Blog

On Wednesday, Yolanda Correa danced the role of Odette/Odile in Patrice Bart's SWAN LAKE one last time. At the end of December, the principal dancer bids farewell to Berlin to, once again, dance at the opera in Oslo. Saying goodbye, she shared her thoughts on the ballet classic:

"Swan Lake, one of the most transcendental ballets ever made, is, until this day, a challenge for any prima ballerina; a ballet in which technique and acting demand the highest quality of a dancer.

So pure; so virtuous; containing a beautiful love story within. The first time I performed as Odette/Odile, I was 21 years old. I still remember the hours preparing for it in the studio; the pain in my feet and my back from all the work, especially in the arms when trying to create the illusion of a swan. It was a big step towards becoming a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba in which the director Alicia Alonso was very well known for the Black Swan in particular; with an impeccable and fierce technique. Since then, I’ve been performing this ballet, many versions in many different theatres and opera houses, and I’m still in love with it: with its music, the dancing, the story. Still I find new challenges and discover more beautiful moments to enjoy. To me, it is the perfect ballet for a ballerina to prove herself. Playing two different characters in one evening while revealing her skills."