Oklahoma City Ballet preps for upcoming 'Swan Lake' production

The Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch visited the Oklahoma City Ballet to learn more about its upcoming production of "Swan Lake."

Wednesday, January 29th 2025, 10:16 am

By: Addie Crawford


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The Oklahoma City Ballet is preparing for its upcoming production of "Swan Lake," with the first show scheduled for next Friday.

The Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch visited the ballet to speak with choreographer Racheal Nye as they wrapped up preparations.

Q: For those who haven't heard of it, tell us about this performance and what we're going to see.

Nye: Swan Lake is truly one of the most iconic classical ballets in our history. It has a corps de ballet, or a body of the ballet, of 24 swans. It has a fantastic love story that has twists and turns, plot twists, and an incredible Tchaikovsky score,

Q: Is this production a perfect event for Valentine's Day, right?

Nye: Like I said, it's a love story, so it's a really wonderful chance to take your Valentine and experience art.

Q: Tell us about the preparation behind putting on such a physically demanding show as "Swan Lake."

Nye: Our company of full-time dancers has been preparing for about five weeks now. It takes an incredible amount of stamina and physical strength to get through the ballet, it is one of the most demanding ballets physically in our repertory. Historically, "Swan Lake" was one of the first ballets that the dancer, the lead dancer, did 32 consecutive fouettes, which is sort of a turn where you whip your leg and spot your head. It was incredibly impressive.

Q: For people who are not familiar with "Swan Lake," What should they know? Is this a good introduction for them?

Nye: I think it's a wonderful introduction to ballet. It's got something for everyone, and just the poetic feeling of the swans, it really is incredibly special. I think that whether you know a ton about ballet or it's your first time, you're going to find something that you love.

Q: How important is it to have these dancers perform in front of a full crowd of people?

Nye: Absolutely, it is a benchmark in a dancer's career to perform "Swan Lake," and so we certainly would love to have full, warm audiences for them.

Tickets to see "Swan Lake" begin at around $30.

Visit the Oklahoma City Ballet's website to learn more about tickets and showtimes.

Addie Crawford

Addie Crawford is a multimedia journalist for News 9. She joined the News 9 morning team in January of 2023 after interning and reporting part-time while studying at the University of Oklahoma. Addie has a passion for storytelling and loves to meet new people in the Oklahoma City community.

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