Dramatic roles and demanding challenges inspire City Ballet’s ‘Swan Lake II’

Sumire Ito stars in City Ballet of San Diego’s “Swan Lake Act II” playing March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak)

By Marcia Luttrell | The San Diego Union-Tribune

UPDATED: March 2, 2025 at 6:02 AM PST

Thirty narrow stairs lead to City Ballet’s bright, top floor rehearsal studio, with double ballet barres lining three walls, a floor-to-ceiling mirror, and an open ceiling with a treacherously low center beam that high jumping dancers have learned to avoid.

It’s where artistic director Steven Wistrich and his wife, resident choreographer Elizabeth Wistrich, conduct rehearsals for “Swan Lake II,” an show that includes the premiere of Elizabeth’s new work, “The Seasons,” and two famous excerpts from “Swan Lake,” the second act and the Black Swan pas de deux.

Ballerina Sumire Ito is practicing her role in the pas de deux, a dramatic and demanding partnering piece that expresses the story of Odile, the black swan who tricks Prince Siegfried into betraying Odette, the white swan he loves.

Geoffrey Gonzalez, left, Sumire Ito and Brian Heil in City Ballet of San Diego's "Swan Lake Act II," playing March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak) — Geoffrey Gonzalez, left, Sumire Ito and Brian Heil in City Ballet of San Diego’s “Swan Lake Act II,” playing March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak)

Wearing a beige leotard and white tutu, with her silky black hair secured in a tight bun, Ito is disarmingly devious in her efforts to seduce Prince Siegfried, played by dancer Lucas Ataide.

With a flirtatious smile, Ito pulls away her hand when Ataide attempts to kiss it.

Traveling across the floor on pointe shoes, Ito beguiles with every gesture, beckoning Ataide with graceful fingers, her pointed nails painted with black polish.

Steven Wistrich, dressed in black pants and a dark green Nike T-shirt, stands near the dancers, assessing space and time constraints in relation to Tchaikovsky’s waltzing tempo.

Sumire Ito, left, and Geoff Gonzalez in City Ballet of San Diego's "Swan Lake Act II," playing March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak) — Sumire Ito, left, and Geoff Gonzalez in City Ballet of San Diego’s “Swan Lake Act II,” playing March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak)

“Travel a little more,” he says to Ito, “Come to me, come to me.”

“In my vision,” she responds, “I want to do more.”

In the coda, or end of the dance, Ito builds the momentum, performing the role’s famous 32 fouetté turns, the move that requires balancing on one pointe shoe while the raised leg whips out and back, spinning the body full-circle.

When Iago Breschi, in an orange T-shirt and white shorts, takes his turn at practicing the role of Prince Siegfried, he demonstrates buoyant leaps and airborne triple turns, (a tour en l’air triple) before landing.

“You do that beautifully” Steven says.

Breschi replies, “I want to challenge myself” and asks to repeat the movement.

The second act of Swan Lake showcases Brian Heil as Siegfried and Ariana Gonzalez as the White Swan, whose backless leotard reveals back muscles that ripple over her shoulder blades as she makes her arms appear as wings.

Sumire Ito and Iago Breschi perform in City Ballet of San Diego's "The Seasons," which will be presented with "Swan Lake II" on March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak) — Sumire Ito and Iago Breschi perform in City Ballet of San Diego’s “The Seasons,” which will be presented with “Swan Lake II” on March 8 and 9 at the Balboa Theatre. (Chelsea Penyak)

In “The Seasons,” the new choreographic work by Elizabeth, a recording by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, accompanies the dance.

It’s a lush score that embodies the rebirth of nature after winter, the sunny days of summer and the abundance of autumn.

“It’s one of my favorite pieces of music,” Wistrich says.

“My mother had an incredible collection of classical music. I used to go into the basement and listen and choreograph. If I like a piece of music, that does it for me.”

There are four sections to the dance.

Winter is portrayed with crisp, synchronized movement and four dancers who represent wind.

Spring is sweet and romantic with a toss of flower petals, Summer features a seashell scene and, look out, tennis rackets. Fall is a season of revelry, heralded with a tambourine.

At the rehearsal for the Winter section of the dance, Elizabeth, dressed in her signature black tunic and slacks, counts to eight and with each number the nine dancers move in synch.

Four of the dancers, representing wind, wear sheer, pleated capes with an iridescent sheen that attached to shoulder straps and arm bands.

As they move, the sheer material flutters and expands, creating movement reminiscent of swirling snow drifts caught in a frosty gust.

“Winter has to do with sharpness and clarity of arms,” Elizabeth explains.

“For spring, it was more about the romanticism and how the couples relate to each other. Summer is about having fun and there’s a tennis match. I have to do it so it’s realistic, but also challenging for the dancers. They will wear sneakers for that – and at the end, we bring five couples together and wind is almost like a blizzard. I had fun with the whole score.”

On stage, demanding dance roles are followed by a graceful exit behind a curtain, but at rehearsals, chests are heaving from exertion and faces are slick with sweat.

In the realm of professional dance, a constant state of effort is key to keeping a company engaged, even for the directors.

“As a choreographer, you always have a time constraint,” Elizabeth explains.

“I was up last night listening to the music until I was blue in the face. I had to do a lot of preparation but I really took my time and enjoyed the process. It was complicated. But it works.”