Ballerinas on ballet’s iconic female leads: Abigail Oliveiro on Odette and Odile
In 2014, within a year of joining Ballet Manila, now principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro was given the chance to dance Odette in Swan Lake. In 2016, she reprised the role of Odette in the company’s The Swan, The Fairy and The Princess, a fusion of the Tchaikovsky classics Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. In 2017, she finally had a chance to step into the dual role of Odette and Odile in a full-length Swan Lake, said to be the ultimate test of a ballerina’s artistry and technique. Innocent and pure Odette (White Swan) is portrayed as lyrical, soft and vulnerable, while the dark and evil Odile (Black Swan) requires strength, aggression and sensuality.
There’s a lot of creativity involved in dancing Odette and Odile. There are established techniques in attacking the roles but there’s also so much room for putting in your personal touch, and that’s what I love. To begin with, a swan is very difficult to portray. The swan moves differently from the generic kind of bird. They twist their heads a lot and they create different kinds of shapes.
The White Swan is very hesitant and as a person, I can be very hesitant… But there’s that side of me that’s teasing, playful and seductive. I am excited about the transformation because what the Black Swan stands for, which includes empowerment and strong femininity, isn’t something I feel or get to express very often. I don’t want to say I’m crazy, but sometimes, I think that I am. The switching from White to Black for me is just fun!
Back in 2014, I remember being asked in an interview who I identified with more and I answered “White Swan.” After just a few years, and my answer’s completely different. That’s how personal Swan Lake is. The more you practice, the more you dance it, the more you experiment and explore, the more things you’ll find out about yourself.
Top photo: Ballet Manila principal dancer Abigail Oliveiro finds it fun to explore the contradicting facets of two personalities in Odette and Odile, the dual characters in Swan Lake. Photos by Giselle P. Kasilag
