Noah Esplana makes Prince Siegfried his own in ‘Swan Lake’

***Noah Esplana is Prince Siegfried to Jessica Pearl Dames’ Odette in a pas de deux they performed at Ballet Manila’s media conference for Swan Lake in May. Photo by MarBi Photography***

By Jv Ramos

Ballet Manila’s upcoming Swan Lake run in Dumaguete involves an interesting third cast: principal dancers and real-life twins, Jessica Pearl and Jasmine Pia Dames, will take on the roles of Odette and Odile, with soloist Noah Esplana as their Prince Siegfried. This will be the full-length debut of the three as professional ballet dancers, and unlike the other two casts, it involves a male lead studying the movement of two partners and of these ballerinas reliving their first Swan Lake encounter after 13 long years with a younger danseur.

*For the first time, soloist Noah Esplana is taking on the role of Prince Siegfried in the full-length* Swan Lake as Ballet Manila brings the classic to Dumaguete. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

“When our casting was first announced, everyone, including the twins, couldn’t believe — especially the part where I was going to be their Siegfried. Kinabahan din ako noong una (I was also nervous about it at first),” says Australian-Filipino Noah who has been expanding his use of the local language since transplanting himself to the Philippines and joining Ballet Manila. But once it hit him that this isn’t the first time he’s partnering with the Dameses, Noah began to relax.

***In Ballet Manila’s recent staging of* Swan Lake *in Aliw Theater, Noah was one of two danseurs cast in the pas de trois in Act 1. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag***

“Since I've worked with them before — I did Romeo and Juliet with Pearl and Don Q [Don Quixote] with Pia — I’m familiar with the way they dance and move, which made me calmer about preparing for the role of Siegfried.” Perhaps the biggest challenge for the danseur is building the stamina to dance with both Odette and Odile, and the quick switching from one partner to another. In the story, Siegfried falls in love with the White Swan Odette, but is tricked by the sorcerer Von Rothbart into thinking that the Black Swan Odile is Odette.

**In Swan Lake mode: Noah and twins Pearl Dames (left) and Pia Dames are all making their debut in the full-length classic. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag**

Though they’re the same height, Pearl and Pia have different centers and styles of dancing, which Noah would have to complement as the danseur. He observes, “Pearl is expressive when dancing, so you'll have to support her more, especially when she does pirouettes. Pia is more stable so I can almost stay put as the partner when she’s doing her pirouettes… Dealing with them as partners is also different, as Pia likes to just focus on the dance, while I’m able to interact more with Pearl on and off the stage. Yes, I’ve learned how different the sisters are, and I’m glad that they have learned to trust me as their partner.”

Asked how things are progressing so far, Noah, like Pearl, feels that his White Swan parts are getting better, as they both have reached the point where they’re familiar with the steps and have the luxury of adding nuances to the characters of Odette and Siegfried. But as for Pia, this soloist is making sure that he is giving her the support she needs, as Odile is her comeback role after a major injury. “We will get there,” assures the soloist, who knows that he can’t show his shaky old self. “I try my best not to show my nerves, because I don’t want to add to the pressure of Pearl [and Pia]. If I’m shaking, their focus would be divided.”

*Noah partners Pia Dames in the* Don Quixote grand pas de deux presented as part of Ballet Manila’s Greatest Hits in Malaysia in 2024. Photo by Giselle P. Kasilag

As for how he’s turning himself into the prince in the story, he notes that he tries not to display any of his usually energetic self. “Siegfried is melancholic so when I’m out there, I act the opposite of who I am. [For instance] I try my best not to bounce when I walk because that’s not very princely. I also use my imagination to figure out how he’s supposed to act. I’m not the kind of dancer who copies from a specific performer when preparing for a role.”

Noah says that while San Francisco Ballet guest artists Esteban Hernandez and Nathaniel Remez’s versions of Siegfried were amazing to see last May, he shouldn’t pressure himself to be just like them. “It’s important to remember that the Siegfried I’m performing is my own.” For our subject, what’s crucial to his transformation to the prince is imagining who Siegfriend is, and continuously building on the trust he established with his Odette and Odile.”