#TBT: Sylvie Guillem and Nicolas Le Riche in Swan Lake
Paris Opéra Ballet étoile Sylvie Guillem’s extraordinary physical range allowed her to give life to emotion-packed characters such as Swan Lake’s Odette. In this clip of the White Swan pas de deux with fellow POB étoile Nicolas Le Riche, Guillem’s expansiveness and elasticity add depth to each transition while she maintains effortless control of her extensions. She seamlessly mixes slow port de bras with quick intermittent footwork, creating the illusion of a woman locked in swan form. Le Riche tenderly mirrors her movement as if caught between fascination and a desire to soothe Odette’s uncertainty.
Guillem’s natural talent first brought her success as a competing gymnast before her acceptance into the Paris Opéra Ballet School in 1977. She joined the company at age 16; in 1984, POB artistic director Rudolf Nureyev promoted Guillem, then 19, to étoile. In 1988, she left to become a permanent guest artist for The Royal Ballet, and pursued other guest opportunities with ABT, the Kirov Ballet, Béjart Ballet Lausanne, and collaborations with modern and contemporary choreographers. After an international farewell tour, she gave her last performance in 2015 and now lives in Italy. Le Riche, who also trained at POB School, was invited by Nureyev to join the company in 1988, at age 16, and rose to étoile in 1993. He performed with POB for 26 years, and choreographed the ballet Caligula on the company in 2005. After retiring in 2014, Le Riche became artistic director of the Royal Swedish Ballet, which he led from 2017 to 2025. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!
