Leaping into the role of Princess Aurora
One of Canada’s prima ballerinas on what it takes to reach such lofty heights
With long gruelling days that start at 6:30 a.m. and end with tired feet soaking in a bucket of ice, Heather Ogden may not feel like a princess.
Nonetheless, the principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada was eager to leap into the role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.
“I love the challenge of (Aurora),” says the 37-year-old mother of two, who will perform opposite her husband, princi- pal dancer Guillaume Côté, who plays the prince.
“It’s a combination of every part of being a ballerina: There are a lot of technical elements, you’re telling a story and you’re carrying the show with your character.”
Ogden discovered the magic of dance at age 6 and in 1998 joined the National Ballet, where she was promoted to principal dancer in 2005.
This elite performer recently spoke with the Star about what it takes to reach and maintain such lofty heights, the toll it takes on the body, and how she maintains her health and juggles family life.
“As much as I enjoy the process and the rehearsals, the highlight is being on stage,” Ogden says. “Being in front of a live audience is quite thrilling. That’s what makes the hard work worth it.”
Ogden will take centre stage on opening night of The Sleeping Beauty, which runs from Thursday to March 18 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Training and staying fit When rehearsing, Ogden is on her toes seven hours a day, five days a week. And when it’s show time, she practises about three hours a day before the curtain rises for the typical three-hour performance. But she does much more than just dance to keep herself in tip-top shape.
During the rehearsal period, Ogden does Pilates twice a week and she hits the gym — there’s one at the National Ballet — whenever she’s got a spare half-hour. Because she does so much endurance work in the dance studio, when she’s at the gym she focuses on weight training, keeping her core, legs and arms strong.
“I’m always doing exercises to help with recovery, build strength and avoid injury.”
Cardiovascular work can get pretty boring, she says. But she will, on occasion, force herself onto an elliptical machine.
“I find cardio to be like medicine — sometimes you just need to do it.” Working out to tunes by Beyoncé, Bruno Mars and Daft Punk helps her get pumped.
And, she says, carrying around her year-old son, and chasing after her 3-year-old daughter, help to keep her fit.
Preventing and treating injuries Stretching and rolling out on a foam roller are key to helping Ogden’s muscles stay loose.
She pays special attention to her back, which is the spot that absorbs the most stress and burden. Regular massage, physiotherapy and hot baths with Epsom salt help soothe tired and aching muscles.
“I put heat patches on my muscles when they’re really sore,” she says. “If I have an injury I may take anti-inflammatories, although I try not to take too much because it’s hard on the stomach.” Immediately following a show, she soaks her legs in a knee-high bucket full of ice and water.
“I’ll put my feet in there, especially after a big three-hour performance like The Sleeping Beauty. If I don’t do it, the next day I feel a lot of swelling in my feet,” she says. “It’s weird because I can dance on pointe all day in rehearsal and I’m OK. But after a show, when I give it that much more, I feel a lot of swelling in my feet the next day.”
If she is in any pain, she listens to her body and takes it easy at rehearsal, so that she can give it her all during a show.
“That’s one of the things that comes with experience: You have to know how to pace yourself.”
Still, Ogden admits that her body is used to the physical stress and being in “high gear all the time.” “When I was pregnant and had my kids and took a step away from ballet, I realized ‘Oh, wow.’ When you stop having that physical stress on yourself you realize how much you were stressed.”
Fuelling the body for maximum performance During show time, Ogden often kick-starts her day with a breakfast wrap of scrambled eggs, onions, hot sauce and avocado — and a cup of Earl Grey tea. Throughout the day, snacking on nuts and berries helps to rev up energy levels.
Before a show, she’ll have a late lunch, usually comprised of “something that’s not too heavy.”
“I don’t like to feel full or eat anything too flavourful before a show,” Ogden says noting, “My diet is boring and bland during performance time. I keep it simple.”
By simple, she means a salad of chopped vegetables — tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers — feta cheese, chicken and avocado, tossed in an oil and lemon dressing. Another favourite is a chicken wrap.
“I eat a lot of chicken and fish — I like red meat, but I don’t usually have that at lunch.”
But after a show, Ogden says she’s pretty hungry, so dinner at home consists of leftovers, such as a stir-fry, fish and rice or pasta.
“My kids eat pasta all the time, so there’s lots of pasta around.” And on those nights when she’s too tired to make a dinner plate and wants to get to bed, she’ll opt for a snack of hummus with crackers and cheese, or yogurt with granola.
Juggling work and kids Managing the physical demands of her job, and of two energetic kids, can be hard, says Ogden. But, she’s quick to point out that “energy creates energy.”
“Once we get moving in the studio we find pockets of energy. And when I get home and my kids are smiling, laughing and jumping all over me, I have to find the energy.
“Now that we have kids, one of the harder things is that when we get home from a show, it’s hard to unwind — but the little bunnies are up at 6:30 a.m., so it’s a short night.
“It’s tiring, but I have a great team of support, that includes a nanny and my mom. As busy as my life is, I love what I do and cherish the time with my kids.”