Meet Amedeo Giunta of the Plovdiv Opera House Ballet

Amadeo Giunta

© 2020 Amadeo Giunta 

 

 

A few weeks ago I joined KNT's Saturday online intermediate class and met a new teacher, He asked us to bear with him because it was the first time that he had taught in English.  He had no need to seek our indulgence. He had a love of dance which he communicated to us eloquently.  It came as no surprise to learn at the end of the class that he was a professional dancer. He is a member of the ballet troupe of the Plovdiv Opera House.

A few weeks later, he taught us again on the Day of Dance.  This time for a full 90 minutes.  There are many good teachers who have never been members of a company but those who have bring something very special to their classes.  I am not sure what it is but they make us want to jump that little bit higher or make a bit more of an effort at something else.  I don't know whether we jumped a fraction of an inch higher or whether our pirouettes were tighter and straighter but we definitely felt lifted by our teacher's manner.  

Immediately after the class, I contacted Karen Sant, the Principal of KNT, for the teacher's contact details so that I could ask him for this interview.  Karen sent me a short bio from which I learnt that his name was Amedeo Giunta.  I transmitted the invitation through a mutual friend and, almost immediately afterwards, I received his acceptance.

Amedeo told me that he was born in Barrafranca, a small, inland cathedral city in the province of Enna in Sicily.  He has a younger brother and two older sisters. The older of his sisters, Rosamaria, has two daughters of whom he is particularly fond. He says that the days on which his nieces were born were among the happiest of his life. He is justifiably proud of his region which is distinguished for its history, architecture, cuisine and traditions.  

He comes from a family of dancers.  His mother attended dance classes until she learned that she was pregnant with Amedeo.  Rosamaria teaches ballet to children and young people. It was she who took Amedeo to his first dance class at the tender age of 3.  He was the only boy in a class of girls.  He remembers being the centre of their attention sitting on the floor in his sister's dancing shoes. He felt at home in the studio right from the start despite being the only boy.

He studied hard under his first teacher Cettina Averna.   He describes her as almost a second mother.   After a few months of classes, he was invited to perform in public for the first time.  His piece was a Michael Jackson solo.  From that moment he knew that he was destined for the stage.

As there are no theatres near his home, Amedeo did not see ballet live on stage until his student days in Rome.  However, he had DVDs of the great classical works including Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Le Corsaire.  I asked him about his first live ballet.  It turned out to have been a dress rehearsal of Roland Petit's Coppelia.  That must have made quite an impression on Amedeo because Petit's version is particularly dramatic as can be seen from this clip in which Sergei Polunin danced Franz.  I asked Amedeo whether he was inspired by any of the artists that appeared in his DVDs. He replied:

"Of course as dancers, we all have our idols (Nureyev, Baryshnikov, and the more recents like Roberto Bolle, Carlos Acosta, Federico Bonelli, Angel Corella, Ethan Stiefel) but what most inspires me is the desire to improve myself not to be like my idols, but to be the best version of myself everyday."

 He said that he took advantage of every opportunity he could get to attend workshops with the leading Italian and international masters.  

Amedeo's big break came in 2012 when he won the best soloist title in the Mentana Danza Life competition.  This is the video for the 2013 competition.  His prize included a scholarship to the MAS professional school in Milan.

Between 2013 and 2015 Amedeo trained at the Balletto di Roma School, As it is attached to the Rome Ballet and directed by the distinguished choreographer, Paola Jorio, it is very prestigious.  I asked Amedeo whether he had any favourite teachers at the Rome Ballet School. He mentioned Alexandre Stepkine who taught ballet, Mauro Murri, another of his ballet teachers and his contemporary teacher, Paolo Mangiola.  Stepkine helped him to understand how to develop the power needed for jumps and tours en l'air.  Murri showed him how to work on his body with intelligence and awareness. Mangiola opened his eyes to new possibilities of movement and to explore new ways to find expression through the human body.  

As end of term shows often provide the first opportunity for artistic directors, critics and audiences to spot up and coming dancers, I asked Amedeo about his performances at ballet school.   He mentioned, in particular, dancing  Brighella in Alexandre Stepkin’s Commedia Dell’arte.  He also had the chance to dance with the Rome Ballet. That was his first experience of working in a studio with different choreographers.  He danced in Futura, a piece by  Milena Zullo who also taught at his school.  He took part in the premiere of Tefer by Itamar Serussi Sahar a the Belgrade Dance Festival.  Other performances included Tourning by Alessandro Sciarroni and Reveals which was created by the dancers themselves.

Amedeo seems to have enjoyed his time in Rome.  I asked him what was the most important lesson that he had learned there.  He replied:

"The best advice that I received was to focus on my limits, accept them and make them my quality,"

His first job was with the Sienna Ballet (Balleto di Siena),  One of the works in the company's repertoire is entitled in English The Great Pas de Deux which includes extracts from Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty and many more.  Amedeo had the chance to dance in the pas de deux from Le Corsaire. Diana and Acteon, and Esmeralda. He also learned some of the technical skills of staging a ballet such as lighting design and scenography. 

I asked him where he had acquired his teaching skills.  He replied that he had always assisted his sister and his first teacher Cettina Averna.  He would give classes to their students and choreograph pieces for their shows.  His bio mentions the "Snoopy School" so I asked him about that.  He told me that Cettina's classes are known as "The Snoopy School" because the sports and leisure centre where she gives her classes is named after Snoopy in Peanuts.  He is passionate about dance education not just for the talented but also for the public as a whole.  He said:

"Our mission is to make dance, culture and art more accessible to the people of our city and to destroy the prejudice that the ‘unknown’ takes within society."

That is identical to the mission of this blog and indeed Powerhouse Ballet which grew out of the blog.  I shall make it my business to keep in touch with those artists in Sicily.  Who knows? Maybe we can find a way of working together. 

As I said in the first paragraph, Amedeo is now with the Plovdiv ballet.  Plovdiv, like Manchester, is the second city of its country and it also has a long history.  It used to be known as Φιλιππούπολη because it was founded by Philip of Macedon.  Also like Manchester, Plovdiv is a big manufacturing and commercial centre with lots of theatres, concert halls and other places of entertainment, museums, universities and plenty of arts festivals.  The opera house was founded in 1953 and the auditorium now hoists operas, musicals and concerts as well as ballets.

Amedeo is very glad to be in Plovdiv:

"I enjoy every single day, emotion, show, moment. It’s amazing how much this country believes in culture and theatres, and I’m really happy to dance in such a beautiful city like Plovdiv."

While he has been there he has danced the Rat King in The Nutcracker and Magdavaya in La Bayadere.  He has also danced Siegfried in a performance of Swan Lake for children.  I asked him about roles that he would like to dance in future.  He replied  Birbanto in Le Corsaire and Rothbart in Swan Lake.

I learned that Amedeo had created some ballets of his own so I asked about them.  He replied:

"The piece that I created for State Opera Plovdiv is a pas de deux called  The Opposite Pole that talks about the attraction, relation and complementation of everything. For example, day and night are completely opposite from each other, but they compliment each other because they are attached together. It is inspired a lot by the symbol of Yin-Yang (That I actually have tattooed on my arm because it is a very special symbol that always appears in my life). It is choreographed to a beautiful music by an Italian composer, Andrea Farri and danced by myself and my colleague from State Opera Plovdiv, Mara Salvaggio. Now I am starting to choreograph a new piece for the company, under invitation by the artistic director Mariana Krancheva, with only male dancers! Which is a big challenge for me, and I cannot wait to develop it in the studio and hopefully on stage."

I guessed that Wayne McGregor might have been one of his inspirations and so it turned out.  Other favourite choreographers include Alexander Ekman, Marco Goecke, Akram Khan and Ohad Naharin.

I asked Amedeo whether he had any unfulfilled ambitions and this is what he said:

"The only ambition that I have right now is to dance all over the world, and why not create new choreographies and inspire people with them."

I asked him whether that might include the UK  "Living in the UK?" he replied,  "Why not? Who knows, maybe my next adventure is there!"

As for the future, he said that he has always loved teaching:

"So yes, later in life I would like to teach as well as choreograph in professional schools and pass all of my love for this art form to the new younger generations."

"In that case," I replied, "your students will ask you for advice,  What are you going to tell them?"

He said:

"The only advice that I want to give young aspiring dancers is to accept themselves with their limitations and their qualities and work on them. Only by working in that way, can they improve every day and maybe become someone that they never imagined to be. At least that is what happened to me. I started my career certain that the only way for me to dance was in modern or contemporary because of my body limitations for ballet; and I see now that I’m living a dream that I never even imagined, to dance in an Opera House."

How many others who have grabbed a barre can say that? 

Zfintastic

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ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble, Double Bill CAST in Doncaster, 1 Feb 2017, 19:30

In response to a question from me about how ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble ("the ZMDE") came to be formed in the Q & A that followed the show, ZMDE's artistic director, Mavin Khoo, said that there were a number of reasons some of which were public and others personal.  One of those reasons was to find work for graduates of the University of Malta's dance courses. He reflected that the Arts Council Malta was already funding the excellent Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.  He offered it the chance of supporting a world-class contemporary dance company.

The ensemble launched in September 2014 and has already achieved much. Khoo stressed in the Q & A that he preferred to refer to his dancers as an "ensemble" rather than as a "company" because "ensIemble" acknowledged their status as "artists" adding that there was a significant difference between an "artist" and a "dancer".  The ensemble has toured Germany, India, Isreal, Malaysia, Palestine, Serbia, Slovenia and Thailand and presented works by Jose Aguido, Iván Pérez Avilés, Athanasia Kanellopoulou and Francesca Tranter as well as Khoo.  I set out some of the background to the ensemble as well as details of its current British tour in ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble's UK Tour on 12 Jan 2017.  As I said in that article, the aim is to reflect Malta's Mediterranean and European heritage.

The show that ZMDE presented in Doncaster on Wednesday was enthralling.  It consisted of two works performed back to back without an interval.  The first was a duet by Khoo and I think Gabin Corredor. I say "I think" because there was no cast list and the programme did not indicate exactly what or whom we had seen.  The second I believe to be Khoo's Home danced by everyone in the ensemble except Khoo and Corredor. 

If the theatre's press release is correct the first work must have been Iván Pérez's Kick the Bucket. Khoo explained in the Q & A that it was originally created for a man and a woman and that he had adapted the female role for himself.  The scene opened with Khoo on stage dressed in loosely fitting shirt and trousers. He started a monologue. Corredor, a much taller man dressed in similar garments, placed his hand over Khoo's mouth and stopped the flow of words. There then followed several minutes of the most intense interactions which looked at times like embraces and at other times like combat. It was danced to a percussive ever-changing score. Some of the music sounded Indian to me. The lighting was impressive, particularly towards the end when the dancers' figures were amplified as silhouettes on the backdrop.  In the Q & A, one of the audience members described the work as "unsettling". It was certainly challenging.

There was a short break for a scene change during which we were asked not to leave our seats. Then the curtain rose to a washing line around the stage.  Dancers appeared in the background.  In the foreground a man lay on the stage dressed only in his underpants. He was drawn up by the other dancers all of whom appeared to wear black nose attachments on elastic bands rather like the red noses that some of us wear on "Red Nose Day." The man in his pants uttered a cry which was answered by a sustained yell from one of the females. I guess she must have represented his mother. They helped him into a suit of clothes.  Then they made him put on a black nose.  At one point, the dancer tried to remove the attachment but was compelled to put it on again by the other dancers. There followed various scenes in life which I think must have represented education, adolescence, maturity, old age and, finally, death.  Technically the dancers were very accomplished.  Their turns and jumps were as polished as those of the corps of the Bolshoi.

At the curtain call, Khoo emerged with Corredor. Khoo acknowledged the applause with a namaskar.  In the Q & A, Gita remarked that he was trained in Bharatanatyam as well as contemporary and ballet and asked which style he preferred for telling a story.  She added that she had also studied a little of each of those three dance disciplines and had found the hand movements in Indian classical dance to be particularly expressive. Khoo acknowledged that it had been a good question. He answered that he had regarded them as different ways of expressing the same thing.

The company has two more engagements, Liverpool tonight and Sadler's Wells on the 9 and 10.  If readers can get to see these remarkable talents.  I may be wrong but I think Malta may become Europe's Cuba. By that, I mean a small island with an enormous reputation for dance.  There's something about small islands and dance. Come to think of it, Great Britain is a small island too. Bigger by far than Malta or even Cuba, of course, but not when compared to Australia, Greenland or Madagascar.  We also have quite a lot of dance.

Post Script

I am grateful to Rodolfo Barrades for sending me the cast list for Friday's performance.

ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble

Double Bill - Kick the Bucket & HOME

Malta’s national contemporary dance company, ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble, present a double bill of works by critically acclaimed choreographers Iván Pérez – Kick the Bucket and Artistic Director Mavin Khoo – HOME.

Presenting to UK audiences for the first time this double bill will present distinctive works that demonstrate the versatility and diversity of the company within its Euro-Mediterranean context and sensibility.

Credits:

Kick the Bucket

Choreography: Iván Pérez Avilés

Composer: Aaron Martin

Costume Design: Carlijn Petermeijer

Costume Making: Lula Alvarez/Andrew Coombs

Lighting Design: Peter Lemmens

Décor: Iván Pérez Avilés

Text: Eckhart Tolle

Dancers: Mavin Khoo, Gabin Corredor

HOME

Choreography: Mavin Khoo and dancers of the ŻfinMalta Dance Ensemble

Protagonist Voice: Felix Brunger

Sound Design, Composition & Arrangement: Niels Plotard

Rehearsal Directors: Celia Amade, Athanasia Kanellopoulou, Nico Monaco, Paolo Mangiola

Dramaturgy: Celia Amade, Denise Mulholland

Lighting Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle

Costume Design and Making: Deborah Rossetto NO.ME

Text: Mavin Khoo

Additional Music: Lament Il-Kappillan Ta' Malta - Mario Sammut; I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling - Annette Hanshaw

Dancers: Emma Walker, Florinda Camilleri, Martina Zammit, Danae Dimitriadi, Keith Micallef, Jure Gostinčar, João Castro, Nico Monaco.

Supported by the 2017 Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Malta, and Arts Council Malta.

Sponsors: Intercontinental Malta, Korzo Theatre.

Watkins on 1984

The world in 1984

Author MichaelsProgramming

Source: Wikipedia

After Northern Ballet's performance of 1984 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse on Friday Jonathan Watkins agreed to answer questions from members of the audience.  The session took place in the Quarry auditorium where the ballet had been informed.

I had read up about Watkins earlier in the year because I liked his A Northern Trilogy and seen a number of videos in which he had appeared on YouTube. I was aware that he came from South Yorkshire, that he had trained at the Royal Ballet School and that he had danced with the Royal Ballet between 2003 and 2013. It occurred to me that Ernst Meisner, one of my favourite choreographers, would have been one of his contemporaries.

The session was opened by a lady whose name I forget but who I believe must have been Selina McGonagle for she introduced herself as Northern Ballet's Director of Learning. As she was chairing the session she reserved the right to ask the first question which was on how the concept of the ballet had changed since her first discussion with Watkins about the ballet several months ago. Watkins replied that there had been change largely to reflect the input of the dancers whom he praised very highly and the other members of the creative team. I got the impression that he had an outline in his mind but the ballet had developed organically.

As the chair had warned us that we had time for only 3 or 4 questions I stuck my hand up next.  As I said in My First Impressions of 1984 12 Sept 2015 the ballet had a very retro feel and I asked him whether that was intentional. I am not sure whether he asked for amplification or whether I volunteered it but I was thinking specifically of Miracle in the Gorbals and Job. Watkins knew Job but not Miracle even though it had been re-staged recently by Gillian Lynne.  He replied that that had not been his intention but he had been exposed to many influences through his training at the Royal Ballet School and his work in the company. If he was influenced  by anything it was the cinema. He mentioned several films that he admired including Kes which he had translated into dance and the Lego Movie. Indeed he mentioned the Lego Movie several times in different contexts in the Q & A.

The next question was on why Watkins had chosen 1984  and whether he had any other works in the pipeline. He replied that he had read the book as a teenager and had been affected by it. He had contemplated how it could be translated into dance for some time. The same had happened with the Ken Loach film Kes which he first saw about the same time. That film resonated with him because it was set in the area in which he had spent his childhood. Last year he had the chance of stage it for The Crucible in Sheffield. By staging Kes and 1984 he had achieved two longstanding ambitions. He did have other projects in mind but he did not want to announce what they were for the time being.

A lady behind me congratulated him on his love scenes which she described as "erotic". He acknowledged her praise and remarked that those are scenes that many people like best.

He was asked about his collaboration with the composer and whether he specified the music he needed. He confirmed that that was the way he worked.  He described the music as "a character in itself."

A gentleman congratulated him on his use of colour.  Watkins replied how the colours of the party members and proles had been chosen. They started with brown and developed into orangey reds.

A lady with a North American accent who was there with her daughter mentioned her daughter's amazement that the story had been told without a spoken word. I couldn't help reflecting that was the whole point of ballet and indeed all dance drama.  Watkins accepted that praise graciously.

He was asked several detailed questions about the transposition of the story and the characters from the book, why there were no children in the ballet and how he had maintained the tension of the story in the ballet. The last question prompted him to ask whether the audience felt he had maintained tension and he was told that he had.

All in all I found Watkins a very likeable chap with a good sense of humour. Because my senses were still overwhelmed by the marvellous gala I had seen in Amsterdam three days earlier (see The best evening I have ever spent at the ballet 13 July 2015) I probably didn't do justice to his work. Indeed it is unlikely that I would have done justice to anybody's work. Maybe I should have stayed away until Amsterdam had worn off but then I would have missed this Q & A with Watkins.

My Home and Bintley's

I arrived home from London in the early hours of the morning, I had gone to London specifically to hear David Bintley. He spoke to the London Ballet Circle yesterday evening. I would have wanted to hear him had he been born in Tierra del Fuego or Stewart Island as I admire his work so much but, as it happens, he comes from Honley in the Holme Valley which is almost the next village from mine.

We have a rich musical tradition in this part of Yorkshire with silver bands, brass bands, choirs, the annual contemporary music festival and above all The Choral. Here they are singing Hallelujah from  Handel's Messiah. At one time every pub in every village held a sing at Harvest time. Sings usually ended with a rousing chorus of Pratty Flowers which us sometimes called the Holmfirth anthem. Though sings are rarely held nowadays you can see from the film there are still folk who remember the words of that song.

Ever since I first learned that Bintley came from this area I had imagined that he would be influenced by that tradition so I asked him.  I can't tell you what he said because I have been asked not to do so but a summary of his talk will be available in due course on the London Ballet Circle website.  As the Circle says on its Facebook page: "We had a lovely, very interesting and informative evening with David Bintley!" The Ballet Circle thanked everybody for coming but I would not have missed that talk for the world.

Lots of other good talks and visits are planned as you can see from the Events page of the Circle's website. I am coming down again to hear Ernst Meisner whom I featured at the end of last year and Li Conxin, artistic director of the Queensland Ballet. Membership of the London Ballet Circle costs only £12 a year and it helps to support young dancers and students. This year we are sending a dancer from London to Amsterdam to attend a workshop with the Dutch National Ballet. So it is very worthwhile becoming a member.

Meet Cristiano Principato of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company

Cristiano Principato

Photo Robin DePuy (c) 2024 Dutch National Ballet all rights
reserved. Reproduced courtesy HNB

Cristiano comes from Novara in Northern Italy. When I asked him how he came to study ballet he replied:

“Since I was a child I couldn't say still and I always moved and danced, especially when I heard music or saw dancers on television. I starred attending dance classes a the age of 9 and thus fell in love with ballet.”

Cristiano studied for 2 years in Novara. Then at the age of 11, he auditioned for La Scala Ballet School in Milan, He was accepted and stayed there for 8 years. At school, he was inspired by Massimo Murru of La Scala Ballet and by the choreographer George Balanchine.

His greatest achievements to date have been his graduation last June, working experience as a professional dancer in the corps at La Scala Ballet and getting into the Dutch National Ballet's Junior Company. He has already danced the Prince in The Nutcracker, the pas de trois from Paquita, the Waltz Boy in Balanchine's Serenade, one of the soloists in Balanchine's Theme and Variations, Bim's friend in Gaîté Parisienne as well as in works by Angelin Preljocaj and Jiří Kylián. His most important role in Milan was the matador in Nureyev's Don Quixote.

Cristiano’s favourite roles in the classical repertoire are Albrecht, Siegfried, Romeo and Onegin. In contemporary dance he would love to dance Forsythe's Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Dawson's A Million Kisses to My Skin and Kyliàn's Petit Mort.

His favourite dancers are Polina Semionova, Marianela Nunez, Roberto Bolle and Leonid Sarafanov and his favourite choreographers are George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, William Forsythe and Christopher Wheeldon. He is also very interested in Ernst Meisner's work.

Cristiano's immediate ambitions are to work hard this year, to learn what he can from his teachers, to enjoy every performance and generally to become a very good dancer. He hopes to make a career with the Dutch National Ballet. In the long term, his dream is to direct a major company where he can create new ballets. He has loved choreography ever since he was a child.

His passions outside ballet are travelling, reading (especially contemporary fiction), cinema, pop music, good food and the company of good friends.

Here is another young man who knows where he is going and I shall follow his career with interest.

Meet Ryosuke Morimoto of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company

Ryosuke Morimoto

Photo Robin DePuy

(c) Dutch National Ballet 2014

Reproduced with kind permission of the 

Dutch National Ballet

Ryosuke was born in Osaka and studied ballet in Japan and Germany. He started to study ballet because his elder sister did it. He studied at the Tanaka ballet school, the Hamburg Ballet School and the State Ballet School of Berlin. He was inspired by Olaf Höfer who taught him for 2 years in Berlin.

Like Bart and Lisanne he said that getting into the Junior Company was his greatest achievement to date.

He has already danced Ali and Birbanto in Le Corsaire and looks forward to dancing Rothbart in Swan Lake and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. These are interesting choices that suggest a career as a character dancer. His favourite dancers are Sergei Polunin, Isaac Hernandez, Casey Herd, Joaquin de Luz and Marian Walter. Again, interesting choices.

His immediate ambitions are to get into the Dutch National Ballet and then progress to soloist as soon as possible. In the longer term he wants to teach.

Ryosuke’s main interests outside ballet are baseball and music.

A very interesting young man who knows where he is going. I look forward to seeing him dance and I wish him all the best.

Meet Lisanne Kottenhagen of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company

Lisanne Kottenhagen

Photo Robin DePuy

(c) Dutch National Ballet 2014

Reproduced with kind permission of the Dutch

National Ballet

Lisanne comes from Leiden. She started doing ballet because her friend was taking classes. One day she joined her friend and has never stopped dancing. She danced anytime and everywhere she could. After a couple years her teacher told her parents that she had talent. She auditioned for the National Ballet Academy and was accepted.

Olesya Novikova and Leonid Sarafanov inspired her. She has watched a video of their dancing Don Quixote when Sarafanov was at the Mariinsky over 100 times already and never tires of it. “When they are dancing it seems effortless. Then I immediately want to go to the studio and dance.” When I asked her whether she had been inspired by a teacher, she replied: “All the teachers at school have meant a lot for me but especially Joanne Zimmerman. She did her best to get everything out of me and my dancing.”

Like Bart, Lisanne considered her greatest achievement to date is dancing with the Junior Company. At school she danced the role of the waltz girl in Les Sylphides. She has also danced Myrtha in Giselle.

“I really liked doing this part. With the Junior Company we participated with the Swan Lake so I’ve also danced the part of a swan in the corps de ballet. A dream of every girl.” 

I asked her which ballets and roles she wanted to dance. She replied 

“Every role! But I really want to dance the role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. This is one of my favourite ballets.” 

She would also love to dance the role of Myrtha with a ballet company.

Lisanne’s favourite dancers are Polina Semionova, Olesya Novikova and Leonid Sarafanov and her favourite choreographer is Hans van Manen.

Her immediate ambitions are “continuing to develop myself as a dancers and hopefully dance with the company of the Dutch National Ballet.” She does not really have a plan for the longer term yet but would love to travel and maybe start a cake shop or a bakery. When I asked Lisanne about her interests outside ballet she replied “cooking and baking.” She also likes reading and salsa.

Liasnne has done very well already. She is obviously very able and ambitious and I am sure we shall see a lot of her in future. I can’t wait to see her on stage. I wish her well.

Meet Martin ten Kortenaar of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company

Martin ten Kortenaar

Photo Robin DePuy

(c) Dutch National Ballet 2014

Reproduced with kind permission of the Dutch

National Ballet

Martin was born in Toronto. His mother introduced him to ballet. He used to figure skate and was always dancing around the house, so she thought he might like ballet. He was reluctant at first but she persuaded him to try a private class at one of the studios in his home town. “That's how it all started”, he said “although I don't think I really grew to love ballet until a year or so later.” At first he studied in a small studio called the Royal City School of Ballet, in Guelph, Ontario, which is where he grew up. After about half a year he entered Canada's National Ballet School, where he trained for 5 years.

When I asked him whether he had been inspired by a particlar dancer or choreographer he replied: “I'm not sure if I can say I'm inspired by one dancer, or one choreographer. Every time I see beautiful dancer or a beautiful ballet, I think I'm inspired. There is so much talent in the dance world, and whenever I get the chance to see an amazing dancer or ballet I feel that it fuels my passion for dance, and reminds me why I love to dance.” I also asked him whether he had a favourite dancer or choreographer. He said: “I think this is similar to the earlier question, because I don't think I can say I have absolute favourites. There are so many incredible dancers that I have been lucky enough to see, and I don't think that I can pick out just a few to call my favourites.”

I asked Martin whether he had been inspired by a teacher to which he replied: “I had a teacher while still at school in Toronto, named Sergiu Stefanschi, who was a real inspiration. He has been teaching for many years, and he has so much wisdom to impart on his students. He had a story for every single step you would do, and every story he would tell us always had so much history and inspiration in it.”

When I asked him what was his greatest achievement to date?, he replied modestly: “As I'm still at the beginning of my professional career I haven't had so many major achievements yet. I think one thing that I am very proud of was winning the Hnatyshyn Developing Artist's Grant, which is a grant that is awarded every year to the most promising young Canadian dancers.” I should add that Martin also won the Peter Dwyer Award in 2012 and the Glenn Gilmour Award in 2013.

Martin danced in a variety of roles at school, including Prince Albrecht in Giselle Act II and Prince Desire in Sleeping Beauty. As an apprentice with the National Ballet of Canada, he got to dance as a knight in Act I of Swan Lake, which he found a great role to do.

As for the future he replied:

“There are many many ballets that I hope to dance in, both classical and contemporary. One ballet that has always stuck with me is Onegin. I would absolutely love to dance either the title role, or the role of the young poet Lensky. I would really love to dance Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet.” 

He thought his immediate ambitions were probably very similar to those of most dancers of his age in that he hoped to reach the level of principal one day. However, his very first goal is to make it into the main and then take it day by day from there. He had not thought much about the longer term as he was just beginning his dance career. He had thought about teaching: 

“Whenever I've gotten the chance to assist a teacher or a colleague I've found it quite enjoyable. However I'm sure that as I grow older I will find inspiration in other things and maybe find a career completely separate from ballet. For now though I'm just focusing on my immediate career.”

Outside ballet he has always been quite interested, “possibly surprisingly” (his words not mine because I can think of many dancers who are also good sportsmen or sportswomen including one of the teachers at Northern Ballet who ran the London Marathon), in sports like American football, and soccer. 

“When I was still unsure as to whether I wanted to do ballet, my backup plan was actually that I would do football instead.” 

Another of Martin’s interests is drawing though he says that he is not very good. I am sure that is another example of Martin’s modesty.

I have yet to meet Martin but he comes over as a really good bloke. I can’t wait to see him dance and I wish him all the best.

Meet Bart Engelen of the Dutch National Ballet Junior Company

Bart Engelen

Photo Robin DePuy

(c) Dutch National Ballet 2014

Reproduced with kind permission of the Dutch

National Ballet

Bart comes from Houten in the Netherlands.  He took up ballet because he loves dancing. He was already taking one class a week but wanted to do more. He made enquiries and found out about the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. He spent 2 years at the Academy and then studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium (Royal Conservatory) in The Hague.

Bart didn’t really have a particular dancer or choreographer who had inspired him. He explained:

“Every dancer and choreographer has his or her own ways and that’s what I like to see.” 

As for inspiring teachers, he replied: “

I’ve had class from many inspiring dancers and former dancers but one dancer whom I will always remember is Katarina Wester.” 

He added: 

“The last two years of my study in The Hague she was my teacher. Next to the beautiful dancer she is, she is also a greatly inspiring woman with so much love for dance and a very positive vibe.”

When I asked him what was his greatest achievement to date, he replied: “Being with the Junior Company!!!” Notice the triple exclamation marks. At school he had danced the Sleeping Beauty pas de deux, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, the pas de six in Napoli as well as a lot of modern pieces such as Said and Done and Sad Case by Paul Lightfood and works by Jorma Elo and Martha Graham.

I asked Bart which ballets and roles he wished to dance. He said he would love to dance Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. He also hoped to dance in Swan Lake. He also loves the works of Hans van Manen and Balanchine who are among his favourite choreographers together with Paul Lightfoot and Rudolf Nureyev. His favourite dancers are Marcelo Gomes, Diana Vishneva, Anna Tsygankova, Vito Mazzeo and David Hallberg,

When I asked about his immediate ambitions he replied “dancing and going out with his friends.” As for the longer term he was not really sure: “Hopefully I will have enough time to think about this. He would like to work with the Dutch National Ballet participating in the shows behind the scenes. Also he would love to become a ballet master and rehearse with the other dancers.

As for his interests outside ballet, he likes shopping, eating and drinking with friends, going out and being lazy on the couch in front of the TV.

I look forward to seeing Bart on stage and wish him well in everything he does.

Meet Gavin McCaig of Northern Ballet

Gavin McCaig joined Northern Ballet as an apprentice a few weeks ago. I was introduced to him by Janet McNulty at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Theatre on 21 June 2014 when I saw the company dance the Mixed Bill.  I asked Gavin whether I could do a feature on him when he could spare me the time. He kindly agreed. The opportunity to interview him arose this weekend.  The questions in italics came from me. The answers in heavy type are Gavin's.

I see you were born and brought up in Motherwell and started to learn to dance at the age of 7. Was it your idea to start dancing lessons at that age or was it your parents? If it was your idea what made you ask them to send you to the Marie Frame School?

It wasn’t my idea to start dancing at all. I had an older sister who went to our local dance school and my best friend (also a girl) who was a neighbour went too. Her mum was also an ex-professional dancer who recommended me going down to the dancing ‘because i’d love it!’. With my dad being a football-fanatic it wasn’t his idea of a pastime for a young boy growing up in our area. It was unheard of for boys to dance in our local area.

Are you the first in your family to become a professional dancer? Do you have relations who are good at dancing?

I am the first in my family to dance, as far as I know!

What attracted you to ballet as opposed to other styles of dance? 

Initially it wasn’t ballet which attracted me. When I started ballet wasn’t really mentioned at first. It was hip-hop, jazz, tap and street dance. Ballet came later, when I joined the Dance School of Scotland.

Can you remember the first time you saw a ballet performance? If so, in what theatre, which company and show? Was it live or on TV or in the cinema? Who were the dancers you remember? What age would you have been?

For me, it was a theatre performance which encouraged me to pursue a career on stage. CATS the musical was on tour in Edinburgh my mum organised for us to go and see it. I was mesmerised! A few years down the line, following my joining on the DSS, I think the first ballet I was ever taken to was Scottish Ballet. I have a feeling it was Ashley Page’s Sleeping Beauty which, at the time and as a young boy new to the ballet world, I wasn’t overly impressed by it.

Were there any dancers or choreographers who particularly impressed you in your early years? If so, who were they?

In the early years, I can’t say there was. It was only when I moved to London that I began to understand the arts world and more importantly the ballet world and the way it worked. In all honestly, I didn’t really even fully understand that after my 3 years there I would be endeavouring to join a ballet company. I just knew I wanted to be on stage, and was addicted to this all-new “ballet bubble” I found myself in. It was all so new to me!

Tell me a little about the instructors at Marie Frame who encouraged you to audition for The Dance School at Scotland.

Marie who ran the school was the one who suggested it. She obviously spotted the passion I had and the love I had developed for it in such a short space of time. It really does become and addiction and a part of you from a young age.

At what age did you audition for the Dance School of Scotland?

A youthful 11 years of age!

Did you enjoy your time in Glasgow? If so tell me about it?

My time in Glasgow was incredible. I moved away from home in to the school’s residence and shared with other boys in my year. The school was a normal secondary school but had the Dance School (Scotland’s only vocational centre of excellence for dance) ‘late night’ classes in ballet, tap and jazz.

Were there are teachers (or indeed student dancers) at Glasgow who particularly impressed you? 

Over my time at the school I worked with many great teachers (a lot of whom had close ties to Scottish Ballet or other parts of the dance world). Elaine Holland was our director there at the time - she was a wonderful woman and an excellent upbeat teacher. Kenny Burke, now the director of the school (ex-RB, and ex-director of SB) worked with us a lot too who was hugely encouraging and inspirational. Kerry Livingstone and Eleanor Moore Tyres had huge influences on me in my first and second years, as well as the late and great Frank Freeman who I had the pleasure of being taught by on numerous occasions. Frank encouraged me a great deal whenever he came to visit and even invited me down to the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars scholarship audition (for which I was given a week's free tuition at the course).

At what age did you audition for English National Ballet School?

15

Did you enjoy studying in London?

Yes I did. London is an incredible city. There’s no place like it. It’s bursting at the seams with arts and culture. People are open and intriguing, the city centre is buzzing with performances and things to do; and you were never far away from the next big thing going on.

Tell me a little about your studies in London. 

My three years in London were incredible at times but mostly very difficult and I have many unhappy memories from my time at ENBS. London can be a lonely place, especially when you are training in such an intense environ. It does all seem like a dream when you explain it to someone - but its far from it. Recently, David Nixon mentioned in a rehearsal how people can have the wrong idea about ballet - about the grit and determination and incessant hard work which remains the invisible backbone of the productions audiences come to enjoy, but can sometimes go unknown to the public.

The training I went through to get to where I am now was by no means easy. Day-in; day out, hammering your body which, for me, just wasn’t built for ballet! I’m not naturally flexible, turned out, strong or facilitated: and this does lead to problems. I suffered two major injuries over my time at school; a tear of my labrum in my hip which resulted in a hip operation and a few months later, a stress fracture in my foot which lasted the best part of a year. It’s intense down there and psychologically you have to be a fortress. I eventually succumbed to the negativity which you are surrounded by constantly and went through a pretty rough time following my foot problem. I see now though that it was all worth it but it’s a place which teaches you how to grow up quickly.

I just wish at the time I’d known I would actually make it and had a bit more confidence in myself. Persistence is the key to success, luckily. And the occasional glass of wine!

When you attended the Prague Masterclass did you have much contact with Daria Klimentová? If so, tell me about her and what you learned from her which you are using in your career as a dancer? Was there anyone else who impressed you?

Daria is an incredible ballerina and teacher. She runs the masterclasses which are an intensive week of training with the best teachers and most famous dancers and choreographers in the world. I truly never thought I’d have so much fun dancing and the atmosphere at the Masterclasses was exceptional - as well as Prague being such a breathtaking city for them to be held in.

Morning class was taught by a range of teachers including Christopher Hampson, Keith Mackintosh (Ballet Master for Cape Town CB), Marie Lindqvist (Principal Dancer at Royal Swedish), Daria Klimentová and Vadim Muntagirov, to name but a few. Following class the boys would group together upstairs to work on Variations. During the first week we worked on the two solos from ‘Theme and Variation’ by Balanchine, and also Bronze Idol from La Bayadere which was so much fun. Jan-Erik Wikström took these classes and I particularly liked working with him and his upbeat enthusiasm. Pas De Deux classes were also so much fun, again taken by Jan-Erik and his partner at Royal Swedish, Marie, whilst again, working on Theme and Variation. The classes had a buzz about them and it was clear everyone was having as much fun as I was learning the repertoire. I had the most incredible two weeks there, and winning the boys prize was the silver lining!

I see that you danced in Hansel and Gretel. I saw the show on 21 Dec (the last Saturday before Christmas).  Did you dance in that performance?

I’m not 100% if I did dance in that performance...I wasn’t in a set cast and was put on now and then to ease the workload of the other dancers.

How did you find Christopher Hampson?

I really like Chris. He’s a lovely guy who knows exactly what he’s doing and where he’s taking the company. I was privileged to work with him and the company - it was the ballet company I grew up watching and a big part of my journey as a young dancer. The company recently toured to Russia with Matthew Bourne’s Highland Fling, which is incredible. He’s opening new avenues for Scottish Ballet and that’s excellent. He’s also an incredible choreographer: his works have appeared everywhere from New Zealand to the USA.

I am delighted you have come to Leeds but What attracted you to Northern Ballet?

In all honesty, love! Kevin, my partner began dancing with the company as an apprentice during his third year at ENB School and when we became partners I came to watch him and the company regularly.

Tell me about the audition? What did you dance? 

The audition for Northern Ballet was intense and not like any other auditions I did. Usually you just do a ballet class and that’s your chance. It’s make or break. The audition for NB was a day long event which included partnering, dancing different parts of repertoire (Chaos scene from Cleopatra and Ball scene from Cinderella) plus an interview with the director.

What have you done since you joined the company?

This season we are performing more than ever. With Arts Council funding increases we are expected to perform even more and are headed for a massive 250 shows this season! We have been learning Cinderella, The Great Gatsby, Dracula and our new children’s ballet, Elves and the Shoemaker. I’ve also done a few interviews and a photo shoot, as well as getting used to the way things work here. It’s busy.

How do you like living in Yorkshire and working in Leeds? Do you ever miss the bright lights of London or Glasgow?

I love Leeds, I really do! I don’t often miss Glasgow although it’s always nice to return home. I do however miss my family and friends there an awful lot.

How do you like dancing with the company?

I’m living my dream. I knew I’d wanted to be a part of the company since I saw Beauty and The Beast, David’s narrative and inventive choreography coupled with the use of Danse Macabre, Op. 40 (in a particular scene,) I was hooked. I love story ballets and narrative works so the repertoire is exciting and enjoyable for me to be dancing. The foundations upon which the company has been built are that of a theatrical nature - Christopher Gable and David Nixon have made the narrative absolutely intrinsic to the works the company presents.

I’m loving being with the company and working with such incredible dancers, I’m inspired when I watch the older dancers of the company - they understand how to portray emotion and make the audience feel something.

How do you find touring?

I haven’t done a whole lot of touring yet so that we will have to wait and see. I’m looking forward to it at the moment, however.

You have said that you would like to dance Gatsby and in I got Rhythm. How about the classics such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet etc. or the great Balanchine and Ashton ballets? Would you like to dance in any of them and if so in what role?

Of course I would love to dance in these classic ballets. I adore the classics and the beauty and grace of Swan Lake takes my breath away. I seen National Ballet of Canada dance Romeo and Juliet when they toured to London in April 2013 and it blew me away. 

Much to my excitement, Northern Ballet will present Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Romeo and Juliet in February. I can’t wait to be on stage dancing to that renowned and spectacular Prokofiev score. It’s going to be magical. A what role? Romeo, of course. To dance the balcony scene in Maillot or MacMillan’s would be a lifelong dream come true.

Who are your favourite choreographers of all time (other than David Nixon of course)?

I love Wayne McGregor. His work on Infra for the Royal Ballet blew me away. The piece is so emotive from the beginning and the choreography and staging is so fresh and modern: the man is a genius. I also love David Dawson’s work. Recently I seen his latest work for the Royal Ballet in November and I fell in love with it. The pas de deux work is so intricate and delicate, it’s a wonder how he creates such beautiful shapes and lifts.

Who are your favourite dancers of all time (from any company in the world)?

Guillaume Cöté , Steven McRae, Vadim Muntagirov, Daria Klimentova, Martha Leebolt, Vicki Sibson and Dreda Blow.

How do you see your career developing over the next few years?

I would hope to find my feet at Northern Ballet for the foreseeable future. I love it here and hope I can continue to develop as a young artist in such a nurturing environment.

Do you have any ambitions in choreography, teaching or management in later life?

Definitely. I feel this may be where I find myself sooner rather than later. I seem to be good at organising and planning; as well as thoroughly enjoying choreographing and teaching, both of which I had experience of during my time at school.

How did you get interested in software? Can you code? Have you designed any apps? List some of your favourite apps?

I have once tried to start to learn to code and gave up. It’s complicated business. Maybe more so than performing a tendu!

List some of your favourite films or TV shows?

Downton Abbey, Four in a bed, Come dine with me, X factor, Britain’s got talent,
Grand Designs.

Do you have any favourite actors, musicians, painters, composers or other artists?

I love music! I have so many favourite artists in my music library we may be here for some time discussing them all! Actor wise, I’m a huge Angelina Jolie fan!

Finally, what advice would you give to:
(a) a young boy or girl in Motherwell or anywhere else who is starting his or her dancing lessons and wants to become a professional dancer?

Don’t let anyone make you feel like what your doing is wrong for you. Be your own boss.

(b) a student at the Dance School of Scotland or similar school?
Prepare yourself...it get’s real from here on out!

(c) the English National Ballet School or similar school?
It can all be worth it, never give up!

Gavin is not just a remarkably gifted dancer, he is also a very pleasant and personable young man.  I wish him all the best in his career.

Further Reading
Northern Ballet  60 seconds with...Gavin McCaig