when you do a pirouette, it’s not just a pirouette, it’s telling something — you’re approaching it with a dynamic, a quality.” Leaning into the story, he said, frees the dancers to feed off their partners and build a story together, with each step “full of the texture of the story.”

The women all spoke of the challenges of “swan arms,” which need to appear boneless and fragile — and which, Generosa said, can result in very sore human arms afterward. Macy appreciated coaching in the nuances of the arms: “little circles with your elbow, using your wrist to get the curvature of the arm — there’s just all these details that we’re not taught in technical ballet class.” Generosa noted that Odette and Odile use their wings differently: Odette’s are more delicate and fragile (“more of an adagio underwater”), Odile’s are sharper and flirtatious.

All of the dancers agreed on the importance of coaching in the roles — and many spoke of being inspired by other dancers. Postlewaite remembered, early in his career, watching video of legendary Russian ballerina Natalia Makarova. Iliesiu spoke of New York City Ballet principal Maria Kowroski. Macy cited American Ballet Theatre principal Gillian Murphy; Batista named former ABT principal (and fellow Brazilian) Marcelo Gomes; and principal dancer James Kirby Rogers drew inspiration from the great Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev.

And they take inspiration from each other — Batista gave a shout-out to Postlewaite, saying “I’ve admired his artistry for so long” — and from the ballet’s haunting Tchaikovsky score. “It’s such a beautiful score,” said Rogers, noting that the music “drives the emotion and the physicality.”

As opening night draws closer, the dancers are working on building stamina to get through the ballet — much of the secret to dancing “Swan Lake” is knowing when to conserve energy and when to dance all-out — and excited to share the drama with audiences on McCaw’s enormous stage. They’re eager to hear the full PNB Orchestra, which adds a whole new level to the performances (in rehearsal, they dance to solo piano).

“There’s something so gained when you hear the whole thing, so many strings,” said Postlewaite. “Every time that overture starts, I get this well of emotion.” The overture, he said, “sums up the whole ballet — the rise, the fall, the tragedy.”

Generosa particularly loves Act IV, in which Odette and Siegfried bid a moving farewell to each other. “I think it’s one of the most emotional parts of the whole ballet,” she said. “It’s really between two people, and all of a sudden we’re saying goodbye.” For a dancer, she said, it’s a moment of pride and accomplishment. “You’re in the character, but also as yourself, you’re like, ‘I did it, I finished it, I’m through.’”