PRESS: “Swan Lake” a swan song for long-time Louisville ballet dancer
by Stephanie Wolf, 89.3 WFPL
The lead role of Odette/Odile in the ballet “Swan Lake” is a doozy.
Louisville Ballet dancer Erica De La O has danced it before, and it never gets easier.
“It’s a big one,” she said. “It’s a lot of work.”
The role involves difficult choreography, immense artistry and almost-Herculean stamina. And despite her previous experience with the part, De La O said, this time around will “be the biggest challenge of my career, and it has been on every angle.”
That’s because De La O’s life is very different from when she joined the Louisville Ballet in 2003.
For one, she says her body is not the same — things have started to hurt more.
She also has a toddler now. There’s less time for all of the extra things that come with a dancer’s life, like getting to the studio early to warm up or cross-training outside of rehearsals.
“Post-baby, post-COVID and stuff, it really did change me,” De La O said.
De La O will take her final bow with the dance company Saturday evening, making this appearance her swan song for Louisville audiences.
As she approaches her retirement from a 20-plus-year performing career, De La O said she’s feeling many emotions.
“Sad, excited, good… It also feels a little surreal because you’re still like in dancer mode, where you still have to do pliés and tendus and get the work done.”