Jessica Xuan Makes Debut As Principal Guest Artist In SWAN LAKE
She will appear for the first time with the company as a Principal Guest Artist in Karen Kain’s Swan Lake, onstage March 8 – 22, 2025.
Hope Muir, Joan and Jerry Lozinski Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, has announced that Jessica Xuan, Principal Dancer with Dutch National Ballet, will appear for the first time with the company as a Principal Guest Artist in Karen Kain’s Swan Lake, onstage March 8 – 22, 2025.
A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS), Xuan was born in Beijing, China and moved to Toronto at the age of five. While a student at NBS, Xuan danced several roles in James Kudelka’s The Nutcracker and always dreamed of dancing again with The National Ballet of Canada. Now, Xuan is set to dance the role of Odette/Odile opposite Principal Ben Rudisin as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. Additional casting and performance dates will be announced at a later date.
“I am delighted to welcome Jessica back home to Toronto. It is an incredible full-circle moment from her time as a student at NBS to return as a Principal Guest Artist with the full company onstage for her National Ballet debut as Odette/Odile, a role that beautifully showcases both her artistry and depth of experience,” said Muir.
A Principal Dancer with Dutch National Ballet since 2020, Xuan joined the Junior Company in 2013 and the Corps de Ballet the following year. Her repertoire includes lead roles in such ballets as Giselle, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Onegin, La Bayadère and Swan Lake. In 2018, Xuan competed in the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria and won the gold medal in the Senior Women group category.
Swan Lake is the epitome of classical ballet, beloved the world over for its drama, Tchaikovsky’s achingly beautiful score and timeless choreography. In 2022, The National Ballet of Canada presented a new production of this iconic work, directed and staged by Artistic Director Emerita Karen Kain. Kain’s acclaimed staging emphasizes the love story at the heart of Swan Lake and is inspired by Erik Bruhn’s landmark production.
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