Dream Roles

Okay, so I was reading this really cool post on the awesome “Knit Two, Pointe Two” blog in which Nellie describes the top five roles she’d love to dance. It’s a really great post – she makes some really interesting choices. That got me thinking, what would be the top 5 male danseur roles I would love to dance? So I imagined an alternate universe where (a) I can actually dance well and (b) I have the opportunity to dance whatever roles I choose. This list changes pretty regularly, but here’s my current top 5:

1. Giselle: Albrecht

This just had to be number one. I can’t think of another role that requires such a blend of emotion and technique. Through the first act you have to be a bit of a jerk: I mean, sure, you are deeply in love with Giselle, but you also have to lie to her and the entire village about your identity. Then you have to watch Giselle die from a broken heart and deal with the grief and guilt of having killed your one true love. What does that do to a man? Then, to top it all off, you get to dance the most kick-ass variation I can think of in the second act. Here’s a video that I’ve already posted multiple times on this blog already: Baryshnikov dancing Albrecht’s Act II variation. This sums up for me what being a danseur is about – his grace, his technique, his jumps, his emotion, his turns… It’s just perfection.

2. Manon: Des Grieux

What isn’t there to love about dancing des Grieux? Well, apart from the love of your life betraying you and then dying in your arms after you’ve travelled around the world for her? Oh, right… I still think it’s an awesome part though – and one that relies heavily on acting, almost more so than the dancing. True, Manon is all about Manon (obviously), but I would argue that the real story is how her actions affect des Grieux. On top of the amazing depth of character you also have the most beautiful solo’s and Pas de Deuxs. Here’s Anthony Dowell performing des Grieux’s first solo. Stunning.

3. Swan Lake: Von Rothbart/The Swan

Well I had to include Swan Lake somewhere, didn’t I? Sure, Siegfried would be a great part to dance, but I think the coolest role in the classical ballet would be Von Rothbart. Who doesn’t like being evil every once in a while?! Not only do you get to be wicked and condemn Odette to Swan-dom but come Act III you get to strut around like you own the palace, flirt with the Queen and make all the Princesses fall in love (or rather ‘lust’) with you. Here, Marcelo Gomes shows us how it’s done…

When I was writing about Swan Lake I suddenly realised there was another role I would love to play: The Swan/Man in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake. I think it is such a defining role for the male dancer and I was transfixed by Bourne’s choreography when I saw it in New York. So I’m cheating and including both Van Rothbart and The Swan, depending on what production I was in. Hey! It’s my list, so I can do what I like, okay? Anyway, here’s the official trailer for Bourne’s Swan Lake:

4. Stars & Stripes: El Capitan

Up until now I’ve kept things pretty serious and picked some reasonably serious roles (even Rothbart has to be serious [and die] at the end). Now for a bit of fun! I absolutely love Stars & Stripes. Sure it is completely over the top and has no real storyline other than bigging up the USA, but it’s also AMAZING! I saw it with New York City Ballet both from the stalls and the 4th Ring and it made me realise how much of a genius Balanchine is. The crisp steps, the formations, the energy – spectacular!

My favourite movement is a tie between Thunder & Gladiator and Liberty Bell & El Capitan. I think for my dream role though I would have to choose to be El Capitan. I was lucky enough to see Andrew Veyette perform this with Ashley Bouder at NYCB and they were absolutely brilliant. This is a technically impressive Pas de Deux but I also find it hilarious – mainly due to Liberty Bell flirting outrageously with El Capitan throughout with coquettish steps and cheekily jaunty salutes. Sublime. There’s no good clips of this on YouTube but here’s some extracts with Ethan Stiefel and Julie Kent from the cheesy 90′s film Center Stage:

5. Jewels: Emeralds/Diamonds

Okay, so I’m going to cheat here, because technically I could dance these two roles in Jewels in one performance (although I imagine I’d be properly knackered). The first is the Pas de Trois in Emeralds. I don’t know what it is about this part of Jewels that I love so much, but every time I watch it I see something new. Personally, I always find Pas de Trois’s fascinating, as soon as you have three dancers on stage you immediately have a story going on.

My second choice in Jewels (and probably my pick out of the two) is the Pas de Deux in Diamonds. Is there a piece that is even half as gorgeous as this? It is sheer perfection with such natural choreography between the two dancers. I was lucky enough to see Thiago Soares and Marianela Nuñez perform this with the Royal Ballet last month and they brought me to tears. Unfortunately there aren’t many clips of Diamonds around (although a search on YouTube may find you a few…) but here is an extract from Houston ballet.

…6. The Bright Stream: The Ballet Dancer

Only David Hallberg could make dressing like a ballerina look so bad-ass! Photo Credit; Rosalie O'Connor

Okay, I know I said I was only going to choose five roles (and I’ve already cheated twice), but I’m going to include this as a technicality. Because I can’t dance en pointe, so can’t dance this role. Not much of a technicality (especially as I can’t dance any of the other roles, pointe or not) but it’s my list so I’m making the rules up as I go along. I saw The Bright Stream twice with ABT and saw Daniil Simkin and David Hallberg both play this role – and cried with laughter both times. In case you don’t know the story of The Bright Stream, part of it involves a male ballet dancer dressing up as a Sylphide to trick a middle-aged man to fall in love with him/her. This requires the male dancer to go en pointe, and part of why Hallberg and Simkin were so hilarious was that they were pretty damn good in those pointe shoes! The Bright Stream is such a delightful ballet and I think it would just be awesome to dance in it

Okay, so that’s me done. Except there are so many roles/parts I missed off! Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Romeo, Apollo, Prodigal Son, all of Asphodel Meadows, Solor, Spartacus… I could go on forever! But I will try to restrain myself

So, what are your five (or eight in my case…oops!) dream roles? Let me know in the comments section.

Until next time, keep dancing!

EDIT: Okay… I’m going to allow myself one more because it’s not actually a ballet role. It’s Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) in Top Hat, pretty much just because of the most amazing tap sequence in the title song. This guy was such a consumate showman making it all look so easy! I really want to try tap at some point because of Astaire and Gene Kelly… maybe I’ll end up with a sub-blog DaveTriesTap?! Here’s the title number with Astaire, I swear I could watch this on endless repeat… Top Hat