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Prince Seigfried, Odette/Odile, the queen, the evil magician and the court jester are some of the lead roles in ‘Swan Lake,’ as presented by the Joan Harris Centre for the Gifted & Talented.

LUZERNE — Ask the swan maidens why they’re excited about “Swan Lake” and they’ll tell you it’s a ballerina’s dream.

“It’s really difficult,” said Rebecca Schnable, 19, of Dallas.

“It’s just so beautiful,” added Alysha Barber, 19, of Kingston.

Difficulty, beauty and a tragic story about a young woman coping with a magician’s curse — that will all be part of the classic ballet the Joan Harris Dancers will present April 25 and April 26 at the Dallas Performing Arts Center on Conyngham Avenue in Dallas.

As she prepared to rehearse at the Harris Conservatory in Luzerne on a recent Tuesday, 17-year-old Anna Giacometti of Dallas said her dual role as the white swan, Odette, and the black swan, Odile, is challenging.

“Odette is so sweet and innocent. Odile is more flirtatious and risque,” she said, explaining she has to enter two separate frames of mind to portray them. “The music helps,” she said of Tchaikovky’s score.

But this version of the ballet is not all black and white. Some dancers will represent people from various countries, and their costumes will add a rainbow of colors.

Recalling her role as a Dutch child in a “Swan Lake” production from more than 10 years ago, Giacometti said, she still remembers the “yellow leotard and ribbons” she sported.

Along with a 400 dancers, mostly teenage and younger, there are a few adults in the “Swan Lake” cast, including Lara Berrini, a real-life mom of three who portrays Prince Seigfried’s mother and Jim Sinclair, who portrays the prince’s tutor.

“Evidently, I’m a bit of a lush,” Sinclair said, laughing as he spotted some wine-glass props.

The ballet represents weeks of intense work for the participants, who certainly don’t want to miss out on a performance. But three of them don’t want to miss their prom, either.

Lauren Slavoski, a 17-year-old high school junior and her friends Carrie Kinney and Juliana Bounsante plan to slip out of their costumes and into their prom dresses near the end of the show, join at least two (maybe three) escorts who will lend a touch of formality to the performance by wearing tuxedos in the audience, and catch a ride to Holy Redeemer’s prom at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre.

They’ll be leaving the ballet early and getting to the prom late, said Slavoski, who has juggled volleyball and dance all year in similar fashion.

“The prom is important because, well, it’s the prom,” Bounsante said.

“You only have two proms in your life,” Slavoski said.