21.04.2024
Four first-time Swan Queens star in Swan Lake national tour
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is proud to announce principal casting for its forthcoming national tour of Swan Lake in association with Avis.
This year, all dancers performing leading roles will be company members rather than guest artists, a testament to the depth of talent within the national ballet company.
All four dancers performing the demanding role of Odette/Odile, the pinnacle of classical ballet for any ballerina, in both technique and pure artistry, and all four dancers playing Prince Siegfried, will be performing the full roles for the first time in their careers. Collectively, they have already spent almost five decades performing for New Zealand audiences at the very highest level; the RNZB is delighted that they will share this special milestone together.
Principal Mayu Tanigaito, the RNZB’s longest serving dancer and the face of the marketing campaign for Swan Lake, who joined the company in 2012, will give her first performance on 1 May in Wellington, and will also open the Auckland season the following week on 9 May. Mayu’s Prince Siegfried will be fellow Principal Laurynas Vėjalis, who joined the RNZB in 2018, continuing the partnership which they have established in previous landmark productions including Giselle (2021), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021) and Cinderella (2022).
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court.
Soloist Ana Gallardo Lobaina, who joined the RNZB in 2020, will give her first performance on 2 May. Ana was born in Cuba and trained there and in Miami before dancing with Cincinnati Ballet and West Australian Ballet. Ana’s notable roles to date include Loughlan Prior’s The Firebird, created on her, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021) and Juliet (2023). Ana will be partnered by fellow Soloist, Christchurch-born Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson, previously her Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and partner in Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain pas de deux, as well as Prince Charming in Cinderella.
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court.
Principal Kate Kadow is the third of the quartet of Swan Queens to make her debut, on 3 May. Born in Florida, Kate had a distinguished international career before joining the RNZB in 2018. Her roles with the RNZB include Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (2020), Giselle, Paquita (both 2021) and Juliet (2023). After solo roles including Tybalt in Romeo & Juliet, Artist Branden Reiners, in his second year with the RNZB, steps into his first principal role in a full-length classic for the RNZB and will partner Kate as Prince Siegfried.
Photo credit: Stephen A’Court.
Soloist Katherine Minor, partnered by Principal Kihiro Kusukami, complete the line-up, making their joint debut in Auckland on 12 May. Katherine, who this year celebrates ten years as a member of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, was most recently seen as Juliet in Romeo & Juliet (2023) and has also appeared as Cinderella (2022), Giselle (2021) and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty (2020). Kihiro, who joined the RNZB in 2018, adds Siegfried to his repertoire after performing leading roles including the Flames of Paris pas de deux (2019), Albrecht in Giselle (2021) and Romeo (2023).
Artistic Director Ty King-Wall says “Playing the role of Odette/Odile or Siegfried in Swan Lake is the ultimate test and such a high point in a ballet dancer’s career. It has been wonderful to see these talented dancers take up the challenge and forge their own path through this story, embracing their individuality and discovering new depths and details within their partnerships. I’d like to congratulate them all as they make their debuts, and I hope our New Zealand audiences enjoy their performances on stage as much as I’ve appreciated working with them in the studio.”
See principal casting for the full Swan Lake tour here. All casting is subject to change.