Ballet always blurs the line between art, entertainment, beauty and class, and one of the National Ballet of Canada’s own dances within the borders. Heather Ogden speaks with Jay de Belen, divulging secrets, sorrows and a swan queen’s stories.-
You’d think that in a cutthroat industry like ballet, every day would be a scene from Black Swan. There would be the naive innocence of the Natalie Portman character, juxtaposed with the raw, street smarts of the Mila Kunis. There are the peers, competing for the next role you would probably kill to have. The dance teachers, orchestra members, directors… it’s a whole popcorn flick up in this business! Torrid and powerfully competitive, a ballet dancer’s life seems to be the epitome of the tortured artist. The physical aspects of the craft only nudge on the scary underbelly of the ballet world. It might be glamorous, but friendly, it ain’t.
Well, we were wrong, people! Turns out, the Canadian ballet world is pretty much what your regular ol’ household looks like – a family. Heather Ogden, a principal ballet dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, stresses the support of her prestigious dance company, “I’ve made a lot of good friends, a good support system,” she says over the phone. You can hear her smile through the airwaves. “We always try to be happy for each other – I have no Black Swan stories!”
Animosity is absent in Ogden’s life as a principal dancer for the National Ballet of Canada. Supported by her parents and her husband, and fellow National Ballet principal dancer Guillaume Cote, she’s living a (swan?) queen’s life. At six years old, Ogden and her family moved from Toronto to Richmond, British Columbia, with her parents enrolling her in local ballet classes as an extracurricular. It all dawned on her when she watched her babysitter perform as the Fairy Godmother, in a ballet interpretation of Cinderella. At six, she thought, “I should be doing that.”
Decades later, and with countless ballets and performances under her belt, Ogden’s built herself an illustrious career. She’s traveled to Los Angeles and Washington for dance-related commitments, with plans to hit up New York, London, and possibly Paris, France. Seems like there’s not stopping, in ballerina’s life. And that suits her just fine. She says there wasn’t much else she was interested as a kid, besides ballet – “I feel like it was meant to be. When I look back, I don’t think I had a back-up plan.”
Interestingly, her husband Cote performs with her, in the same ballet company. They started off as dance partners – “we clicked: complimentary height, body type, the way you work together, chemistry in the studio and on stage, the audience liked us together, our coaches and directors liked us together.” Match made in heaven.
Ogden’s life seems so storybook, with the perfect meet-cute with the husband who loves and understands the craft just as much as she does. But, not everything in her life is picture perfect. In 2009, Ogden’s younger brother died in a tragic car accident, just a few months before her wedding to Cote. “It was the most horrible thing. When you lose someone, you think about them so much what they stood for.”
Through the phone, her long and thoughtful pauses point to a gut-wrenching loss. And rightfully so, there isn’t anything much worse than losing a loved one, especially during the climax of your romantic life. But, Ogden isn’t one to wallow: “My brother was always very very carefree. Now, I feel like I just go for things, and not care much what people think. That’s something that he taught me, it’s ingrained in me and in my dancing.”
Channeling her grief and emotion through dance is a classic artiste’s way of bringing out their best work. For Ogden, the technique is the same; she says she can be a little more reckless, a little more energetic in performances. It helps that her dance partner is always there to catch her, as well. And once the set is complete, the costumes are on and the orchestra is ready, Ogden dances for her life. In retrospect, it is her life.
In the spring, the National Ballet is putting on “Nijinsky,” a powerful retelling of Vaslav Nijinsky and his story. Nijinsky is an important figure in the ballet world, known for his intense personification of characters and nominally referred to as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century. Cote will be playing the titular character, and Ogden as Romola, his wife – again, the perfect pair for what promises to be a gripping show. Toronto is for a ballet surprise, and the National Ballet of Canada company is ecstatic to present the show, in March.
With all the perks of a glamorous job, it’s easy to envy Ogden’s dream career. Ballet is the crowning jewel of dance. The travel, the passion, the costumes, the art of it all is staggering. I’d gladly trade my fear of public embarrassment for the beautiful life of a ballet dancer. Everything is a little more beautiful, a little more refined, and a little more tasteful. It’s not like a doctor or a firefighter’s job, but it’s almost like being part of ballet history: “[With ballet], you feel like you’re doing something important. Everyone gives it so much value and dedication. This job, it becomes a lifestyle.”