BWW Interviews: The National Ballet of Canada's Jillian Vanstone

The National Ballet of Canada’s winter season opened on February 29^th 2012 and features three full-length ballets, La Fille mal gardee, The Sleeping Beauty and The Seagull.  Jillian Vanstone was recently promoted to Principal Dancer and will make her debut in the lead role of Lise in La Fille mal gardee, while also dancing the role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and the role of Nina in The Seagull. 

Jillian wowed audiences and critics alike last year when she danced the lead role of Alice in the National Ballet’s sold-out production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and now she is eager to take on the challenge of dancing three separate roles in the winter season.  BWW sat down to talk with her about her approach to the busy winter season, her advice to up and coming dancers and how ballet can appeal to a young audience:

Congratulations on the National Ballet's 60th season and your recent promotion to Principal Dancer! For the winter season, you're dancing three principal roles - could you tell us a bit about each of them?

Thank you. It is a really exciting season for me. The three roles I am performing are quite different from each other. I begin as Lise in La Fille mal gardée which is a comedy in the English pantomime style. The dancing is very challenging and the energy required is huge. There is a lot of jumping and I need a ton of enthusiasm to pull off the character. The story is charming and good for all ages. It is the best ballet for kids I have ever seen but is equally fun for adults. 

The Sleeping Beauty is the epitome of classical ballet so anyone who can't get enough of tutus and tiaras will love it. It is the most challenging role I have danced because of the stamina and precision required. There is really no room for error. Having said that it is also one of my favorites. It is one of my dream roles and I am so happy when I perform it. When I am not performing in the title role I am also dancing on other nights as a Fairy at Aurora's christening and as Princess Florine in the Bluebird pas de deux in Act III. 

I finish the season as Nina in The Seagull. This ballet has a much more contemporary feel and is very dramatic. Getting the emotion to read properly takes a lot of work and is the most interesting part of working on this ballet. The look and feel of the ballet may surprise people who have a preconceived idea of what a ballet is. 

How do you differentiate between the three roles and ensure that each one ends up fresh and unique?

I have to take them one at a time. When I am in rehearsal for one role I can't be thinking about the challenges of another. It is hard to be patient and trust that each will come in its own time. Worry tries to creep in but I keep reminding myself to be in the moment. In this way, I hope to keep my performances genuine. 

What has been the biggest challenge of learning three distinct roles? What has been the most exciting part so far?

Luckily I only had to learn the role of Lise since I have danced Aurora and Nina before. As there is a lot of material in La Fille mal gardée I was glad for this because my brain was at the saturation point with that one. 

The most challenging part of this season is actually dealing with the physical stress. Each role is so physically demanding especially La Fille mal gardée and The Sleeping Beauty and it is hard to balance when I need to push hard and when I need to pull back so that I don't exhaust myself. I am getting a lot of massages and going to bed pretty early. 

What made you interested in ballet as a child? What has the journey been like so far?

Kelly Cameron's love affair with the theatre began when she was just five years old, on an outing to see the Original Canadian Cast of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. She instantly fell in love, and since then has been lucky enough to be involved in various theatre activities and productions, including a regional production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and a local production of Where the Sidewalk Ends. She has also received training from various teachers throughout Southwestern Ontario in both piano and voice, and competed in vocal competitions for which she received a few awards. Her writing career started almost by accident, when she had the opportunity to become a ghostwriter for up and coming businesses. She continues to do this, writing the content for all sorts of companies who are starting websites and looking to find their voice. Her passion and love for theatre led to her becoming involved with BroadwayWorld where she is thrilled to be writing for the Toronto contingent of the rapidly growing website. When she isn't at the theatre, you can generally find her firmly planted in front of her trusty Blackberry - tweeting, Facebooking or partaking in other such social media activities to ensure that those who want to know are kept apprised of everything that Toronto theatre has to offer. Other interests include movies, art, music, shopping, fashion and martial arts with the occasional foray into the world of finance. Follow Kelly on Twitter at @broadwaybabyto Creep her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Kelly-Cameron/500187141