Birmingham Royal Ballet dancer Nao Sakuma stars in Swan Lake just five months after giving birth


Five months after giving birth, most new mums would still be struggling to stay awake and leave the house fully dressed.

They would not be thinking about going back to work yet, let alone doing anything strenuous.

But Nao Sakuma will astonish audiences later this month – by taking the lead in Swan Lake.

The ballerina is playing the punishing roles of Odette and Odile, the white and black swans, in Birmingham Royal Ballet's production even though her daughter Karen was only born on April 28.

She will be taking the baby on tour with her as BRB plays Salford, London, Sunderland, Plymouth, Belfast and Cardiff, as well as 10 performances at their home theatre of Birmingham Hippodrome.

Nao, 39, was taking daily ballet classes until three days before she gave birth and returned just a month afterwards.

The birth at Birmingham Women’s Hospital was traumatic as Nao was in labour for 27 hours and lost a litre of blood. At one point Karen’s heartbeat was only 30 beats per minute and there were 10 doctors in the emergency room.

But Karen was eventually born safely and Nao has made a rapid recovery.

Her major problem now is childcare, as she is dancing with her husband Yasuo Atsuji for the first time with BRB.

Nao, from Edgbaston, says: “I am often paired with Chi Cao but he is dancing with the Queensland Ballet in Australia at the moment.

“So my husband is playing my Prince, which is great in some respects – we don’t have to hold back, I can say ‘can you do this’ and we don’t fall out.

“We would normally try to arrange it that one of us is looking after Karen while the other is working, but we need to rehearse together.

“My mother-in-law is flying over from Japan to help us and will be coming on tour with us. My mum came over for the birth and the first few weeks.

“We were hoping to take the baby into the rehearsal room but BRB has said it’s not possible for health and safety reasons,” says Nao who has been dancing with BRB for 20 years and whose last performance was in The Nutcracker in December when she was 24 weeks pregnant.

“I had an awful labour but the day afterwards I felt like I could dance again. My body came back into shape quite quickly, probably because I kept up the classes.

“I had been on pointe, though I didn’t want to do any jumps for fear of falling. So I’ve had to really work on those muscles to build up my strength again.

“I am still breastfeeding and Karen wakes up a lot in the night but I am lucky, I have never really needed a long sleep. I am coping well and I don’t feel tired in rehearsal.

“It is unusual for ballerinas to return to performing so soon after having a baby. Most take a year’s maternity leave and many don’t go back at all.

“I’d like to encourage dancers by proving it can be done.

“I have been dancing Odette in Swan Lake since 2001 so I know the part well, though it is tough.

“I’m really looking forward to being back on stage as I’ve missed it.”

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