How seriously should we take “Swan Lake”? It features a virtuous but wronged heroine, Odette, and her sophisticated nemesis, Odile, two roles generally played by one ballerina. White Swan versus Black Swan!
Are White swan and Black Swan played by the same person?
Ballerina power
Once performed by two separate dancers, the roles of Odette and Odile—the White and Black Swan—are now performed by the same person. Getting to dance this dual role is an iconic moment in any ballerina's career, with fans eagerly awaiting her interpretation of these characters.
The parts of Odile and Odette were originally danced by two separate dancers, but it has become customary for one ballerina to dance both parts to emphasise their similarities - and to highlight their differences. Pictured: Robert Helpmann and Margot Fonteyn, Sydney, 1943.
"Black Swan" is about a ballerina, played by Portman, who is cast as the lead in "Swan Lake" and gradually succumbs to madness even as she realizes her artistic potential.
Ashley Bouder, who will also play the Swan Queen this season, along with Sara Mearns and Teresa Reichlen (another dancer making her debut in the role), finds the emotional aspects of the dual character the most difficult too, though for her the white swan is a bigger challenge.
Taking a solitary walk by the lake, the young Princess Odette encounters the wicked Von Rothbart. Overcome with fear, she turns and runs in the hope of escaping his evil power. However, she is not quick enough, and Von Rothbart casts a spell on Odette, transforming her into a swan.
How much dancing did Natalie Portman really do in Black Swan?
In a written statement, "Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky said, "Here is the reality. I had my editor count shots. There are 139 dance shots in the film -- 111 are Natalie Portman untouched. Twenty-eight are her dance double Sarah Lane.
Did Natalie Portman dance on pointe in Black Swan?
Mila Kunis, Portman's co-star in the film, also gave an interview with Entertainment Weekly in which she said, "Natalie danced her ass off" and that "[Portman will] tell you [that], no, she was not on pointe when she did a fouetté [turn].
Soon after the L.A.-based Kunis was cast in "Black Swan," the film's choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, contacted the Los Angeles Ballet's artistic directors and asked if they could provide Kunis with ballet training. Instead of taking on the task themselves, they recommended Blacker for the assignment.
Odette is fluid and ethereal with the delicate carriage and rippling swan arms that are a signature of the ballet. Odile is virtuosic, demanding attention with a series of heart-pumping jumps and turns, including the famous 32 fouettes of Act 3.
Odette was considered to be the best dancer of her generation before an accident caused her to become disabled. She would become a cleaner to the Opera house for the next ten years, at the same time she would work under Regine Le Haut.
Siegfried thinks Odile is Odette and they dance. He tells Odile he loves her. Odile sees Odette as a swan and realises she looks like her. Odile loves Siegfried but feels she must tell the truth.
The ballerina's dual role of Odette/Odile, or White Swan/Black Swan, is one of the most iconic in the repertoire, demanding technical mastery and emotional range to morph from vulnerable and pure Odette to audacious and deceptive Odile. Thematically, these polar-opposites symbolize a battle between good and evil.
Previously, Baron Von Rothbart transformed Princess Odette into a swan, which is the symbol of beauty and purity. Because she refused his hand in marriage, he bewitched her so that she could not marry another. Von Rothbart's expectation was that in captivity, she would eventually consent to marry him.
Portman took ballet classes in preparation for the role, but Sarah Lane of American Ballet Theatre has claimed that she did the actual classical dancing, which includes pointe work. Her face was then, it seems, digitally replaced by Portman's.
Can child stars go on to credible careers? With her Ivy League credentials and a performance in Black Swan that's put her in line for an Oscar, Natalie Portman proves it can be done... At 29, Natalie Portman has already been in the business a long time.
How long did Natalie Portman train for Black Swan?
Portman and Kunis started training six months before the start of filming in order to attain a body type and muscle tone more similar to those of professional dancers. Portman worked out for five hours a day, doing ballet, cross-training, and swimming. A few months closer to filming, she began choreography training.
How did Natalie Portman get so small for Black Swan?
Brace says Portman took no shortcuts. The actress herself has admitted she was "barely eating" to get into character. "I was barely eating, I was working 16 hours a day," she told the Daily Mail. "Her body looked accurate," says Brace.
Did Natalie Portman lose weight to play Black Swan?
Portman has had to make drastic weight transformations on both ends of the spectrum during her Hollywood career. For the 2010 horror thriller Black Swan, Portman notoriously lost 20lbs.
Did Natalie Portman learn how do you do ballet for Black Swan?
It's no secret that Natalie Portman had a dancing double for her Oscar-winning performance in 'Black Swan. ' It clearly would have been impossible for a ballet neophyte such as herself to learn some of the advanced techniques in less than a year.
Are the White Swan and Black Swan the same dancer in Swan Lake?
Normally, “Swan Lake” viewers only have to worry about the head to head battle between Odette, the good white swan, and Odile, the evil black swan. Both are usually played by one dancer, and that held true in all these productions.
Sure, there was ballet, and a production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake did anchor the drama—but other than that, the perspective of aspiring prima ballerina Nina Sayers was at the center of the action.
Swan Lake is the love story of Prince Siegfried, who on a hunting trip encounters a flock of swans, falls in love with the Swan Queen, Odette, and swears his allegiance and undying love to her. As a result of a curse by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart, Odette can only take human form between midnight and daybreak.
