You may already be aware that The Royal Ballet is bringing Swan Lake to the cinema for one performance on February 20th. Dancing the twin parts of Odette/Odile and handsome Prince Siegfried are Zenaida Yanowsky and Nehemiah Kish. This is a completely different way of experiencing the ballet – and one that is catching on! Imagine being able to watch your favorite ballet–danced by one of the best companies in the world–from the comfort of a movie theater!
Today we have Nehemia Kish with us to provide a quick snapshot for you of what it is like to prepare for — and perform this famous classic ballet…
Q. What is the greatest challenge in dancing Prince Siegfried?
It’s a ballet in 4 acts and Prince Siegfried is on stage in every act. It’s a bit of a marathon.
Q. What is the rehearsal schedule like for this type of full-length ballet?
We are usually preparing a few different ballets at the same time. Our days typically start at 10:30 and end about 6:30. For a full length ballet like Swan Lake we start rehearsing about a month before with a couple hours of rehearsals a day.
Q. Is there anything special you did to prepare for this role in particular, especially in knowing that it would be filmed for audiences across the world?
I wanted to make all the gestures as natural as possible. Avoiding unnecessary posing made it more enjoyable and meaningful to me.
Q. What do you enjoy the most about portraying Prince Siegfried?
I enjoy how passionately he pursues Odette and Odile.
Q. How is dancing this role now different from the first time you performed it?
The way I approach the role depends on the way I feel leading up to the performances and every performance is different.
Q. Swan Lake is a traditional, classic ballet. What is the best part about dancing it?
The best part is dancing to the music of Tchaikovsky and getting lost in an emotional love story.
This performance of Swan Lake will only be broadcast once — on Thursday, Feb. 20th. If you are interested in tickets – just enter your zip code on this page and find a theater near you.
(Can’t make this performance? The Royal Ballet will be back in movie theaters across the country on March 20th for a single performance of Sleeping Beauty.)
Disclosure: 4dancers accepts compensation for the promotion of these events
