© John Ross Matthew Bourne interview SL Swans and Princes interview Jose Maria Tirado, Jason Piper, Neil Westmoreland and Christopher Marney John Ross Swan Lake gallery MB 'Swan Lake' Reviews AMP 'Swan Lake' reviews (original production was by Adventures in Motion Pictures) Panchenko in reviews Tranah in reviews all Matthew Bourne reviews Philip Bichard reviews Swan Lake opened at London's Sadler's Well on November 30th and runs until January 16th. www.sadlers-wells.com Box office 0870 737 7737 www.matthewbourne.org www.new-adventures.net

I met up with them both during rehearsals at Duthy Hall studios, a short walk from the Tate Modern in central London. After picking my way carefully through a room littered with crates of props and racks of costumes I suddenly enter the main studio, busy with dancers preparing for the start of the run only two weeks away. With a suit, briefcase and street shoes I am forced to walk directly across the floor, dignity hardly intact, before I can reach the sanctity of the press room. Actually that may somewhat glamorise the basement room: Company Manager Roger Richardson told me it has been used as an occasional dressing-room (which was later proved, somewhat distractingly), part costume-fitting room, general office, wig room, and now press room.

Oxana Panchenko, who graciously came in on a rare day off to chat with me, was already waiting for me. Bright and cheerful, she assures me that the show is, "going to be great! We've got wonderful dancers and really good actors. That's what's so good about the show, it's very theatrical, it's not just dancing but also drama which really is the most exciting I think, more than the usual Swan Lake. I actually prefer it so much more myself." Although she prefers more contemporary dance to classical she has always liked it when there is a lot of drama involved. She thinks this role of The Queen is, "fantastic. There's

Oxana Panchenko © 2004 Clear Channel Entertainment

actually not that much dancing in it for the Queen but she plays such an amazing character so you can really get your teeth into it. She plays a big part in it."

Panchenko is Ukrainian and trained in Kiev, a school currently enjoying a reputation enhanced by having recently been responsible also for the young Royal Ballet principal dancers Alina Cojocaru and Ivan Putrov. Dancing has taken Panchenko all over the world, including a spell with English National Ballet, and while much admired and loved by fans she only hit the big time relatively recently when she joined a decidedly small new company called George Piper Dances - created by Royal Ballet defectors Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, the self-styled 'Ballet Boyz'. Their single-minded pursuit of new and innovative contemporary dance within the framework of classical ballet captured the imaginations of both the public and the critics, and finally gave Panchenko the stage for which she had waited her whole career. She puts it down to luck, saying simply, "I reckon if there had been another girl in my shoes it would have been the same situation." This seems a little disingenuous however as she is, after all, the current holder of the Critics' Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Female Classical Artist - which perhaps means she can afford to be so modest.

The level of success and fame she has now achieved must surely be gratifying though? "God, yes! These three or four years must be the best years of my career. I've enjoyed every minute of it. I feel a lot more confident and I think part of it is being in a smaller company; you get to do - you have to do - everything. You can get too much work and you wish there were more people. But yes, it was - it is - very satisfying."

Working constantly without the backup of other dancers and understudies must be pressured. "It's a bit scary, actually, but somehow you just get through it, you just know you can't get injured. But also we're older now and you know how to look after your body. It takes a while but you know when it's time to push it and when you can take it easy…you work more intelligently."
 

That Panchenko had to wait until turning 30 to achieve proper recognition - stardom even - is in stark contrast to her fellow Queen, Nicola Tranah, who followed the classical career path of an English dancer - training at the Royal Ballet School before scaling the ranks of the Royal Ballet to First Soloist, albeit after a short spell at Dutch National Ballet - and achieved much along the way, not least having work made on her by venerated choreographer Kenneth MacMillan.

This new role of The Queen is a challenge for Tranah, which she describes as, "a different way of moving and a different way of acting as well." Rehearsals are going fine, though it's not a walk in the park. "At the moment it's a bit full-on but it needs to be - we were called in two weeks later than we previously thought so I thought initially I was going to have more time. At the moment I feel quite rushed, but I'm loving it, really enjoying it."

We discuss the character of The Queen, who is single, alluring and sexy as well being a dignified royal. "She has many different facets to her personality - there's the front, in front of the public, there's her relationship with the Prince, her relationship with the Stranger and each relationship is different." A bit like a MacMillan role, I suggest. "Definitely, it's quite a lot like the Empress [in Mayerling], the Tsarina in Anastasia, Berthe in Giselle, the Queen in Swan Lake." She laughs, "[I'm] trying to think of which other queens I've done, I'm sure I've done more! But especially the Empress in Mayerling I think; obviously this is very different and I think Matthew based the Queen slightly on Princess Margaret, but there are certain similarities: the relationship with the son, not the same but slightly…she can't get close to him. She had an affair, while in this one she is attracted to the Stranger. I'm not saying it's anything like Mayerling but I can see certain similarities."

Although Tranah is still finding her feet in her post-Royal Ballet career she hasn't found it a problem fitting into this company. "When I came in I don't think I knew anybody at all, apart from Jose [Tirado]. I'd met Candice [Evans] last year. She

Nicola Tranah © 2004 Clear Channel Entertainment

does two shows a week [as the Queen] and I met her for a day, but before that I hadn't met anyone, so everybody's new. I didn't mind actually."

Another aspect of life that is different outside of Covent Garden is coping with different venues, but Tranah lived through the turmoil of the Opera House closure when a wing and a prayer became necessities in life. "We had two years when it was being rebuilt so we danced at the Apollo and we danced at Festival Hall, the Coliseum, and years ago they did little Dance Bites tours and so we did Sheffield and Bath, Manchester, Birmingham, so it's not like I've never been to different places."

Panchenko usually loves touring, though she understandably prefers exotic locations. "I love touring, especially with the Boyz. I'm not particularly crazy about British touring - I think it's because whenever we do a tour it's always winter or autumn and it's really cold and not very pleasant! We went to Australia last year which was amazing…I loved Australia - beautiful place, gorgeous weather. I loved the people, everything about it is just fantastic. Wonderful food, everything." Bubbling with genuine enthusiasm and warmth she also describes the audiences on their recent American tour as "amazing."

Tranah left the Royal Ballet at the beginning of last year but has not been entirely housebound since then. "I left the company in January but then I danced with Sylvie [Guillem] in Japan last June for three weeks, and I was with the ballet in Amsterdam, people I knew, so that was nice and then the Company [Royal Ballet] invited me to do Mayerling at the Bolshoi so I was there again with them in June, so I feel my last time with them was June last year."

Reflecting on life since retirement Tranah admits that, "Life for me is completely different and it took a while to get used to." It was a decision she felt she had to make, though, in order to be with her growing family before the right time passed by forever. In the end, problems with finding reliable childcare made the difficult decision relatively straightforward. "They just kept letting us down. I didn't know from day to day who was going to look after them. But I was still very happy within the Company, that's the thing, so it was a very big decision and at the time I was unsure. Now I'm doing this [Swan Lake] it's fantastic."

After so many years with the same Company she must keep in contact with a lot of those people? "It's so funny, I haven't though. I haven't done class… Darcey's [Bussell] a very good friend of mine so she's probably the only person I see, and I've spoken to Leanne Benjamin on the phone, and I've bumped into Johnny Cope, but I haven't really been anywhere!" Unlike herself she doesn't think Cope is going to retire soon, "He's certainly not going to yet - he still looks amazing! He's just great - such a wonderful partner."
 

Benjamin, Bussell and Tranah have all made strong comebacks on returning from maternity leave. Tranah believes that being a mother can help you identify with some roles and, apart from making life more special and enjoyable in general, dancing "gives you something to balance the home life, something for yourself."

Discussing contemporaries we discover both Tranah and Panchenko consider Romanian Alina Cojocaru to be the dancer they most admire today and actually pay to watch. "A beautiful dancer, everything she does is outstanding," says Panchenko, who gets most excited when discussing contemporary choreographers. "I love working with Russell [Maliphant] - such a nice person besides being an amazing choreographer. Working with him is quite an experience, he's lovely. I really enjoyed working with Cathy Marston, I like her style and I would love to do her work as well." Both Tranah and Panchenko have a soft spot for Balanchine, predictably, but also Czech Jirì Kyliàn, although I point out that he has a mixed reputation in the UK. "It's weird, I don't understand it. I love his work, adore his stuff", says Panchenko. "Same with Paul Lightfoot, which is really sad because I think he is a very very talented choreographer and creates beautiful pieces, beautiful works. I've only done one of his pieces, Sigue, and really enjoyed it but it wasn't appreciated here at all, but I thought it was a beautiful duet."

Asked about her future, Panchenko catches me off guard with her frank response about what she wants to do next. "I think the first thing I would love to do is to have a baby. That's the first thing on my cards. Afterwards I don't know…I'm actually quite scared because I don't really have another passion that I definitely know that I would love to do afterwards… that's probably why I'm still dancing. It's sort of holding me back and because it's been great recently. Anyway, the 'Boyz' are meant to start the company up again so if they ask me back…"

Less dramatically, the future for Tranah after Swan Lake seems open and full of choices. Long-term, once her family commitments have eased, she can picture herself teaching roles she performed herself, as well as teaching older children at a school, and she mentions the Royal Ballet School specifically. In the short-term she expects to guest with Guillem again in Winter Dreams, a role with which she is intrinsically linked. "I guess because probably it was made on me. It was Kenneth's last piece that he ever did. It was wonderful to work on, he was a genius." Panchenko cites MacMillan work as one of her remaining ambitions, "I've always wanted to do MacMillan works, I've never done any."

But in the present is Swan Lake and these two will be vital to the show's attempt to start off a second decade as popular as the first. "I think it's almost sold out already", confides Panchenko with pride. They may have come from different backgrounds and followed very different careers but one thing they certainly have in common is the desire to put on a grand show - just like real queens indeed.