Mariko Sasaki, First Soloist, The Royal Ballet: Getting Ready for a “Swan Lake” Debut
Mariko Sasaki, Joseph Sissens, The Royal Ballet, Swan Lake. © Asya Verzhbinsky
When people think of ballet, they often have Swan Lake in mind. Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov staged their iconic production of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet for St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre in 1895. Almost one-hundred-thirty years later, the ballet is still a cornerstone of the classical ballet repertoire. The leading female part poses a special challenge: it’s a double role. The ballet’s leading ballerina has to slip into the role of both Odette, the white swan, a kind princess whom the evil sorcerer Rothbart has turned into a swan, and Odile, the black swan, Rothbart’s evil, seductive daughter. Only true love can lift the spell cast over Odette, but after Prince Siegfried falls in love with the swan princess, Odile pretends to be Odette and seduces the prince into breaking his love vow to Odette. Tragedy follows. TWoA talked to Royal Ballet soloist Mariko Sasaki about her upcoming debut in Swan Lake. It is her first leading role in a three-act classical ballet. She will be dancing with Joseph Sissens, who is preparing his debut as Prince Siegfried.
Which part comes more naturally to you, Odette, or Odile?
Good question! I like doing Odette because it’s my image of Swan Lake: There is the white tutu, I have danced the corps de ballet swans for many years, so being the swan queen is amazing. The white swan Odette comes more naturally to me.
Which part are you enjoying more?
Maybe I’m enjoying Odile more. I’m surprising myself: I’m really enjoying this role! The dream image in my mind was the white swan, but in the studio, preparing Odile, the music is just so exciting. It’s really different, it’s very dynamic. The energy with Joseph is very straight forward and direct. I really enjoy dancing it.
What is the biggest challenge for you as Odette, and what is the biggest challenge as Odile?
It’s an emotional marathon for me, the whole three hours. Odette is the key to the story. You have to change your emotions all the time. You are a young, human princess, but Rothbart changes you into a swan. You have lost your freedom. Then you see this human prince, you are afraid he might hurt you or your friends, your family. You have to show this fear. You are weak, you don’t have power, but you do have the power to protect your family. The emotions change very quickly. You are afraid, you want to protect, then you get attracted and then you fall in love. You have hope. That’s act two, really.
Act three is different. You are Odile, you are just trying to get the prince to be attracted to you. You are sexy, you have everything, you are not really emotional, you are just playing, you don’t care about other people. You are just like: “Oh, come on! Get the boy!” That’s the big change when playing the two roles: I enjoy Odette’s super emotional side, showing many feelings, and then you have to change your emotions into being just dynamic and dancing in act three. Then you go back to act four to Odette and all her emotions: my heart is broken, I’m attracted to the prince, but the only option is to die of my broken heart and to protect everyone. There is so much emotion there, you still love the prince. I think, surprisingly, I enjoy act three so much because it’s just dance. But I also like the drama, so I also really enjoy the white swan. The two roles are two totally different things.
Mariko Sasaki, Joseph Sissens, The Royal Ballet, Swan Lake. © Asya Verzhbinsky
How do you work with your partner to develop your story of the ballet together?
Joseph and I talk a lot in the studio. Obviously, we communicate physically as dance partners. But we also talk to each other: “I think this way. . .,” “I think this way, . . . “” Okay, how can we show the emotion?” We talk and think about the characters together to create our own way of telling this story to the audience. They know the basic story, obviously, but we try to bring in something special from us.
Do you look at other dancers to get inspired, or do you try to forget about other dancers’ interpretation to find your own voice?
Since I started ballet when I was very young, I have always been looking at this role, at Odette/Odile. It’s my favourite role, to be honest. I’ve seen so many ballerinas dance this role, on DVD, in real life. I got so inspired by many different dancers and their different ways because no one dances this the same. Even the same dancers are different every time they dance. Obviously, they have a crazy technique already. But on top of this, they really change how they show their emotions depending on the partner, the atmosphere, the environment on that day. I really enjoy this. Obviously, in terms of some lines, some poses, I get inspired from certain dancers because they are beautiful. When I close my eyes, I remember many, many dancers and beautiful images from Swan Lake. I’m sure that’s in my dancing. But now, before my debut, Jo and I really talk to each other and try to bring out our own way of telling this story.
Zinaida Yanowsky is your coach for this ballet. What is the most helpful thing she has said to you during this process?
I get so much from her! I don’t have one specific point, really. As a coach, she teaches us many technical skills, positions. But she also asks us: what do you mean with this movement? She questions what we are doing. Every step has meaning. It’s about the artistry on top of everything else. Obviously, she demonstrates in front of us, she asks: “Instead of this, what about this?” She has the most beautiful body, how she moves is just magical. She demonstrates in front of us, but then I adjust it on my body. I learned from her that it’s the tiny detail of the angle, of the timing that can change everything. That’s one step ahead of what I am doing in my position at the moment. That’s really how principal dancers work. It’s hard to explain.
Mariko Sasaki, Joseph Sissens, The Royal Ballet, Swan Lake. © Asya Verzhbinsky
Do you have a favourite moment in the ballet?
I’m in love with every moment, actually! But I think my favourite might be the end because you have had so many emotions by that point. You transform into a different person throughout this ballet, from falling in love to being ready to kill yourself. It’s extremely dynamic, it’s a full life story in three hours. In the end, I feel like I’ve just done everything. I like that. It’s a very emotional moment when I die. Before that, my whole body feels like – I can’t describe it.
What makes The Royal Ballet’s production special compared to other productions?
Liam Scarlett’s production takes the basic tale, but he shows in the very beginning how Princess Odette becomes a swan, before act 1 starts. This makes it easy for the audience to follow the plot. Also, the character of the evil sorcerer Rothbart is developed more clearly, he appears before act 1 in the prologue and also in act 1. You can see the story clearly; you don’t have to guess. Everything really makes sense. I really like this version. The costumes and the sets are also gorgeous.
Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
I don’t have a particular thing. I get nervous, I get stressed, but there’s nothing specific I actually do.
Mariko performs in Swan Lake on 11th May.
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