If you thought you were ‘seeing things’ earlier this year in Oriental Bay – you were! A ballerina swan danced on our fountain after dark.

Principal dancer of the Royal New Zealand Ballet Abigail Boyle, and soloist Sara Garbowski, appeared as larger-than-life ethereal figures, dancing the roles of swans from different eras of ballet. Abigail performed moments from Fokine’s The Dying Swan and Sara performed contemporary ballet from the RNZB’s production of Black Swan, White Swan.

Video artist Jeremy Brick (also RNZB Media and Communications Manager) created Swans – a breath-taking image of two dancers’ ghostly shapes flickering with the movement
of the water and the city lights behind. The projection ran earlier this year, from 21 February until 3 March. It was part of The Performance Arcade, a festival of performance art that takes place in Wellington during summer.

Abigail Boyle retires this year, after more than 13 years with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Her last performances with the RNZB was Artemis Rising, a new work created for her by choreographer Sarah Foster-Sproull. It was the climax of the RNZB’s Choreographic Series in March.

Acclaimed for her performances in both classical and contemporary roles, and as an exceptional dramatic artist, Abigail has inspired many choreographers to create works especially for her. Her central role in TV3’s The Secret Lives of Dancers (2010-2014), brought her a following throughout New Zealand beyond the world of ballet.