This time next week I’ll be warming up for my performance. “Eek!” doesn’t quite cover it…

I’m simultaneously really excited about it and also really nervous. The steps aren’t crazily complicated (but not exactly easy either) consisting mainly of grand jétes en tournant/tour jetés (depending if you’re UK/US taught) and the partnering mainly involves promenade arabesques. The problem really comes when I’m trying to nail the steps and look half-decent whilst doing them! Here’s my absolutely epic variation music though, it’s so cool I can’t help but be inspired when listening to it.

This week in class/rehearsal we ran through the whole piece (about 8 minutes) and one of the guys from the ballet group (who is an ex-professional and really cool guy) watched and gave us pointers. It was a little bit scary (although I guess next week I’ll be performing in front of a lot more people!), but he made some really useful observations.

My pointers can be summarised by him repeatedly telling me to act like I’m showing off my really big…, well, you get the idea! To phrase it in a more pre-watershed manner, he kept asking me to act confident and manly. As if I owned the stage. Problem is, that’s a lot harder than it sounds.

For a start I’m not a hugely confident guy. I can’t do a manly strut as if I own the place. I can’t put on that knowing smirk without looking like a demented chicken. And I definitely can’t do these things whilst also concentrating on not falling on my face.

Which has made me realise that ballet is about so much more than the steps. It made me appreciate just how astonishing it is to see dancers who completely inhabit roles and do so whilst dancing steps I can only dream of doing.

Things I need to work on include: walking (seriously!), arms in arabesque, my arms and back when landing tour jetés, my arms in sissonnes and my lifts in assisted pas de chats. There’s a whole other layer to work on above the basic movements and it can be a little intimidating. I’m only just getting to grips with the basic steps and it’s hard to concentrate on everything at once.

But I’ve got the studio booked for two hours today and again tomorrow so will be working hard on the variation this weekend and all next week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard but I’m determined to nail it! Bring on next week!

Until next time, keep dancing!

You’ve probably heard of the BalletBoyz. Two former leading dancers with The Royal Ballet, Michael Nunn and William Trevitt have spent the last ten years, in short, making ballet and dance be cool. To start, that was by their own performances, at the same time they started making documentaries which soon were broadcast on national TV. There was “Strictly Bolshoi” which followed Christopher Wheeldon as he choreographed a new piece for the Bolshoi, and there was “Royal Ballet in Cuba” following their historic tour to the country.  Then this Christmas there was “The Talent”, following the BalletBoyz’s latest venture.

Two years ago the pair decided to set up a new group of dancers and did something a bit risky – held open auditions. They let any guy aged 18-25 apply and watched them move rather than read CVs. The group would need to dance a range of contemporary styles so they needed ‘natural movers,’ which resulted in an eclectic mix of backgrounds from the classically trained to some with no formal dance training. In fact, only one of the eight dancers in the company had started dancing before the age of 16! This emphasises how important the other side of The Talent is – education. Running regular workshops while on tour and hosting a “BootCamp” in the summer they work hard to push boys “past common perceptions and engage with their imaginations”, great stuff!

Great to see such a full theatre for a Sunday night performance - I had a pretty amazing view of the stage!

Forming this group, the BalletBoyz started to put together pieces for them to perform. They adapted pieces that Trevitt and Nunn had performed themselves (for example Torsion), commissioned other pieces (such as Alpha) and even held ‘auditions’ for choreographers to work with The Talent (resulting in Void). The documentary also showed their trip to Ethiopa where they worked with Adugna Community Dance and Theatre Company to create a piece dancing with both able-bodied and disabled Ethiopian dancers. Truly inspiring stuff!

So I headed to the Theatre Royal in Bath with high expectations. I had seen some all-male pieces before (notably Folio by ARB and Men Y Men by ENB) but never an entire evening of such works. The program of the evening would feature three very distinct pieces: Torsion, Alpha and Void. Before I went to my seat though, I simply had to buy one of the coolest T-shirts around: “Real Men Wear Tights”! I know what I’ll be wearing to class this week…

Torsion (Choreography: Russell Maliphant, Music: Richard English)

First up was Torsion, originally choreographed for Trevitt and Nunn back in 2002 before being re-worked for The Talen in 2010. Opening with six dancers, each contained in their own box of light, the start concentrated mainly on the upper body with precise and intricate movements.

This was segued with a rather humorous soundbite into a pair of duets. The dancers were completely in synch with each other resulting in a delightfully smooth sequence. Starting with an almost teacher-pupil feel, one member of each duo put the other in successive poses. There was a fantastic floor solo by Taylor Benjamin which intruded on the pairs before he moved back off stage, after which it seemed the roles in each duo had reversed.

Following this was my personal highlight of the piece – an amazing solo by Leon Poulton. With definite balletic roots (such as a sequence in croisé fifth with almost tongue-in-cheek ecarté tendus) the solo morphed into contemporary style. Whilst hitting some stunning lines Poulton also showed skilled floor work, including an amazing sequence of turns en ménage.

The smoothness of Poulton’s solo contrasted the next duet which involved two dancers exerting opposing forces on each other. A masterclass in strength and balance work it was an impressive sequence, including a rather staying image of a back cambré lift resulting in a crucifix-like pose. As the other dancers rejoined the piece for the finale they showed perfect synchronicity in some challenging moves as the piece concluded. An awesome work!

My programme and ticket - that's the awesome throw in Alpha!

Alpha (Choreography: Paul Roberts, Music: Keaton Henson)

Before the next piece there was a small video segment projected onto a screen on the stage. Showing a snapshot of their rehearsals it was a great way to engage the audience during their set/costume change. It made me wonder why other dance companies don’t use this idea – sure it wouldn’t really work somewhere like the ROH, but would be perfect for someone like Rambert.

Alpha started with seven of the dancers in a tight circle, crouched together. One breaks from the circle and starts a reflective solo whilst the other guys remain motionless. Shelina Somani’s costumes were perfect for this piece, reminiscent of Shaolin monks. Indeed, the whole piece had an almost meditative feel, a lot maturer and deeper than I expected from a choreographer who’s CV consists mainly of working with chart musicians!

The music was simple and gorgeous, a recording of Henson playing guitar and singing. Thanks to the video intro it seems that Henson was there during the creation of the piece, playing live for the guys during rehearsals – something that surely made the choreography even more tailored to the music.

As for the dancing – it was simply beautiful. My particular favourite was a quartet danced to a piece of music with the line “Dear widow” in it (there wasn’t a music listing in the programme). There was just a fantastic flow to the whole piece.

The final scene seemed, to play on the monk theme some more, almost sacrificial. Miguel Esteves was lifted, turned and thrown about as if in ofference to some unnamed deity. There was also that amazing throw of him straight in the air that, deservedly, is used as The Talent’s promo shot.

The whole piece was simply sublime and immediately made me want to rewatch it as soon as it finished, a sign of a great piece.

Void (Choreography: Jarek Cemerek, Music: Ondrej Dedecek, Yoav and Ismael De Garay)

Void, the final piece of the evening, left me utterly speechless. Adrenalin-fueled, high-octane dance that was just unreal.

Opening with a video projected on a warehouse backdrop it followed the guys around city streets at night. Reminding me of Banksy and other street artists, this projection carried on playing as the dancers emerged, in hoodies and jeans. As the piece started in earnest I couldn’t help but think of it foreshadowing the summer riots and the anger that emerged from the youth of Britain during those times (this piece was premiered 6 months before the riots).

As the majority of dancers left the stage, Taylor Benjamin danced a mesmerising solo. As if being tailed by a gang he projected his unease and had me almost gasping as invisible punches and kicks landed on him. This violence continued into the next duet, a pair fighting with raw anger and testosterone. I have seen fight scenes in dance before, but never one that felt so ‘real’. I was amazed at how much control the pair must have had to execute the tense movements without injuring each other.

That was just the warm-up though, as suddenly the music changed and the company unleashed the most high-octane dance sequence I have ever seen. Literally throwing themselves at each other the group split into two factions at war. Their ferocity was palpable throughout the whole theatre. That being said, I couldn’t help but think how much fun the scene must be for the dancers!

If it's on a T-shirt you know it's true...

As the guys surrounded Miguel Esteves he danced a solo as they watched on from outside his spotlight. Almost as if dancing for his redemption he moved with an almost yearning to escape. The lights lowered and the finale began with the dancers in silhouette against a brightly lit backdrop. As the dancers moved in complete unison the piece rose to its finale, highlighting the strength of this small company.

As Void concluded a massive rush of applause rose for The Talent, along with a fair few whoops and whistles. Every single one deserved for the energetic and skilled performance they all gave.

So, in short, BalletBoyz: The Talent rocked it. They proved that dance can be masculine, cool and current. They also made me immediately check if I can make any of their performances at Sadler’s Wells in March. And tomorrow, when I’m in the studio practicing, I’m going to use them as inspiration to hold my head a little higher, add a little pride to my movement and testosterone to my steps. After all, “Real Men Wear Tights”.

Until next time, keep dancing!

It’s been a pretty eventful week for the Royal Ballet. First there were the National Dance Awards held on Monday, where the Royal Ballet’s Gary Avis won best classical male performance and Steven McRae won best male dancer. A huge congrats to the pair, and to all the nominees in some very strong fields for each award. The awards ceremony was a great celebration of the top dancers in the country, and was superbly covered with live-tweeting by the Ballet Bag ladies on behalf of the NDA twitter account.

Newly crowned "Best Male Dancer" Steven McRae in Kenneth MacMillan’s 'Concerto’ Photo credit: Johan Persson

Then on Tuesday afternoon, the Ukrainian Royal Ballet principal Sergei Polunin announced his immediate resignation from the company. The immediacy of his resignation has shocked the ballet world and there have been rumours flying around about what his plans are. Whatever his decision, I wish him all the luck in the world – I never got a chance to see him dance live (although I had tickets for three of his performances in the coming season!) but the recordings I have seen of him show enormous talent.

But amidst all that drama I had some excitement – my first trip back to the Royal Opera House since the middle of December (when I saw a breathtaking Sleeping Beauty danced by the ever-stunning Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares). I headed in to see Draft Works, a rather unique fixture in the Royal Ballet calendar.

Draft Works encourages dancers from the company (at any level, plus a couple from outside the company) to choreograph new pieces on other members of the company, which are then performed in the Linbury Theatre – the more intimate basement venue in the Opera House. Not only would I be attending the Draft Works performance, but also an Insiders event beforehand. Insiders is the name for ‘young friends’ of the Royal Opera House (to which my parents kindly got me a membership for Christmas) and there was to be a ‘mingling’ event at the ROH shop – with discounted products and a chance to meet some of the Royal Ballet Dancers. It was also a good excuse for a tweet-up with some awesome twitterers!

While at the Insiders event I was lucky enough to get to talk to Thomas Whitehead, a soloist at the Royal Ballet who I’ve enjoyed watching in the past for both his dancing and acting skills (most recently I thought he was great in Enigma Variations as W.M.B.). Tom had choreographed a piece for the evening and would also be performing in a piece by Kristen McNally. It was really inspiring to talk to him and hear a bit about how he had found his first go at choreographing. He’s a really nice guy and I’m honoured he spared the time to have a chat – thank you Tom!

So after a brief introduction by (the newly CBE-ed) Wayne McGregor it was on to the pieces!

First up was “At the River Styx” by Robert Binet (the Royal Ballet choreographic apprentice), danced by Yuhui Choe and Ricardo Cervera. Inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice it was a Pas de Deux with a hint at the story behind it (for example, Cervera constantly looked away from Choe to avoid condemning Eurydice to the underworld). A really nice piece with strong classical roots, it was danced beautifully. For me, it almost begged for a chance to develop and lengthen to really explore the story.

Next was “Feathers in your Head” by Ludovic Ondiviela, danced by Lauren Cuthbertson and Bennet Gartside. Inspired by his real life experience with people suffering from Alzheimer’s, Ondiviela created a surprisingly gritty piece. Cuthbertson and Gartside (my “Golden Tweeters”) were obviously superb, the piece showing off not only their technical, but also their acting prowess. Cuthbertson is one of the strongest actors in the whole company and as soon as the piece started she consumed the role, with a finger tapping tic and sudden changes in character (In a strange sort of way she reminded me of Alice Ripley in Next to Normal on Broadway – a huge compliment). As when I saw him with Tamara Rojo in Asphodel Meadows, Gartside showed how strong a partner he is, catching Cuthbertson with tenderness amidst her violent outbursts, whilst rising to Cuthbertson’s portrayal. A fantastic piece, brilliantly performed, that was one of my highlights of the night.

Next were two male solo pieces – “Gallardo” by Fernando Montaño (First Artist of the Royal Ballet) and “Overtone” by Declan Whitaker (a young trainee at the London Contemporary Dance School). Two very contrasting pieces that I enjoyed for very different reasons. Montaño’s piece was a cheeky, enticing solo suggesting a flirtatious encounter at a bar. Showing his Columbian and Cuban roots he hit some great lines and acted the piece with an almost tongue-in-cheek confidence. Whitaker’s piece was much more serious, and evoked a similar response to me that James Finnemore’s Patriot did at Cloud Dance Festival. It seemed to use his youth as inspiration but developed into a surprisingly mature piece. Certainly a piece pertinent to today’s ‘youth culture’ and a promising start for the young dancer.

Finishing the first half was “Lonesome Gun” by Kristen McNally, danced by Hayley Forskitt, Thomas Whitehead, Jacqueline Clark, Francesca Hayward, Sander Blommaert and Tristan Dyer. Dedicating the piece to her Nan (who recently passed away), McNally once again showcased her intelligent, humourous yet always insightful choreographic voice. Playing on the theme of Westerns she was one of the most confident choreographers of the night, not afraid to do as she pleased. Forskitt and Whitehead in particular really brought the piece alive with an engaging duet section in the middle of the work. A fine addition to her catalogue, I look forward to seeing more of McNally’s work in years to come.

Following the interval was “Within the Hours” by Érico Montes, danced by Camille Bracher, Celisa Diuana, Nathalie Harrison, Francesca Hayward, Pietra Mello-Pittman, Romany Pajdak and Demelza Parish. This piece used new music by Oliver Davies performed live, and the almost film score feel to it complemented Montes’ steps perfectly. With intelligent use of the seven dancers there were moments of interplay and distinction, all gloriously danced by the ladies. From my seat almost dead-center in the theatre I got a great view of some lovely tableaux Montes created with the girls, and I certainly would like to see the piece again.

Following Montes was “i lean & bob” by Thomas Whitehead, danced by Sian Murphy and Ryoichi Hirano. Starting, unconventially, with the dancers in the audience, the pair got some chuckles from the audience as Hirano was overcome by the music and Murphy ran after him in an embarassed frenzy. Emerging on stage in converse and “normal” clothes the two dancers embodied the music, the steps flowing with ease, while retaining a sense that this wasn’t an unnatural thing to do. In this sense it reminded me of Robbin’s NYC: Opus Jazz, and I could almost see the piece as a short film set in “normal” surroundings. I also wonder how much Whitehead’s work with Matthew Bourne (touring with Swan Lake) and Kristen McNally (tonight’s piece and last year’s “Don’t hate the player, hate the game”) helped him add that slight comedic twist. A great debut!

Next was “Grace” by Simon Rice, danced by Piedad Albarracinseiquer, Natalie Corne, Sara Pontessilva and Ivey Wawn. As an ex-Royal Ballet First Soloist I was surprised that Rice’s choreography was so far removed from the classical style. Bookended with silent segments, the piece was headed by the girl in red (I’m afraid I don’t know which dancer it was) who was certainly captivating to watch. Overall, however, this piece didn’t evoke anywhere near as strong a reaction in me like the others, although I could appreciate it’s design.

I was intrigued to see “Into the Woods” by Tamara Rojo, danced by Camille Bracher and José Martín. Her first piece choreographed on other dancers, Rojo had created an intense and smart pas de deux, chronicling what seemed to be an abusive relationship and exploring themes such as stockholm syndrome. Martín’s initial movements seemed tender but took a sinister tone as he got more agitated and there was the realisation that Bracher was tied to the chair on which Martín sat. I felt the rope was a brave and well executed device that later showed the turning of power as Bracher finished the piece by tying Martín to the selfsame chair. I loved the piece and there were a couple of bits that certainly seemed to have Rojo’s signature on them – a jabbing of Bracher’s foot towards Martín’s midriff springs to mind. A confident piece from a world-class dancer, here’s hoping Rojo continues to create in the future.

In the tradition of saving the best till last was “Brandenburg Divertissement” by Valentino Zucchetti, danced by Claire Calvert, Claudia Dean, Yasmine Naghdi, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Alexander Campbell, Tristan Dyer, Kevin Emerton and Dawid Trzensimiech. One of the most ambitious pieces of the night in terms of scale, Zucchetti pulled it off with great aplomb. Staying true to the music (Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3) the choreography was very precise but still glimpses of character shone through (for instance the guys’ entering and watching with amusement as Trzensimiech chased after one of the girls). Danced superbly and with great precision, the mathematician side of me loved the fugue-like structure of certain parts whilst the dancer side of me was in awe of the guys’ jumps and girls’ turns. Zucchetti used the whole space and I could easily have seen the piece scaled up to a larger stage and venue. I wonder if we will get a chance to see his choreographic voice grow like Liam Scarlett’s has (who was in the audience).

So all in all I thoroughly enjoyed my evening – it is always exciting to see fresh choreography, and even more so when you have seen the creators perform and can catch glimpses of their character in the piece. Bravo to choreograpers and dancers alike. If you saw Draft Works this week I’d love to hear your thoughts – what were your favourite pieces? Just pop a comment on this post!

A painting of the original Pas de Déesses - that'll be me in the background!

So what about how my ballet is going? Well things are going very well at the moment! I have now learnt the Pas de Déesses with Ballet Bristol – the choreography is really lovely and I’m dancing it with three fantastic dancers. As there are three woman and only one guy, I’ve got to partner all of them in the opening segment with arabesque promenades and assisted grand pas de chats. My variation involves lots of big jumps (and thankfully no double pirouettes!) and back bends – I definitely have to make sure I’m warm before doing it! I’ve also been asked by one of the other dancers to work on the Coppélia Wedding Pas de Deux with her – it’s going to really stretch me, but she’s a fantastic dancer and I’m looking forward to the challenge. On top of all that, it looks like I might be going to a week-long summer intensive in Wales this August! Applications don’t open until March but I’ve spoken with the organisers (checking that I would be able to apply as an ‘older’ dancer) and they seem keen for me to apply. With this as inspiration I’m now dancing 6 days a week – although four of those are studio sessions on my own. As I mentioned to someone on twitter – I know I’ll never be a professional dancer but I just want to push myself to be the best dancer I can be.

So that’s all for now – I’m seeing BalletBoyz: The Talent on Sunday here in Bath, which I’m really excited about, so I’m sure it won’t be long until the next blog post…

Until next time, keep dancing!

Well 2012 has certainly started with a bang!

I posted earlier this week about my first class back, and my mini-masterclass on pirouettes. Well I didn’t want to let the awesome list of things to work on go to waste, so first thing on Wednesday morning I called into the Uni reception to book the studio. I’m really lucky that I’m able to use the studio (for free!) and, because it is out of term time, I managed to get it for every day this week. So Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and today (Sunday) I’ve been in the studio for a couple of hours.

It’s been really great for me, and I’ve definitely felt myself improve as the week has gone on. When there’s only you and the mirror it’s impossible to escape  your flaws. There’s no “I hope the teacher didn’t see that” or “I’ll just stand at the back out of everyone’s way”. It’s also been great being in there every day, building on the work from the days before. This has helped me really work on some of the key areas where I struggle. Mainly, those damn double pirouettes!

So I started working on the pointers I had been given. To start, that was to lengthen into the ground to feel secure when turning. I stood for a while in retiré and repeatedly rose to demi-pointe (by thinking of lengthening), trying to feel that security. Then I practiced singles, concentrating on remaining in position for as long as I could manage. Finally, I went for some doubles. And they weren’t too bad! I’ve still got lots to work on, but I’ve helped to eliminate my hop at the end of a turn, something that I think was a manifestation of my nerves. One thing I’m concentrating on now is keeping my elbows up mid-turn. Here’s a clip from Thursday and although much securer than my doubles used to be, you can see the exact moment my elbows drop - Pirouettes (sorry for the random Catherine Zeta Jones in the background – I was listening to A Little Night Music while practicing!).

And things got even more exciting this week, when I got an email last night about the performing group in Bristol I’m in. Our first performance of 2012 is at the end of February and the director wants be to be in the Pas de Déesses – Dance of the Goddesses. We’ll be dancing an adapted version of the Robert Joffrey ballet, which depicts three great ballerinas (Lucile Grahn, Fanny Cerrito, and Marie Taglioni) trying to get the attention of danseur Arthur St. Leon. Sounds a pretty good scenario to me! I’ve found a little clip on YouTube of some highlights:

With music by John Field it’s described as “a classical and gentle satire”. Obviously I won’t be doing the original choreography (I can’t do double tours, for one thing!) but I’ll be learning the adapted choreography over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes (and maybe post a video!).

And as if this week couldn’t have gotten any more crazy, I found out on Wednesday that I’ll be heading to Canada to speak at a conference in June! So if anyone knows of any ballet classes in Halifax, Nova Scotia then please let me know! Also, I’m hoping to travel back via NYC to spend a few days. Hopefully I’ll be able to take class back at Princeton Ballet School and Joffrey Ballet School and see ABT/NYCB. Awesome!

So that’s been my crazy week – a pretty good start to 2012, I’d say! How’s your 2012 going?

Until next time, keep dancing!

Had my first class of 2012 tonight! I swear you can’t beat that post-ballet feeling: after a really productive day at the University it was the perfect end to the day. We worked our way through pretty much all the RAD Intermediate Barre – my practicing over the break certainly helped as I seemed to be the only one who remember all the combinations! We moved to centre and worked through the Port de Bras which I’m getting reasonably confident with, then the pianist started playing the Shostakovitch that goes with the en dehors pirouettes combination…

Tonight my pirouettes were completely MIA. I guess they’re still hiding in 2011 because I was struggling to even do clean singles, never mind doubles! I really don’t know why they were so bad – I guess a couple of weeks without turning wouldn’t have helped. And what made things worse was I started getting frustrated which didn’t help in the slightest.

But the positive side of this was that I got a five minute one-on-one mini-masterclass with my teacher (the amazing ex-Royal Ballet Principal). Her first question was what goes through my head when I’m about to do a double pirouette. I answered honestly: “I’m usually scared”. I think that those nerves are definitely a big part of my problem but there is also loads of technical things I need to sort out.

So after the five minutes of intense pirouetting here is my (long) list of things to work on:

• Keep bottom foot turned out – when my retiré turns in it is usually because of my standing leg;
• Keep arms ‘big’ – I tend to contract/collapse them;
• Think of lifting ribcage and armpit of standing-leg-side to keep it strong;
• Don’t think of landing – just keep going and see how far around you get;
• Practice standing in retiré and lifting to high demi-pointe while retaining a stable, ‘secure’ feeling;
• Get the feeling of turning the whole circle – I seem to rush parts;
• Especially concentrate on the first part – savour the slight opening of the arms and initiation of the movement;
• Don’t throw myself up to demi-pointe – can be fairly relaxed in getting up there, being stable is more important;
• Keep forward on my leg – when I collapse I tend to fall backwards due to contraction;

I’m pretty sure there was probably some more things, but this was everything I noted down after class in my Dance Journal.

I also got some awesome advice from Lauren Cuthbertson, Principal at the Royal Ballet, on Twitter. She recommended thinking of my demi-pointe lengthening into the ground to counterbalance the “up up up” feeling – Lauren’s definitely earning her “Golden Tweeter” award from my DaveTriesBallet awards! This advice was echoed by Mark Panzarino, also emphasising the need to push down to connect with the floor which will allow the body to react upwards. He recommended I look at William Forsythe’s Improvisation Technologies – which talks about how the body moves, acts and reacts in a very scientific and precise way. Here’s one video Mark suggested to get the idea of reacting forces – fascinating stuff!

Anyway, there’s certainly lots to think about and I’ll be working on some of the pointers on my own when I get into the studio at University (I’m so lucky to be able to get it for free pretty much whenever I want). It’s going to take some serious effort but I’m determined to get these doubles sorted!

Until next time, keep dancing!

Around this time last year I wrote a post on my New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s how successful I was in sticking to them:

1. Keep on taking Ballet classes – Yup! Definitely achieved that one!
2. Perform – Hell yeah! Check out my Coppelia post for a recap
3. Maintain body, and improve body image – So-so… I have good days and bad days
4. Use mirrors more – Work in progress: practicing on my own in the uni studio has helped – I can’t escape the mirrors there!
5. Watch as much dance as I can – Most definitely!
6. Blog more – I’m trying…
7. Learn French – Stalled a little…
8. Make a major life change – Well I moved continent, started a PhD and got my own flat – does that count?!
9. Be happy – Well I’m happier than last year so I think that’s a definite yes!

So that was looking back at last year, what about this year? Well I’ve been having a think and here are some of my, well they’re not resolutions as such but more like goals:

1. Stretch and/or do ballet every day – I’ve started getting into the habit of doing a home-barre on most days when I don’t have class and I’ve already seen a difference in terms of flexibility. I want to get into the habit of doing ballet (or at least stretching) every day. My home-barre (the barre from RAD Intermediate Ballet) takes around 20 minutes start to finish if you really go through each exercise fully. I can easily find a spare 20 minutes every day, so I may as well put it to some use!
2. Complete my RAD Intermediate Exam (or at least keep working towards it) – I don’t know how feasible this resolution/goal is. I’ve been working on the syllabus in class for a month or two now and have the barre memorised as well as the port de bras, en dehors pirouettes and the first two allegros. Included in this resolution is an aim to master double pirouettes en dehors and en dedans as well as a few moves I haven’t really done before like tours en l’air. Although I’ve only got the one RAD class each week I’ve been going to the studio at the uni to practice 2-3 times every week and will hopefully be keeping that up too.
3. Work on my partnering technique – I’m hoping to work on this with the ballet group at Bristol. At the Christmas party we were talking about what pieces we’ll be doing next year and now they’ve got 4 guys they’re hoping to do the Rose Adagio! Will definitely need to work on my partnering before then! There’s an ex-pro guy there who is going to do some partnering classes with us which I’m really looking forward to and when the girls are doing pointe exercises he’s said he’ll go over some male technique!
4. Perform – This will also be with the Bristol ballet group – I’ve already got my first two performance dates: 25th February and 16th March! I’m really excited to get to perform again and feel that ‘buzz’. I’m not sure exactly what I’ll be performing (except for the mention of the Rose Adagio) but I don’t really care, I’m excited anyway.
5. Be more confident – I mean this mainly in ballet class. I’m always happiest at the back of the studio during centre, or hiding in the middle of a busy barre. I need to have a little more confidence during class and hopefully that will transfer to more confidence when I get to perform.
6. Eat healthily and listen to my body – I already eat pretty healthily; I don’t eat chocolate or sweets, eat plenty of fruit and veg, avoid fried foods and try not to let my porridge addiction get the better of me. That being said, my weight has a tendancy to fluctuate if I’m not careful so I need to starts listening to it more. Last year I lost a reasonable amount of weight, but some of this was due to cutting my calorific intake quite significantly. I need to be careful to strike the right balance this year, watching what I eat but also doing plenty exercise – be it in the ballet studio or the gym.
7. Learn French – this is pretty much always on my list of things I mean to do but never get around to. I’ve been working a little on my French this last year, but am hoping to enrol in a course at the university for postgraduates. I already know (very) basic French but seeing as I’ve got a conference coming up in Grenoble hopefully this will spur me to up my efforts. Maybe if I learn enough French I can reward myself with a trip to see the Paris Opera Ballet…
8. Watch lots of ballet – This can be live or not, and I also want to watch more of other dance forms than just Ballet. I’ve already made a start on this Resolution; I’ve got tickets for BalletBoyz, Ballet Black and the Royal Ballet in two Romeo & Juliets, two Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, two La Fille mal Gardées, Draftworks and their new triple bill with works by Scarlett, Wheeldon and McGregor!
9. Take advantage of any opportunities that come my way – this is a bit vague but I mean things like workshops and classes wherever possible. I’ve also been looking at Summer Intensives in the UK – I would love to be able to go on one of those for a week or more and really propel my dancing forward. I’ve found one possibility so far, but I don’t know if I can afford the fees so am still searching. If anyone knows of any then please please drop me an email to let me know!
10. Be Happy! – I think this is an important resolution for everyone! Needless to say, ballet makes me happy so included in this is pretty much all of the above resolutions Also, I want to work on looking happier in class – I love class but often get told I look very serious when doing combinations or at the barre. So I’m going to try to work on smiling more in class

I’ve been reflecting recently on 2011. It’s been a hell of a year for me and my ballet experience has come along in leaps and bounds, both in terms of ‘doing it’ and ‘seeing it’. I wanted to do a review of the year (prompted by the awesome CloudDanceFestival’s suggestion) but so much happened I decided to do something a little different…

Welcome to the 2011 DaveTriesBallet Awards! Sit back, relax and have a look at some of my highlights of the past year. There’ll be three main categories of awards: Performances, Web and Personal Awards, followed by my top 5 performances and a very special award. [Unfortunately the budget can't stretch to a big fancy show, a celebrity host nor actual awards, but oh well..]

Performance Awards

Nuñez and Soares in Diamonds (Photo Credit: John Ross)

Favourite On Stage Couple: Marianela Nuñez and Thiago Soares!

Also shortlisted: Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev, Julie Kent and José Manuel Carreño, Lauren Cuthbertson and Sergei Polunin

Reason: When Soares and Nuñez dance together there is truly magic in the air. They are both fantastic dancers but together they become even more. They both convey the sheer joy of dancing through every step they take but are also capable of serious roles (e.g. Soares in Gloria and Nuñez in Manon). I was lucky enough to see them multiple times in the last few months: Diamonds, Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty and every single performance was truly special. Add to that their real-life romance and an adorable “In Conversation” interview (available as an iTunes podcast) and they really are a perfect onstage couple!

Tamara Rojo and Federico Bonelli in Sleeping Beauty (Photo Credit: Bill Cooper)

Favourite Female Dancer: Tamara Rojo!

Also shortlisted: Ashley Bouder, Marianela Nuñez, Tiler Peck

Reason: As soon as Rojo walks onto stage you cannot take your eyes off her. For a single second. She commands every single inch of the stage and rightfully so. My first time watching her was in Sleeping Beauty with Federico Bonelli (another fantastic dancer) and I was left completely breathless after their performance. She handled the Rose Adagio like a walk in the park and then their Grand Pas de Deux was the stuff of dreams. I also saw her in Asphodel Meadows, partnered by the awesome Bennet Gartside and they were both resplendent. It is no wonder she is considered one of the world’s best ballerinas.

Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes in ABT's The Bright Stream (Credit: Rosalie O'Connor)

Favourite Male Dancer: Marcelo Gomes!

Also shortlisted: Andrew Veyette, Steven McRae, Federico Bonelli, Thiago Soares

Reason: I’ve only seen Gomes dance once, in The Bright Stream with ABT, but it was more than enough. It wasn’t the most impressive or expressive role, but Gomes imbued every single step with such musicality that was just fascinating to watch. I’ve never seen someone make so much from so little and it left me aching to see more. It is no surprise that Gomes recently won “Best Male Performance” in the Bessies (NYC’s dance awards). He is surely one of the greatest male dancers alive.

Web Awards

Favourite Adult Dancer Blog: Adult Beginner!

Also shortlisted: Leotards and the Buns in them, Pointe Til U Drop, Bead109

Reason: Right from the start, Adult Beginner has been a constant reassurance that I am not completely crazy in wanting to take ballet. She was one of the first ballet blogs I ever read and a year and a half later I still find myself laughing out loud like a lunatic at her posts! Not only that, but she’s an awesome artist, makes costumes for a living and we even did an interview together!

Golden Tweet Award: Bennet Gartside and Lauren Cuthbertson!

Also shortlisted: Ashley Bouder, BalletFriends, BalletBoyz

Reason: I couldn’t just have one winner for this! In the end, I decided on the pair of Gartside and Cuthbertson from the Royal Ballet. They are both doing great things through Twitter to help show ballet as being awesomely cool, as is the Royal Ballet (and the multitude of tweeters there). Bennet created the amazing “Royal Ballet, not what you think” video (which I talked about in my Ballet Coolness post) and Lauren was seen in the Royal Opera House’s latest “World Stage” campaign balanced in fifth relevé atop of a gymnastic balance beam! More importantly, both of them show that dancers are, at the end of the day, ‘normal’ people, which makes their performances even more special to me.

Dance Awards

Favourite Dance Class: Partnering Workshop!

Also shortlisted: First class in Bath, class on Coliseum stage, last class with Douglas at PBS

Reason: This was a tough one! I’ve had some truly amazing classes this year but probably my biggest highlight was the partnering workshop that my teacher Edward Urwin put on with help from his fellow ARB dancer Marc St-Pierre. It was spread over two weekends (my original posts are here and here) and even though there was only a total of about 3 hours of class I felt like I learnt a mammoth amount. It was immediately obvious that Ed and Marc were consummate professionals at Pas de Deux technique and I felt so lucky that they shared it with us. In case you couldn’t tell from my posts – it’s not as easy as it looks!

Favourite Dance Experience: Coppelia/ENB Workshop!

Reason: There were two major dance highlights for me this year, so much so that I couldn’t even shortlist anything else! First up was my first ever ballet performance in Coppelia with Princeton Ballet School. That feeling of being on-stage, even though I only had a small, pretty simple part, was amazing. It made me instantly want to do more performing! I got another taste of that feeling when I took part in the ENB Petit Workshop which not only included an on-stage class at the Coliseum but also a chance to learn some of Petit’s choreography from Carmen. An amazing opportunity I feel so lucky to have been able to take part in.

Top 5 Performances of 2011:

I’ve somehow managed to choose a top 5 out of the (many many) performances I’ve seen this year and here they are in no particular order. I’ve been so very lucky to be able to catch so many performances but here are some of the highlights (and don’t even think of asking me to rank them!):

(Credit: Rosalie O'Connor)

The Bright Stream (Marcelo Gomes, Paloma Herrera, Gillian Murphy, David Hallberg)

I saw Bright Stream twice with ABT and loved it each time. Ratmansky has managed to choreograph a genuinely hilarious ballet. This was my first Ratmansky work and I was impressed at his attention to details and some of the shapes he created on stage. The scene with the Ballet Dancer dressing as a Sylph and dancing en pointe was side-splittingly funny, with the whole of The Met in fits of laughter. Not only comically farcical, it also required Hallberg (and Daniil Simkin in the other cast I saw) to be fairly proficient in his (rather large) pointe shoes. Knocking out triples however, it was clear this wasn’t an issue! Make sure you catch the Bolshoi live-relay of it in 2012.

(Credit: Johan Persson)

Asphodel Meadows (Marianela Nuñez, Rupert Pennefather, Tamara Rojo, Bennet Gartside, Ricardo Cervera, Laura Morera)

I saw Asphodel Meadows as part of a triple bill at the Royal Ballet (with Enigma Variations and Gloria) and it completely blew me away. For a fresh-faced choreographer (Liam Scarlett is only 24 and is a First Artist at the Royal Ballet) the piece was astonishingly mature, especially in the three Pas de Deuxs, all evoking different sides to a relationship. Seeing the piece twice, this cast blew me away – unsurprisingly as it was the cast the piece was created on. The piece was only created last season and this was it’s first revival – here’s hoping it stays in the Royal Ballet repertory for many more years.

(Credit: Simon Tomkinson)

L`Arlesienne (Esteban Berlanga)

This was part of ENB’s timely Petit Triple Bill which I saw just days after Petit’s passing. I enjoyed all three pieces, but L’Arlesienne was the highlight for me – especially thanks to Esteban Berlanga’s performance. The story of the piece is of a man who still loves his ex-girlfriend yet is about to marry his fiancée. Eventually his past love drives him crazy and there is the most spectacular scene where he dances in his attic descending into madness. Berlanga’s performance was tangibly emotional and tore me apart. Amazing.

(Credit: Musicpicture)

Highlights of CDF: Taste Water Again(James Cousins Dance Company), Don’t hate the player, hate the game (Tommy Franzén)

I thoroughly enjoyed all three days of Cloud Dance Festival and it was particularly fortuitous that two of my favourite performances were two of the only ones repeated over the weekend. First, Taste Water Again by James Cousins Dance Company was unlike anything I’d ever seen. It was raw, emotional, physical, beautiful and so much more. The simple idea of soaking their clothes in water made the piece truly special and I would love to be able to watch it again. The second highlight for me was Tommy Franzén dancing Kristen McNally’s Don’t hate the player, hate the game. Originally choreographed for Thomas Whitehead, Franzén’s interpretation was electric and the piece was a telling snapshot of today’s youth.

(Credit: Alastair Muir)

Jewels/Metamorphosis (Royal Ballet/Ed Watson)

This was my first ever trip to the Royal Ballet and it more than lived up to my expectations! It was a rather mismatched pairing, starting with Balanchine’s Jewels. Although all three sections were fantastic, the Diamonds Pas de Deux between newly-married Thiago Soares and Marianela Nuñez was simply sublime. You could feel their love for each other in every movement and for a ‘plotless’ piece it still reduced me to tears. After a quick run down many flights of stairs I took my seat for Arthur Pita’s Metamorphosis. Ed Watson was shocking and fascinating in the role of Gregor Samsa and the whole piece was amazingly conceived and executed. A combination of dance, theater and visual art it was truly unique and fascinating.

Gratitude Award: All of my teachers

Finally, I want to give a special award to every single one of my teachers. Thank you so much for your patience in every class I’ve taken. In particular I want to give special thanks to Douglas Martin, Edward Urwin, Dena Moss, Stephanie Godino and Karen Paisley. These five have been my most regular teachers and have all shaped me in very different ways. They are all inspirational to me and I consider myself so lucky to have been taught by all of them.

I think I speak for all ballet students the world over when I say how thankful we all are for the hard work our instructors put into teaching us. I always make a point to say thank you at the end of every class straight after reverence, but want to take this time to say an extra-special THANK YOU to each and every one of them!

And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my awards – let me know what your winners would be in the comments section! Oh, and I’m so honoured to announce I made the Top 20 of Dance Advantage’s Top Dance Blogs of 2011! Thank you for all your nominations, the final voting round is now open – if you want to vote for me just click here and find me under the Top 20 and Adult Dancer Blog categories. Both are separate votes so feel free to cast your vote in both

That’s it for 2011 – see you in 2012 with a post on my New Years Resolutions!

Until next time, keep dancing!

Hey everyone!

Some of you  may remember that last year I posted about a contest Dance Advantage ran to choose the Top 20 Dance Blogs of 2010, as chosen by readers. I was honoured to make the Top 20 list and have a place alongside some blogs I truly admire and love.

DanceAdvantage's Top Dance Blogs 2011!

So this year, the lovely Nichelle is repeating the contest to find the Top Dance Blogs 2011! This is where you guys come in! I’ve entered the Adult Dancer category but to be in with a chance of making the list I need to get plenty of ‘nominations’ from all of my readers.

From now until December 20th any blog wanting to enter is creating a post just like this one. If any of my readers wish to nominate me, all you have to do is add a comment to the bottom of this post. It doesn’t matter what you put in the comment, but if you have any feedback on the site that would be great! I’m constantly trying to improve my blog, so if you have any suggestions on future topics or features, or if you want to let me know what you’ve liked or disliked about previous posts then please share! So that’s all you have to do, just pop a comment on this post!

After Dec 20th the blogs with the most votes in each category will go through to a second round of voting – but I’ll cover that if I get enough comments!

Rules: Please don’t comment more than once on this post! If you do, it’ll unfairly add to my votes. But feel free to vote for as many blogs as you like, in the nominations you can cast votes for as many sites as you wish.

Is this the face of your Top Dance Blog? If it is just comment on this post!

I truly enjoy writing this blog, and sharing my journey with all of you readers. I know I’m no expert (and never will be) but I hope that I have managed to make the idea of taking ballet a little less daunting for any newbies out there. And if you’re a seasoned dancer then maybe I’ve made you reminisce about when you started out, took your first class, did your first pirouette or had your first experience of partnering. It’s been a whirlwind year for me in all aspects of my life and ballet has been a huge part of it all. I’m looking forward to new and exciting experiences in the coming year, hopefully translating to new and exciting blog posts too!

So if you like my blog, I hope you’ll consider popping a comment on this post and nominating me for a Top Dance Blog 2011. I’ll be forever grateful.

Until next time, keep dancing!

P.S. Feel free to spread the word about this post!

A couple of things happened to me recently that have made me realize how, at times, it can be difficult being an adult dancer. I’m not meaning professional dancers here, Ed covered some of those difficulties in his awesome guest post, I’m talking about us ‘recreational’ dancers.

The first thing happened when I was talking to the lovely lady who looks after the reception at the dance school I go to. This week was the last class before Christmas (*sadness*) and she was asking if I’d enjoyed the classes this term. Needless to say, I didn’t need to feign my enthusiasm for the class or teacher. She then told me how usually they don’t take people at such a high level (the intermediate class is the second highest one at the school) hinting, I think, as well that they don’t normally take adults either. But she added how glad they were they had “taken a chance” on me and how they loved having me at the school.

I was touched by these kind words but they also reminded me how lucky I was to have the opportunity. Finding a class can be the first stumbling block for adults wanting to take ballet, whether for the first time or as experienced dancers. Often there isn’t a local adult class, or at least one at an appropriate level. It may be that the only option is to join a ‘kids’ class, which can be seriously daunting. I was really nervous for my first class here and being surrounded by teenagers who are better than you does nothing for your ego!

The second stumbling block, and I feel this particularly applies to guys, is dance wear. First off, guys have to struggle with the idea of tights and a dance belt – who particularly wants to shove a thong up their butt?! As if that wasn’t enough, a guy might head to a dance store and be faced by this:

A terrifyingly pink shop window!

This is a dance store, which shall remain nameless, in London I walked past today and even as a guy who has been dancing for 18 months (and so used to a certain degree of ‘pinkness’) this terrified me. I did go into the store (finding not much in terms of guys stuff) but if I was new to ballet I think I would have run a mile!

The lack of choice of clothing for men is a big bone of contention for me. It seems whenever you go to a store to buy some ballet stuff for guys you’ve got a choice of white or black. And that’s it. You get a whole range of leotards, tights, leg-warmers and dance-bags for women in a choice of colours and styles. Why not a similar choice for the guys? Sure, the demand is probably a little less, but would it really take too much trouble to have grey tights or blue t-shirts?!

It’s not just the dance stores either; I picked up Dance Magazine a couple of times while in the States and both times there was a ‘fashion section’ – one time it was even specifically targeted at adult dancers. Great! Yet in the 10 or so outfits shown, not a single one was for a guy! Would it really have been so hard to pair some bike shorts and a cool v-neck tee for us guys?!

That’s not to say it’s all doom and gloom! There are some great things going on helping promote dance for adults. For example studios like Pineapple Dance Studios have loads and loads of adult classes on offer. For you readers in the US, think of Steps or Broadway Dance Center in New York. In fact, when I took class at Pineapple last week there was a reader of my blog, Toby, who was taking his first ever class there! Woo!

As for clothing – there are some options out there, mainly online. For example, BalletBoyz has this really cool tee that I’m planning on getting when I see them here in Bath next month. In the US there is the absolutely amazing BoysDanceToo. Seriously, these guys are AMAZING! They need to open a UK site and really soon. They have an extensive range of cool dancewear for guys, it really is perfect. And if they could open a physical store then all my problems would be solved! In fact, I wore one of their tees to class last night!

My design for a DaveTriesBallet Tee - any thoughts?

(Speaking of T-shirts, have you checked out my design I posted on my Facebook Page? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If all goes well I will start making them in the New Year – and there’ll even be a competition to win one!)

Then there’s the great image that dance is getting through social media and other outlets. It’s letting people see dancers as normal people (even post-Black Swan!). One of my primary aims when setting up this blog was to prove anyone can take a ballet class – I don’t know how successful I’ve been but there are definitely a range of sites out there that do exactly that (check out my blog roll for starters!). Then there are some awesome things appearing from ballet companies and individuals showing ballet as an athletic artform requiring strength, speed and agility.

I can’t think of a more perfect example than this video (which I’ve posted here before) by Royal Ballet’s first soloist Bennet Gartside: “The Royal Ballet. Not What You Think”

So if you’re someone thinking of starting dance or ballet then my message is this: don’t be discouraged if you can’t find a class immediately or if you find yourself surrounded by pink fluffiness! Persevere, I promise you that it’ll be worth it!

If you’re a dance store or website then I guess I want to urge you to think about us guys! Next time you’re putting stuff in your window stick a male mannequin in there. When you’re deciding your floor layout try not to ‘hide’ away the guys stuff in a corner or downstairs. And maybe think of expanding your menswear range – even just stocking plain coloured tees would be a start!

Finally, if you’re an adult dancer then keep up the good work! Every one of us is promoting dance as an awesome way to get fit and have fun at the same time.

I’d love to hear what you all think about this – are my comments fair or do you have a different view? As always, please share in the comments!

Until next time, keep dancing!

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