Myrtha: The Inner World of the Queen of the Willis

April 2026

Myrtha, a Complex Female Character

Myrtha, Queen of the Willis, is a major role for a ballerina. She stands in stark contrast to the principal role of Giselle. It’s such a compelling part to dance that Marianela Nuñez chose it, despite it not being the principal role that would normally be the natural habitat of the Royal Ballet’s undisputed prima ballerina.

It’s fascinating to watch different interpretations online, especially the opening arabesques. Some dancers introduce Myrtha with harshness, hate, even spite.

For me, this doesn’t sit well with the music's sensibility. I experience this moment as an expression of a femininity she has never lost, despite the pain she endured. The softness here matters. The more restrained and quiet the movement, the more we sense her as a being from the spirit world, welcoming Giselle into it.

Once the men appear, she changes to being pure authority, cold, commanding, untouchable. This makes her psychologically complex and interesting, and the music and choreography portray this.

Myrtha represents control as protection. Order as safety. Authority as defence.A figure shaped by betrayal, grief and the need to regulate chaos through structure and power. She isn’t simply “the villain”, she converted her and every woman’s pain into control, and seeking revenge.

Mytha, an Adult Ballet Workshop

At the Easter Ballet Workshop 2026, we worked with this complexity directly. We danced sections of Myrtha’s role while we explored her internal world. Not just the steps, but the psychology behind the movement. The stillness, the authority, the containment, and the moments where power replaced vulnerability.

Adult Ballet Dancers at the Myrtha workshop.

We used the emotional force of the music by Adolphe Adam to support this work, allowing the musical structure to guide the psychological interpretation. The music didn’t just accompany Myrtha. It revealed her.

This workshop was about more than repertoire. It was about understanding character, with meaning behind each movement. Participants didn’t need to agree with my interpretation. I was genuinely interested in different readings of the role and in how each dancer created their own inner narrative.

Franziska and participants at the end of the Myrtha ballet workshop

For those who attended the previous year’s Easter Workshop, it was interesting to compare Myrtha to the Black Swan. She, too, is often reduced to “the villain”. Yet, like Myrtha, she is psychologically layered. The Black Swan seduces, manipulates and destabilises through brilliance and sharpness. Myrtha, by contrast, governs through stillness, restraint and authority. One operates through glittering deception, the other through controlled power. Both roles show how easily female strength is labelled as darkness, when in reality it is far more complex.

We also danced for the first time in the beautiful, enormous Lift Dance Studios. This highlighted the grandeur of this stunning repertoire.