Cuban dancers reunite for ‘Swan Lake’

COMMENTARY

The first time Adiarys Almeida and Taras Domitro danced together was in “Swan Lake.” It was 2008, and the two were performing in Miami.

Nearly a decade later, after performing with different companies and different partners, the two native Cubans are professional partners once again — and revisiting the show that brought them together.

Orlando Ballet will open its season with the iconic “Swan Lake” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 27. Almeida and Domitro, who are Fort Lauderdale-based freelance dancers, will guest in the principal roles.

“I love dancing with Taras,” Almeida exclaims. “He is my favorite partner in the wide world.”

Domitro is equally effusive.

“She deserves all the attention,” he says of Almeida. “I’m OK with that.”

The leading lady is the focus of “Swan Lake” because she plays two characters. Almeida will portray Princess Odette, forced to live as a swan during daylight hours by the evil sorcerer Rothbart. She also play’s Odile, Rothbart’s daughter who is transformed to look like Odette — and trick young Prince Siegfried, the role played by Domitro.

“It’s very difficult — especially for the ballerina,” says Almeida, 33. “You have a double character, and they’re very different from each other.”

The coldness of Odile presents a special challenge: “You have to pretend you have no heart,” Almeida says.

“I don’t know which character I like better,” she muses, “I really don’t.” But Odile might have the edge: “Sometimes it’s fun to be a bad girl,” Almeida laughs.

Domitro, 31, concentrates on the depth of Siegfried’s feelings for Odette — the passions of a first love.

“The romance is a very important part of the ballet,” he says. “To transmit that to the audience, that is my goal. I want to hook them.”

The travails of Odette and Siegfried will be accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s powerful and beloved score, played by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

Almeida has guested with Orlando Ballet on three previous programs; Domitro is making his debut with the company, though he danced in Orlando at the 2009 World Ballet Competition and won a gold medal. The two recently returned from Moscow, where they performed in the Kremlin International Ballet Festival (“It was a blast,” Domitro says).

Before turning freelance, Almeida was a principal dancer with Cincinnati Ballet and Corella Ballet in Barcelona, as well as a first soloist with Boston Ballet. Domitro most recently was a principal dancer for San Francisco Ballet.

Almeida inspired him to go freelance.

“We talked a lot about it,” he says. “I wanted the freedom that Adi had.”

The two found a connection dancing — “We get each other, we click,” Domitro says — that led to a friendship offstage.

“We travel a lot, we have adventures together,” Almeida says.

One place they haven’t visited together is their native Cuba. In 2016, Almeida danced in Havana for the first time in 13 years. “It was emotional,” she says. “I love the audience there.” Domitro hasn’t been back in a decade, but plans to return “as soon as I have a break.”

For now, the focus is “Swan Lake.” Domitro recently watched a tape of that 2008 performance when they had just met. What will change this time? He laughs and says: “It will definitely be better.”