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Address: 203 W. Park St. Champaign, IL 61820
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The creative visions of CU Ballet artistic director Deanna Doty and production designer Andy Warfel meld in the company’s Swan Lake to produce an evening of dance and visual spectacle. Set to Tchaikovsky’s original score, the ballet will be performed in its entirety on Saturday, May 8, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 9, at 2 p.m. An abridged version will be presented at a 2 p.m. children’s matinee on May 8.

Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. The curse can only be broken if a man, pure in heart, pledges his love to her. Prince Siegfried becomes smitten by Odette the swan but is being forced to choose a human bride by his royal parents. The CU Ballet’s rehearsal process has been long and hard due to the level of difficulty and complication of the choreography.

“The fact that the dancing is intense has made rehearsals very challenging,” said CU Ballet’s ballet mistress Emily Buss, who is dancing in the production. “We, as dancers, have all had to build our stamina and work up to doing full run-throughs [of the show].”

UIUC dance major Mark Deler, junior in Fine and Applied Arts, finds a different aspect of the production to be his biggest hurdle.

“I would say the most challenging part for me has been learning to dance in a ballet corps,” he said. “My whole life I’ve been taught to stand out, so the idea of blending in is something I’ve been working on.”

Deler was recruited for the CU Ballet by John Dayger, one of his ballet teachers in the UIUC Department of Dance, for last season’s performances of Cinderella. Deler has stuck with the CU Ballet because he enjoys learning more technical skills, and because he loves the company.

“I have loved getting to know all of the people I have gotten to work with,” Deler said. “I also really enjoy watching Mason Anders, the male principal dancer. He and I teach each other new tricks all the time.”

Deler plays the Spanish dancer in the ballet, which he said allows him both to act and to dance with some pizazz. His character’s role is to fire people up and to add a different dynamic to the show.

“Swan Lake may get kind of dull for some audience members,” he said. “So for those people, the Spanish dance is just what the doctor ordered.”

Ballet mistress Buss hopes that the audience will genuinely enjoy the performance and will appreciate the aesthetics and quality of the dancers. Keep an eye out for her favorite scene, the White Act, which is the first scene that involves all of the dancing swans.

“As a dancer, the White Act is a lot of fun, because it epitomizes ‘classical ballet,’” Buss said.

As a spectator, however, she prefers the garden scene for its beautiful music and fun characters.