DANCE BALLERINAS PRACTICED AND PERFORMED TCHAIKOVSKY’S “SWAN LAKE”
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he annual ballet is a way for student dancers to showcase their hardwork, dedication, and skill to the entire student body, along with family and friends. The ballet was Swan Lake, a classic love story that combines tragedy, romance, and dance into a captivating performance. Ever since 1875, Swan Lake has been a popular performance done at the highest levels. This ballet combined both acting and dancing skills, and allowed students to push themselves to gain more experience as dancers. “Swan Lake is an iconic ballet, one of my favorites to dance to and watch as an audience member,” Mrs. Courtney Teas, Upper School Ballet Director said. “Choosing Swan Lake was an ambitious choice, especially for a school production, but I felt we had enough strong dancers to pull it together.” From December to March, rehearsals were in full swing. Dancers had to
Riley Haligman ’21
words by Ava Retcher /photos by Grace Sager, Sabrina Kreiss & courtesy of Mrs. Courtney Teas design by Catrina Reyes and Bailey Watson
come in on weekends to endure demanding practices, all of which went towards perfecting the performance. “Although rehearsals are long and difficult, they allow me to create bonds with other students I would not have become friends with otherwise,” Anna Medrano ‘23 said. The variety of Swan Lake’s costumes, contrasting between light and dark, consisted of a mix of romantic and flat tutus. These costumes represented how classic of a ballet this performance is and showed a deeper meaning within the dance. “Seeing the costumes on all of the dancers really brought it together for me. I was able to see what our hard work is going to turn into,” Victoria van Woerkom ‘22 said.
IN THE WORDS
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IN THE WORDS
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Sophia Grau ’21
IN THE WORDS
IN THE WORDS
Emma Goldstein ’22
“My favorite part of Swan Lake was spending time with friends and being part of a new ballet. Also, I like the new costumes.”
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“I was so excited to do my last ballet with the seniors. I was also super excited to see the combination of all the tech work, lights, costumes, and our choreography.”
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“I love performing in the shows because we have spent so much time and effort into it so I was really looking forward to people seeing what we’ve been doing. It’s so fun because everyone is super excited and nervous and it’s kinda chaotic but it’s amazing.”
Erin Wiegman ’20
“Since I was in fourth grade I have been in every ballet production offered, on different campuses. To finally perform on Stacy’s stage for the last time will be exciting and yet heartbreaking. From a 7 min pas de deux, to filming in front of the green screen, Swan Lake allowed me to learn and try something new everyday. (Seen on right.)
Playing the role of Odette, Erin Weigman ‘20 poses during a costume fitting for “Swan Lake”. Dancers tried on numerous tutus and props in preparation for the performance.
STAYING ON POINTE BALLET CLASS AT THE BARRE photos by Sabrina Kreiss & Colin Nealy
1. Lulu Ingham ’22, Karly Burnstein ’22 and Emma Goldstein ’22 tendu front, using their épaulement, to demonstate the combination. Dancers used their time at the barre to warm-up their body’s for the rest of class. 2. Holding a passé, Rachel Snyder ’20 and Samara “Mei” Levin ‘23 find their balance to help them perfect their turns in center. Skills practiced at barre are used throughout the class and help dancers with more challenging steps.
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SWAN LAKE
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