National Ballet of Canada's Hannah Fischer, Star of Wheeldon's "The Winter's Tale"
November 17, 2015
Hannah Fischer and Piotr Stanczyk in rehearsal for The Winter’s Tale. Photo by Aaron Vincent Elkaim, Courtesy NBoC.
Ballet lovers, Shakespeare lovers and Christopher Wheeldon lovers, rejoice! The North American premiere of The Winter’s Tale is finally here. The National Ballet of Canada performs the acclaimed work now through November 22 in Toronto and in January in Washington, DC. For Pointe‘s bi-weekly newsletter, we caught up with second soloist Hannah Fischer as she learned the female lead Hermione.
What’s it like working with Christopher Wheeldon?
Amazing. He has such a clear vision. The narrative is of utmost importance in The Winter’s Tale, and he makes sure that the story is behind every step. He’s phenomenal with those things you normally wouldn’t think of, like the way he tells me to look into somebody’s eyes or how to place my hand. They make a world of difference.
What is particularly challenging about this ballet?
Hermione’s solo is quite difficult and it leads into the pas de deux, so from a stamina point of view, that’s tricky. But more importantly, I think that carrying a ballet that has such intense emotions is the hardest part. Hermione is a very strong woman. She’s pure and innocent and loves her husband and children. And then she’s wrongfully accused of adultery, and she pleads her innocence while still maintaining her dignity.
What advice would you offer to dancers who are learning narrative ballets?
A lot of people are advised to leave their problems at the door, but when dealing with a dramatic ballet, I think it’s almost better to do the opposite. Don’t let it affect you so much that you can’t get any work done, but take all the experiences that you want to push away and throw them into your character. I think ballet is fantastic in that way because you can use those emotions to make your performance even better.
Want more
Winter’s Tale? Enter our contest for a pair of pointe shoes signed by NBoC principal Jurgita Dronina, who is also cast as Hermione.
Winter’s Tale? Enter our contest for a pair of pointe shoes signed by NBoC principal Jurgita Dronina, who is also cast as Hermione.
