(Above) The role of Baron Von Rothbart, the sorcerer who captures Odette, was played by Francis Mihm. The 2025-26 season marks his fourth season with Orlando Ballet. Being a part of the Orlando Ballet company means working with over 85 other dancers on a production. Many productions around the globe depict Rothbart as an owl-like sorcerer. Meanwhile, The Orlando Ballet took a more animalistic approach, making him a cloak out of fur instead of feathers.
From a cast of 85 dancers, including 20 students from the Orlando School of Ballet, utilizing 400 pairs of pointe shoes, Swan Lake has come to the stage at Orlando Ballet with 21 backstage technical crew members. It takes over a month of extreme commitment and 10 hours a day of practice to bring this production to life. The ballet worked in collaboration with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s 56 musicians. Swan Lake tells the tale of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess cursed by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart. The curse forces Odette to live as a swan. Swan Lake is one of five mainstage productions the Orlando Ballet puts on in collaboration with the Dr. Phillips Center. These productions include Swan Lake, the season opener; The Nutcracker; Carmen; Balanchine; Godden; Gill; and The Great Gatsby as the season’s closing production. According to Orlando Ballet’s press release, “Odette’s encounter with Prince Siegfried by a moonlit lake sparks a love that could break the curse. Odette’s curse can only be lifted by the promise of true love.” Odile, as the Black Swan, pretends to be Odette in order to keep Odette under her curse; the story unfolds into a journey of love and betrayal. Timeless and deeply human, Swan Lake continues to inspire audiences of all ages.’ The performers have so much love and dedication for this production of Swan Lake. The process from rehearsal to the stage encapsulates struggles and successes that come from putting on such a high-caliber production.
(Above) During tech rehearsals, which is where the creative team makes the final details for lighting, costume design and choreography, dancers normally run a number more than once so they can ensure the best possible performances for audiences. All the white swans have multiple dances together in which it is necessary for them to be perfectly in sync. (Tiffany Lok)(Above) The role of Odette and Odlie the Black Swan, in the Orlando Ballet’s production of Swan Lake was played by Cielo Ibraolla Leon and Hitomi Nakamura. “This dual role -demanding both physical precision and emotional depth- has challenged and defined generations of ballerinas,” according to the Orlando Ballet’s press release. This level of athleticism can be seen in any of Orlando Ballet’s performances. (Tiffany Lok)(Above) Being backstage during productions of a show can be one of the most stressful experiences a performances can go through. TheOrlando Ballet is Central Florida’s only fully residential professional ballet company; all the costumes changes and scene transitions have to be flawless. (Tiffany Lok)(Above) The Orlando Ballet’s production of Swan Lake has a cast of 85 dancers, 28 of them being students from Orlando Ballet school. The youngest child was seven years old. More than 400 pairs of pointe shoes were used throughout the rehearsal process. The dancers spend hours practicing their link in passe. (Tiffany Lok)
Sophie Duque, grade 9, is a first-year staff member of Twice-Told Tale, the Upper School newspaper at Lake Highland Preparatory School, where she has been a student since seventh grade. She is also involved in Future Problem Solvers and Speech and Debate. Outside of school, Sophie enjoys reading, watching movies, shopping, traveling, and playing tennis and soccer. She is passionate about volunteering in her community and spending time with friends and family. Her favorite subjects are English, Spanish, and history. Sophie speaks both Spanish and Portuguese, proudly embracing her Latin heritage.
Tiffany Lok is on the staff of Lake Highland Preparatory School’s Upper School newspaper Twice-Told Tale. In her free time she plays volleyball on the Lake Highland Preparatory School’s Upper School Freshman Volleyball team and Winter Park Volleyball Club on 14 Elite Black. On Sundays, she serves at Grace Church in youth ministry where she loves to help guide young kids in their journey with Christ. Lok is very enthusiastic about helping fundraising with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) club at LHP.
