Canadian ballerina joins online Swans for Relief coronavirus fundraiser

Thirty-two leading ballerinas from around the world, including Canada’s own Tina Pereira, have come together in a haunting online performance to raise money for dancers struggling to pay their bills because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The virtual ballet set to Camille Saint-Saëns’s poignant elegy Le Cygne (The Swan) and choreography by legendary Russian dancer Michel Fokine, features solo performances by dancers from Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, France, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S.

With the pandemic having shut down theatre stages across the world, they dance each in their private space – a studio, a condo living room, a park – with no audience, nothing but a phone camera to share their talent and break the isolation brought by the virus.

The initiative, dubbed Swans for Relief, is the brainchild of American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Misty Copeland, and fellow dancer Joseph Phillips. They aim to raise $500,000 for dancers around the world affected by the pandemic.

“For us, the idea of 32 beautiful and strong women from different walks of life coming together to speak the common language of dance felt so unifying and empowering in these uncertain times,” Copeland and Phillips said on the event’s GoFundme page.

“The arts are vital in bringing people together and helping us process the human condition, and in these very unusual times it is dancers who can truly use the support.”

Ballet companies are largely dependent on revenue from performances to pay their dancers and fund their operations, but according to some estimates, large gatherings like concerts and performances will not be able to resume for another 18-24 months, they added.

“The live performance aspect of what we do means so much to us, and this time away from the stage has proven difficult as performing not only provides us with a means to live, but it also is what keeps us feeling alive,” Copeland and Phillips said.

Pereira, who is the first soloist at the National Ballet of Canada, said once she got contacted by Copeland, who she has known since 2007, she had about 36 hours to prepare for her role.

It was a quick turnover indeed, especially considering the fact she had to learn the choreography and adapt it so she can perform it in the living room of her Toronto condo, Pereira told Radio Canada International in a phone interview.

“I had never done it, I never expected to ever do this in my life actually,” Pereira said. “So this was a wonderful experience but it’s also super-challenging because it’s one of the most iconic ballerina solos there is out there.”

What was especially rewarding was that the dancers were able to bring their own unique touches to the choreography, she added.

Pereira said she was able to work with the National Ballet of Canada former principal dancer Xiao Nan Yu and corps de ballet dancer Nicholas Rose, who helped her with the choreography over FaceTime.

Pereira’s husband acted as the cameraman, filming her performance on a smartphone.

The lockdown has been a very tough experience for many dancers, Pereira said.

“I think we’re all struggling to maintain the level of excellence that we would have while we’re performing,” Pereira said.

The National Ballet of Canada provides daily dance classes online, which is very helpful, she said.

“I try to keep as motivated and as busy as I possibly can, and most importantly to keep my body moving during this time,” Pereira said. “It’s definitely been an adjustment but I’m just trying to focus on the positive things and also on how I can be helping other people get through this as well.”

The initiative, which is a collaboration with the nonprofit Entertainment Industry Foundation, has already raised over $210,000 US since being launched on May 7.