Almost 20 years BEFORE Matthew Bourne created his all-male Swan Lake, Rudolf Nureyev starred in one of the most iconic scenes in TV history: Swine Lake. In the hilarious and perfect skit, the Russian dancer danced with a “puppet” known only as “Ballerina Pig.”
Over these nearly 50 years, Ballerina Pig is often credited as Miss Piggy, but it’s not her. The Ballerina is a character apart and one who secretly broke the social rules of the time. Well, in 1978, two men danced a pas-de-deux from Swan Lake. To this day, recognition for Nureyev’s talent in dancing and acting is mentioned, but the real work beneath the costume needs to be mentioned. The “Ballerina Pig” was none other than Graham Fletcher, a former Royal Ballet dancer, a stage legend in his own right.
An innovative Lake, a classic of classics
If you don’t already know, The Muppet Show was a children’s program that debuted 50 years ago on TV and had a direct impact on the entire Generation Muppets.” If you want to know more about behind the scenes, I recommend the Disney Plus documentary, Jim Henson Idea Man, by director Ron Howard, today I’m not focusing on the program, but one of the (literally) classic sketches from this iconic series.
In the 1970s, the Muppets were shown and known in more than 100 countries, and, across the globe, Rudolf Nureyev was the most famous dancer. One of the innovations Henson included in his show was bringing real celebrities to play alongside the puppets and – reportedly – Nureyev was a fan. He realized that besides having fun, there was the potential to promote classical dance to children and soon arranged for the production to be one of the special guests. It is still unforgettable today.
Aired on January 22, 1978, the episode exposes the ballet star in several hilarious situations, from criticism of his famous tardiness to the harassment he suffers in the sauna when he is attacked by Miss Piggy and, of course, when he dances the unforgettable Swine Lake.
In just a few minutes, the painting summarizes the story of the princess transformed into a swan hilariously and perfectly. Nureyev does some Siegfried steps until he is surprised by his scene partner, a huge overweight pig, dramatic and determined to go to the end of the frame.
To show the dance, it would not be possible to use Piggy because the puppet did not have legs and to do so Henson and his team had to improvise, creating a costume that covered legs, faces, and arms, but leaving the feet exposed. The Ballerina would have to dance “really”, seriously, that is, she would have to be a ballerina. But who?
Nureyev’s first choice would have been Wayne Sleep, the brilliant little Royal dancer who became famous for his character roles. But he was not available. Without blinking, the Russian knew who would be even more perfect: Graham Fletcher, “Flecky” as he is known by friends. But he had to fight for it.
A dancer sought after by everyone, a star of ballet and musicals
Like Nureyev, Graham Fletcher began dancing at an age that many would say was too late: 15. But his talent was undeniable and in just four years he was already a professional, quickly rising to the position of soloist and dancing main roles in Carmen, Scheherazade and important solos in Sleeping Beauty, among others.
Actor and dancer, Flecky had the perfect comic timing for the Ballerina Pig project. He had already been with the Royal Ballet for eight years and danced with Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn including in the unforgettable Romeo and Juliet and was a Chinese dance soloist in The Nutcracker. He commented years later that he was told the Russian dancer needed “a short male partner for a Muppet Show sketch, but Wayne Sleep was unavailable and Fletcher was busy with The Two Pigeons.” When he received the denial, Nureyev called personally to insist that Fletcher be released. And he succeeded.
Always wanting to surpass himself and innovate, Graham Fletcher loved the opportunity. After all, his two children were fans of the program and it would be even more interesting to participate because of that. The stars aligned. What’s more, he already knew what it was like to dance on tiptoe or wear an animal costume that completely covered him up. Graham had been selected by Sir Frederick Ashton a few years earlier when they filmed the ballet The Tales of Beatrix Potter, in which he played both a mouse and a pig.
With a slapstick version of the second act of Lake created by Norman Maen, Graham’s part is enough to terrify his partner, but never stops dancing. On the day of the recording, Nureyev terrified everyone by ignoring the calendar tight for hours and continued his warm-up at the bar very slowly. It was desperate. But, even with Rudy’s legendary stardom, Graham only remembers him fondly during difficult rehearsals. In general, the worst parts were his because the Ballerina is thrown into the air, falls, and is attacked… in one of the most fun and still well-edited scenes, the dancer lies face down on the floor and makes his entire body jump to affect the impact of the landing, just as Jim Henson instructed.
The two dancers had a lot of fun and improvised during the recordings, some of the versions never shown would be – as they joke – scandalous for the time, like Ballerina Pig hugging the muscular legs of her Prince, pretending to exaggerate the adulation of a superfan.
In addition to his career at the Royal Ballet, Graham Fletcher created one of the most famous characters in musicals, Mr. Mistoffelees in Cats, a production that ran for eight years in London (and broke records in New York) as well as the carnivorous plant Audrey from the musical Little Shop of Horrors. And if he had had time, he would have also stayed on the Muppets Show. He appeared several times as Fletcher Bird (created for him and named after him), Spider, and Timmie the Martian, among others.
That’s why and so much more it’s worth rescuing and giving the puppet a face!
Here are several brilliant moments from Graham Fletcher, as well as, of course, Swine Lake.
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