‘Swan Lake’ comes to Vacaville

BALLET

The studio’s spring show challenges its dancers and sends off its seniors with a classically loved ballet

Benicia Ballet students Anna Reyes, and Kassandra Aguilar-Robles will perform May 10 in the ballet’s production of Swan Lake.

Benicia Ballet’s graduating senior, Ineza Marekani, will perform May 10, 2025 in the ballet’s production of Swan Lake. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETER LICHTY

Benicia Ballet’s graduating senior, Nanami Stewart, will perform May 10, 2025 in the ballet’s production of Swan Lake.

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By Saija Maki-Waller

swaller@thereporter.com

When Artistic Director of Benicia Ballet Teresa Taylor first decided to take on “Swan Lake,” she was nervous about the execution. Now, she’s just excited to see it all come together on stage on Saturday.

The idea to perform “Swan Lake” at Benicia Ballet came after a group visit to see the San Francisco Ballet’s performance over a year ago, says Taylor. Afterwards, graduating Benicia Ballet dancers Nanami Stewart and Ineza Marekani approached Taylor about putting on the show at their studio.

“After just seeing (San Francisco Ballet’s performance) I was like, ‘Are you sure?’” Taylor laughs, adding that the young women didn’t know quite what they were getting themselves into.

Swan Lake, while being a classic, is also a difficult ballet, especially for dancers with an age range of 4-17.

Taylor worked for almost a year with the music, deciding if they would be able to pull it off. This weekend is the culmination of all of her and the dancers’ hard work, bringing together 33 student dancers in one performance.

Part of Taylor’s motivation for the show came from Stewart and Marekani, who have been dancing with Benicia Ballet since they were young children. Swan Lake will be their final show before graduating high school.

“It’s bittersweet because they’re leaving but it’s fabulous to have had all this continuity with them and to see them grow within the studio and become young women, and yeah, it makes me tear up a little just thinking about it,” says Taylor.

There are 36 dancers in “Swan Lake,” three of whom are adults. Due to a lack of male dancers at the studio, Taylor has brought in two Bay Area professionals to play the necessary male roles, she says.

The guest dancers, Tian Tan in the role of Prince Siegfried and David Bier as Von Rothbart, have both worked with Benicia Ballet before, but had a fairly quick turnaround for their roles in “Swan Lake,” says Taylor.

For the young student dancers, working with Tan provided an opportunity to practice their partner work, a difficult task in ballet that requires trust and incredible balance. “Tian has really stepped up in dealing with girls that have had very little partnering experience and he does it with grace,” says Taylor.

“It’s not easy to partner and then with very little rehearsal time and especially with no experience leading into it, it’s a huge challenge, and he’s risen to the occasion as well as the girls,” she said. “I’m proud of all of them. They’re all doing amazing.”

Choreographing a beloved show for such a wide range of dancers and dance levels has been both exciting and daunting, Taylor says.

Despite the hard work and the nerves, Taylor is just just excited to see it all come together, especially the final scene, when all of her students are on stage together.

“I call it our second family,” says Taylor. “We may not always see eye-to-eye but we’re always there for each other.”

If you go …

WHAT: “Swan Lake”

WHEN: May 10, 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

WHERE: Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre, 1010 Ulatis Dr., Vacaville.