Olivia: An interesting question that I am often asked when speaking to “normal” people is…..

Henry: Because you certainly are not normal…

Olivia: …is , what do you do when you’re not on stage?

Henry: An immediate and slightly pessimistic reply would be that we are always on stage!

Olivia: Yes obviously. We never have a moment to ourselves we work from 10.30am to 11pm on a show night….

Henry: Perhaps a more realistic answer is that although we love the career that we have chosen,

Olivia: and we do – let there be no mistake there!

Henry: We love it because it is so physically demanding, to be a dancer in The Royal Ballet is not just a job – it is a way of life.

Olivia: Any time we have to ourselves is invariably spent winding down and doing such mundane boring things like reading a magazine on the latest celebrity diet…

Henry: Goes for us boys too!

Olivia: Don’t forget the PlayStation 3 !

Henry: …..Oh yeah, that’s always a good one to wind down with!

Olivia: Although that never seems to be enough to satisfy the questioners!

Henry: During the season we work so hard that that seems to be the extent of down time. Perhaps dinner after the show and a few drinks, but that is the extent.

Olivia: It is only really during our summer break after every tour that we really relax physically and emotionally.

Henry: but in truth, usually within a few weeks we are ready for a dose of culture and there are visits to the theatre to see other dance companies or spoken theatre.

Olivia: There are times in the day when you get a chance to unwind.

Henry: True, albeit few and far between – these times are filled up with massages….

Olivia: trips to the pointe shoe room to stock up..

Henry: the girls are forever sewing in elastics and ribbons – and virtually destroying their pointe shoes just so they are comfortable…

Olivia: …and time to eat… with all the dancing we do we absolutely have to keep our bodies fuelled up. It’s vital.

Henry: and naturally the boys need to keep doing their weights…

Olivia: naturally.

Henry: Well we want to look good just as much as you ladies do!

Olivia: And of course you all do look good!

Henry: A big part of MacMillan’s choreography for Romeo and Juliet is his use of the sword fights between the Capulet family men and the Montague family men.

Olivia: Hey it’s not just you guys fighting!! We might not have swords but we have brooms and fists and we fight too ….

Henry: Oh yeah that’s true….MacMillan realised that the feud between these two important families would be, without a doubt, played out with real swords and aggression.

Olivia: You should see them – all that testosterone…all those boys playing with swords… they try to act cool – but secretly they all love it!

Henry: The choreography for this aspect of the ballet has to be incredibly realistic but at the same time easy enough for non-swordsmen to pick up and do.

Olivia: Yeah, you just about cope…

Henry: Well yes but that’s not the point. This is where the expertise of our sword master comes in. To have up to twenty five men on stage at once waving sharp swords around would, without his assistance, be dangerous.

Olivia: It is really dangerous! – When you are a townsperson you have to be careful of the flying swords around you while beating the harlots away from your husband….

Henry: Have we ever hit any of you?

Olivia: Actually yes! On the arm…

Henry: Oh yeah, forgot about that! We are coached every time we put on Romeo in the use of the sword but invariably there are a few accidents with broken swords and bloodied arms….

Olivia: There you go!

Henry: The fight routines are choreographed so intricately that they seem so un-rehearsed and realistic. Actually they are a series of set routines that are spliced together and interspersed with a couple of random swipes!

Olivia: Which can be pretty wayward…

Henry: We’ve often invited people to performances of Romeo and these fights are always commented upon, especially the long and exciting fight between Romeo and Tybalt at the end of act two after Tybalt has killed Romeo’s best friend, Mercutio.

Olivia: Tybalt kills Mercutio?! You have just ruined it for thousands of people!

Henry: I think the story is quite well known Liv. For the rest of you – look out for these exciting fights!

Olivia: Joking aside – they are really quite exciting and the boys work really hard to get them right. Sometimes on stage you just want to stand back and watch – it is very beautiful choreography as well as realistic. In fact, that’s what makes it one of my favourite ballets.

What is class?

Henry: Hi. Let’s start at the beginning. I am Henry St Clair – First Artist with The Royal Ballet – along with my partner and fellow dancer, Olivia Cowley; we want to give you a snapshot of our lives here at Covent Garden.

Olivia: So first things first – Class! As dancers we are often asked, what is Class? What is the importance of a daily class? The easy answer is – the first bit of dancing we do each day…. 6 days a week, and for some, 52 weeks a year!

Henry: Basically, the daily class serves as a conditioning session for our bodies and a practise session for our technique. But, actually, this hour and a quarter a day is far more important than that. It is a chance to, not only move our bodies and work out the inevitable aches and pains from the show the night before but also to gauge the mood and emotion of the company as a whole. We work incredibly hard and in close proximity with our fellow dancers and one of the most important things is to see these people every day and socially interact.

Olivia: The importance of actually dancing every morning also varies from dancer to dancer and can be different for men and women. For example, a man who has done a hard show the previous night and doesn’t have much hard physical work for a few days may prefer a run and a session on the weights bench. Us girls are generally more involved in the “white acts” of classical ballets and as such need to place more emphasis on doing class every day purely to improve technique and keep up the incredible levels of stamina we so desperately need.

Henry: I hope this helps to answer any questions people may have about the physical and psychological importance of that all important daily class. If you don’t already – maybe you should consider doing your own Class each day – it certainly frees up the mind and body.

Olivia: and think of all that team building that could go on as people up and down the country do bit of limbering by their desks each day.

Its not all dance dance dance…. Sometimes us dancers just need to take a break – relax and let our limbs get a rest.

The Royal Ballet Rest Area…. Where we can….. rest.

Casting.. it is always good to know what you are in..

Two Juliet’s take time to chat…

These are our daily rehearsal schedules, constantly changing – constantly checked by all of us.

Lauren Cuthbertson getting one of her 5 a day.

Chris Saunders making sure he has all the dancers he needs…

for the girls – when you don’t dance you sew.  Always adding ribbons, elastic or just general daily care to their pointe shoes..

See… another one at it.

Demelza Parish is up on her feet and ready to go again.

After the testosterone of the boys – comes the delicate lightness, gentility and grace of the girls. Feeling very much the only guy in the room – I gate crashed Juliet’s Friends party.

Always needed for a good party – plenty of barre space.

Setting the tone Ballet Mistress Ursula Hageli takes control.

The friends get co-ordinated.

…very co-ordinated.

Getting your shape and position right is crucial to a dancer.

Iohna Loots and Emma Maguire share a joke.

…before getting back to work.

Its good to enjoy what you do.

Romeo and Juliet is famous for its highly choreographed fight scenes – its not easy to wield a sword and dance at the same time!  I snuck in and avoided the blades as the guys got down to some serious fighting. There is only one rule in Fight Club….CONCENTRATE!

Right – swords up – lets see what the instructions are….Ballet Master Christopher Saunders takes our Romeo, Slava Samodurov through his paces..

Thiago Soares checks out his foe Gary Avis…..

Before every fight is the stand off.

No prisoners are taken in this ballet

If you are going to hurt him….really hurt him…

Who’s winning?  I can’t tell….

…ouch!

ummm Gary?

OK so you’re not dead…thank goodness – you have plenty of shows still to do!.

Meanwhile – others are getting the sword fighting fever.

Tom Whitehead and Xander Parish take on all comers..

Gary and Kenta Kura -  grace in battle

Henry St Clair – giving it mean….

Yes they are real swords!

continued…

And things start to come together…

The ballet takes shape…

It is not just the dancing that matters – you have to feel the emotions of the characters.

A moment to take stock… and water.

Back to the romance…
 

Rupert strikes a heroic pose.

And it seems to have worked its magic on Juliet.

The scene ends on a high.

Dancers need to keep their fluids up…

They make it look easy but in reality these are punishing roles to dance.

Hi – I am Ryoichi Hirano – most people call me Rio. I am a First Artist with The Royal Ballet – but luckily for you I am also a photographer! I have been given special permission to hang around at the back of rehearsals and wander freely amongst the dancers snapping away to give you a rarely seen glimpse of the life and work of one of the world’s greatest ballet companies. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Before the rehearsal starts let’s talk about what we are going to do.  Rupert with répétiteur Lesley Collier and tucked in the corner the very important rehearsal pianist Kate Shipway.

Getting started… easy does it.

Looking on, Lauren adjusts her pointe shoes.

Space and light are vital to a dancer.

That’s why it is called a rehearsal… to perfect those difficult moves.

Concentration… an all important ingredient.