Exclusive interview: Emily Suzuki on Sugar Plum Fairy debut - "I told myself that it’s a dress rehearsal"
- Ikuko
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Prima Materia regular Emily Suzuki had a dream-come-true moment this winter season. English National Ballet's (ENB) First Soloist made a role debut as Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker. Congratulations!
A Sugar Plum Fairy debut is a big deal for the ballerina, the family and friends, and the company. Needless to say, the Sugar Plum grand pas de deux is the climax of The Nutcracker. Set to the timeless Tchaikovsky music, The Nutcracker is one of the most loved classical ballets in the world. The female role of the grand pas de deux is Sugar Plum Fairy. It is a principal role that almost every ballet dancer dreams of dancing and works hard towards. The casting can be an indicator where her career is heading to.
For ballet companies, The Nutcracker, stylised as Nutcracker with ENB, is typically a big-budget Christmas family spectacle, which showcases the level of the company's artistry like non-stop fireworks. It also draws a large audience and ticket sales for them, and inspires next generations.
I asked Emily how things went when her dream was no longer a dream but reality, from the moment she learned about the casting, preparation for this physically demanding role, ankle injury to her lipstick.
When did you learn about the casting of The Nutcracker and about your debut as Sugar Plum Fairy?
I found out that I would perform Sugar Plum in the beginning of the season by email.
What were your immediate feelings/thoughts about it?
I was surprised but excited at the same time.
What was the first thing you did after learning about it, professionally and personally?
Professionally, I learned that responsibility you will have is huge especially dancing with the company that you’ve been for 10 years.
Personally, I learned about how to control my mind during the process, keep having a belief was tough.
Who was the first person you told about your debut? How did he/she/they react?
I told my mum first. Her reaction was priceless, she screamed with excitement.
How did you prepare for the big role, physically and mentally? The variation is quite a long one.
Physically I was dealing with bad ankle pain during that time, I wrapped my ankle around with the tape quite tight to just get through the rehearsals and performances, also I had to change the choreography to reduce the amount of work for my injured foot.
Mentally I was doubting myself so much, which made me feel confused about what I was aiming for. But I wrote down about my thoughts and feelings and realised that I understood that in dancer’s life this would happen to everyone. I take this as a lesson for myself how to deal and perform with imperfect conditions. But still do your best to not look like it.
Was the preparation process smooth sailing? You were initially scheduled to partner with Erik, weren’t you? (Note: Erik Woolhouse is Emily’s boyfriend. Jealousy is futile)
The preparation process was pretty smooth. He performed with different a dancer but I’ve had a partner who also named Eric and we both had double debuts for our first principal roles for classical ballet. (Note: after the cast date change, Emily danced with Eric Snyder)
How was his reaction?
He was really happy for me!
You two and your colleagues are very professional! Did you sleep well the night before the Sugar Plum debut?
I slept well that night but I remember I was going through the pas de deux and the solo over and over again before I got sleep.
What did you do on the big day before the curtain-up?
Our debut performance was on Matinee so I knew I won’t have much time before so I took time to choose which pointe shoes should I wear during the class then soon as the class finishes, we checked some things with the costumes before we get ready.
While I was putting makeup on, I was reading all messages and cards I’ve got from my friends. I rushed get down on the side stage because I had to recap everything before I go on stage so I won’t forget what comes next.
Tell us about the lipstick you used for the stage makeup for the show.
I bought this lipstick from the brand called No.7 when I joined the company, I picked the shade “Sugar Plum", because I was hoping to perform the role within the company in the future. But also I remember back in Japan, I was reading a Japanese dance magazine and they were featuring Miyako Yoshida, she said “Even how many times I performed Sugar Plum, I would always get goosebumps when I heard the music of Sugar Plum Fairy every time I perform.”
I know every principal dancer will perform this role many times in their career so the biggest reason why I picked the colour “Sugar Plum” is one day, I want to go through the same journey and feel the same goosebumps as those wonderful dancers who I looked up when I was a girl.
What did you think about in the last minute at the wing of the stage before you went on the stage for the first time as Sugar Plum?
I told myself that it’s a dress rehearsal because we never had a stage call with the company before so it was our very first time performing with orchestra, the stage set, and the lightings.
How did the pas de deux go?
It went so well! We both kept ourselves calm which made everything smooth.
How many shows did you perform as Sugar Plum? How were the rest of your performances?
We meant to have three shows but I had to cancel one of our shows because my foot condition went worse. But we ended up performing twice. Both shows went super well!
Did your family come to see you?
Yes, my family flew from Japan to watch my debut show in London.
I hope you have had enough recharging time before Akram Khan’s Giselle.
I didn’t have much time to recover after The Nutcracker show like basically soon as I finished my last Sugar Plum show on Sunday, I started to rehearse Giselle on Tuesday.
Final thoughts?
I felt grateful performing one of my dream roles, Sugar Plum. I can’t wait to perform this beautiful role again, but definitely perform with healthy ankles!
Thank you Emily!
All images are courtesy of Emily Suzuki. Copyright belongs to her.
