Lana Jones, principal artist of the Australian Ballet, describes the challenge of dancing this most covetted of classical roles.
Having first played Aurora in the Australian Ballet’s production of Stanton Welch’s The Sleeping Beauty in 2009, Lana Jones is about to dance the role again in the company’s upcoming season of David McAllister’s version. “Preparing physically for the role of Aurora is all in the studio,” observes Jones. “I really try to achieve a great deal out of rehearsals. If I know I have put my hardest work and effort into the rehearsals then, come the show, I can trust myself and my body that it's all there. Mentally it requires great determination and control. For me I will always put at the forefront of my mind my character and the overall feeling of how I’m making the audience feel and breathe.”
Does the preparation for dancing a classical role differ from say, that of a Romantic role? “When I first danced Aurora I would have answered this question by talking about technically how hard it is and how exposing it is,” says Jones. “But now, having danced many full length ballets I feel that, though the differences are obvious stylistically, to me [all narrative ballets] are similar… in that you’re portraying a character and telling a story through your dancing.”
Jones’s favourite aspect of dancing the role? “Making it to the end! It’s a beautiful road of falling in love, being feminine and arriving elegantly to womanhood,” she replies. “And the most challenging aspect about Aurora is to not doubt myself and my abilities. To future Auroras, she advises, “Look forward to it because you truly feel like your living out your dreams!”
- NINA LEVY
This article first appeared in the Oct/Nov issue of 'Dance Australia'.