On Monday 22 December, The Royal Ballet’s Mariko Sasaki and Giacomo Rovero will dance The Sugar Plum Fairy and The Prince in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker.
Mariko Sasaki is a First Soloist with the company and first danced the role in 2022; for Soloist Giacomo Rovero, this is his first time as The Prince.
I asked them about dancing these roles and the preparations leading up to a performance.
Mariko: Before beginning rehearsals for any new production, I always start by studying the story and its background. If the work exists as a book or a widely known tale, I make sure to read it thoroughly in advance.
Giacomo: I guess preparing for a role really varies depending on what the role actually is. If it’s a story ballet, the work before getting into the studio would require you to really know the backstory of the character – what you’re trying to communicate and portray. With something as classical as The Prince, there’s not that much depth as such to the character, so, it’s more about stylistic choices – knowing what the world you’re trying to create… and I guess, before entering that first rehearsal, having a clear idea of what the steps are, though because it’s such a classic, most dancers have a pretty good idea already.
Mariko: When video recordings of past performances are available, I watch them to learn the choreography and draw inspiration from the remarkable dancers who have performed the role before me. For more abstract or non-narrative pieces, I listen to the music repeatedly, allowing it to guide me toward the movement quality and atmosphere.
Then comes the first rehearsal.
Mariko: The first rehearsal is always a gentle beginning. I take my time to become familiar with the piece, the music, my partner, and the overall style.
Together with my coach and partner, we discuss our plan leading up to the performance…
Giacomo: …to find a version that works for the two of you, a version that really suits you as dancers. It’s kind of trial and error… Do I want to do this step this way? What kind of grips work for us as a couple?
Mariko: At first, we learn the choreography in small sections, and from there we gradually build toward running longer passages from the beginning, little by little extending the scope of what we rehearse.
Giacomo: …leading up to being able to run the whole thing without stopping. So it’s kind of trying to get it as smooth as possible with every rehearsal and getting more comfortable with your partner, and getting more stamina.
Stamina is a big thing for this because it’s basically 15, 20 minutes of really intense dancing. So you have to build up that stamina and confidence, and feel powerful and strong so that you can finish the pas de deux properly.
You are wearing Julia Trevelyan Oman’s gloriously ornate costumes. With so many dancers in these roles for long Nutcracker runs over many years, there must be a large selection of possible costumes to try.
Mariko: Costumes are an essential element of performance, and bring me closer to the character the moment I put them on. But they must fit perfectly. Even the subtlest movement can feel completely different once in costume, so fittings are done with great care.
Giacomo: Usually, you pick between pre-existing costumes and then minor alterations can be done. But in this case, I was really lucky and got the costume made especially for me, which doesn’t happen often.
Mariko: When the company makes a new costume just for you, from scratch, based just on your body, it feels very special.
Each role usually has two to five costumes, and many of them are shared among dancers, but surprisingly, even dancers of very different heights sometimes find that a particular costume fits quite well. I try on all available options to find the one that suits me best. When adjustments are possible, the costume and wig departments tailor them precisely to my body. They always listen carefully to our needs and create incredible work.
Also, wearing costumes once worn by senior dancers I admire also gives me tremendous courage.
How much rehearsal time do you get on stage?
Giacomo: For a role like this, you would usually only get one stage rehearsal, so you do a lot of work in the studio leading up to it, but we were lucky to do it as part of a full run of the ballet. With something like Nutcracker, very often they just rehearse the pas de deux with no other members of the company around, but we got a full run of the ballet with the set, so it was good to feel what it would be like in an actual show. And there are people around after having had that private time in the studio. It’s added pressure, but that’s good because then when it comes to a show, you’re used to having to do it in front of lots more people.
You are about to dance these roles on the main stage of The Royal Opera House for a regular audience, but your debut was a couple of weeks ago in front of an audience of schoolchildren.
Mariko: School performances are truly special to me. I still remember vividly the productions I saw as a child, and being able to share someone’s ‘first-ever ballet experience’ is something that brings dancers great joy.
Giacomo: It is actually one of the best ways to make a big debut because the people watching are children and don’t know that much about ballet. You feel like you have their support, and so it is really special to be able to perform for them and also maybe inspire some of them – possibly to become ballet dancers themselves, or maybe go to the theatre and become new audience members. It’s a nice responsibility, but equally, it feels quite grounding because at the end of the day, they’re just children wanting to be entertained, and you’re trying your best.
I actually had a really sweet interaction with the schools after it. They said that the pas de deux was their favourite bit and they were super excited. They loved to see what we did, which was really special because you don’t always know how it’s going to go down with children or teenagers, but they loved it and were touched by it and were excited by it.
Mariko: Children express their reactions with such honesty and enthusiasm – sometimes cheering so loudly that their voices almost crack. It creates a very touching atmosphere.
This pas de deux has been a challenge for all the many dancers who have tackled it in the four decades since Lesley Collier and Anthony Dowell first performed it.
Giacomo: These roles are difficult for many reasons, but one is that everyone knows them and has an idea of how they should be performed. They are so iconic, so it feels like there’s a lot of responsibility when going out there and performing them with The Royal Ballet. But equally, that’s what makes it so special. It’s a pinch me moment – you put on the costume and the wig, and you’re like: Oh God, I am actually performing The Prince in the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker!
It’s quite difficult because you don’t warm up into it – you get flung on stage, and in 15 minutes you have to perform this very technical, very classical pas de deux, solo and coda. So you have to be focused mentally and just know that that’s your moment to deliver. You don’t have a story to get you there, or moments on stage beforehand to ground you and calm you down – that’s the most challenging thing.
Mariko: Although the Sugar Plum Fairy is an elegant, light, and exquisitely beautiful role, it is also extremely demanding. It contains every element of classical ballet technique, and many sequences require repeating the same movement two, three, or even four times with complete stability. Both technically and physically, it remains challenging no matter how often I dance it. And yet, the more I perform it, the more deeply I fall in love with the role.
Giacomo: As a classical pas de deux, I don’t get a break between the adagio and my solo – just the quick bow. And then going into the coda and making it look easy when actually you’re pretty knackered.
Then there’s the style and the physicality and the elegance of The Prince – like knowing how much to smile, how to carry yourself, to look strong and in control. Balancing all of these different things.
But the joy of the music is a huge part of why it’s so wonderful to dance this, because Tchaikovsky’s music is so wonderful. And hearing that from the orchestra while you’re on stage is one of our great privileges.
I imagine that you do class with the company, but then you have the first act and an interval before you get to go on stage.
Giacomo: After class to warm up, a huge chunk of time is taken up by hair and makeup – getting that wig on, the crown, the makeup. Then it’s kind of just staying warm, focusing, going over bits of the choreography, maybe touching base with your partner, seeing how you’re both feeling, and maybe trying something quickly beforehand. Calming your nerves, preparing your body and your mind, and focusing and getting ready to go.
Mariko: In Peter Wright’s production, the Sugar Plum Fairy is the central character, yet she does not appear until Act II, with her main pas de deux and variation at the very end. It feels very different from works where I am on stage from the beginning, but because I have danced various roles in The Nutcracker, hearing the music allows me to sense exactly where the story is, how everyone is feeling, and how the narrative is unfolding. I love stepping into that flow and welcoming Clara and the Nephew [Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker) into the Kingdom of Sweets.
So Giacomo, yet another debut in a year of debuts.
My main debuts last season were Lenski in Onegin and Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet. Then there was a new creation by Wayne McGregor: MADDADDAM. Lenski was the most formative experience regarding artistic development – knowing how to fully embody a character, to be that character throughout the whole story, and change with the character. Another new role was the Nephew in The Nutcracker, which I will be performing again after the Prince, towards the end of this run. After having done more story ballets, I think my approach to the role will be slightly different from last time.
Mariko, as First Soloist, you have already danced several important roles.
Yes. When I was little, I never imagined I would one day dance so many roles at The Royal Ballet or share so many dreamlike moments on stage with audiences. I am truly grateful to my younger self for loving ballet so deeply and never stopping!
And your dream roles for when the sparkly golden wigs are put back in their boxes after Nutcracker?
Giacomo: I’d love to do roles like Romeo, and Albrecht in Giselle. There are so many of these classics that I’d like to tackle. But equally, I’m always really inspired working with new choreographers and more contemporary things… So, I think just more of what’s coming would be amazing. Yeah.
Mariko: I hope to continue embracing each new role with my whole heart and keep dancing for many years to come.
So merde for Monday! Sorry, that doesn’t sound very Christmassy…
Giacomo: Toi, toi, toi.
That sounds better. Toi, toi, toi. Are you looking forward to it?
Giacomo: Yes, I am really looking forward to Monday. Now that we’ve done our first show, it’s nice to feel a bit more comfortable with the role, and we’ve also had more time to work on it.
Mariko: The Nutcracker never loses its magic, no matter how many times you watch it. And as dancers, we feel exactly the same way when performing it.
Giacomo: I just want to really be really present and enjoy it.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.