Ballet Central Diary

the show must go on!

I have to begin this entry by correcting all of Tom’s mistakes and adding to what he said, mainly because I know it will really annoy him.
I feel I must point out that David Nixon was more concerned with my pirouettes than stray arms flailing around his person, and we open in 12 days, and counting. Also, the boys will shortly be learning the dance of the Cygnets from Swan Lake and not the dance of the big gold rings. In Tom’s defence, he’s actually quite bright and doesn’t normally ignore his spellchecker like that! And he speaks for himself when he says he is excited rather than exhausted- I am both to the extreme but I have absolutely never been happier!
Earlier this month we had the Friends Preview, which went really well. The feedback we got from both staff and the audience was extremely positive, and it really gave me confidence to know that in performance, I can actually bring something to the pieces I perform. We have several events coming up this week- a fundraiser for the school, an in house run through in full costume, and the premiere (arg, hadn’t thought of it like that before!!!!) of Capriol Suite at the final of Young British Dancer of the Year at the Linbury. I am worried about this, because it is big and important and I really mustn’t mess it up. On the other hand, in rehearsal today, I managed both of the tricky pirouettes that I have been continually falling out of. As I fluked the second one, the entire room gasped, and I had a comical look of astonishment on my face until Bill called out, ‘close your mouth, Rym!’
Due to unfortunate injuries, there have had to be some cast changes. Long is recovering from a foot thing that I’m a bit hazy on, (but he has a huge boot on) so will not be doing Bluebird at Ilford. This means that the challenge of all of those entrechat sixes and brise voles will be bravely taken on by Ruan, with Megan Wood as his Princess Florine. They look great together, and the roles suit them both. Due to Otis’s untimely foot thing (again, not too sure on the details) Joe Perou is learning his part in Silver Light. These sorts of twists of fate make me glad that we are trained to pick things up quickly and have a sense of the piece as a whole. The boy’s parts in Silver Light are quite similar for most of it, and because Joe is a fast learner and has a natural affinity for the style, he will make a success of the show, but I have realised that a successful career in the theatre is based on understanding that the important this is the good of the show as a whole, not the ego of the individual.

This year, we are blessed with incredible music to dance to. Tchaikovsky features quite heavily, my own personal favourites being the Neapolitan Dance (which although I am not cast in, I adore listening to) and Waltz of the Flowers, which is pure ballet magic. Parts of Steps to Bach are also intensely beautiful, and there are a certain few bars in Capriol Suite which almost brings tears to the eye. The Jazz piece ‘Do you want to…?’ is gorgeous too. However, no Ballet Central program would be complete without the genius that is Phillip Feeney. I will never understand how, when the entire year is hollow eyed and ready to crawl into a coffin, he manages to play music for class that not only gets us through, but also reminds me why I have such a visceral need to dance. He makes the most painful rond de jambe exercise a deep spiritual experience. The piece he has composed especially for the tour, Sara Matthew’s ‘Silver Light on Water’ (its acronym is SLOW- when you see the piece, the irony will become apparent. Certain sections are in danger of breaking the sound barrier.) is beautiful. We recently heard the final version complete with heartbreaking cello overlaid with Feeney on the piano, and it is breathtaking. As for Cinderella, I strive to match the artistry he gives to his music with my dancing.

An update on my graduation solo- I have now decided to do Phrygia’s solo from Act three of the Bolshoi’s Spartacus. It is an intensely dramatic and lyrical solo with gut wrenching music and I adore it. It is the solo I always dreamt of and now dream of being able to do justice to.
I have what I call my holy trinity of all time favourite ballerinas- artists who I try to get hold of whatever footage I can to watch them and see what they did that made them so great. I think all three would have been wonderful in this solo in different and unique ways: Lynn Seymour would have been passionate, Natalia Makarova tragic and Galina Ulanova otherworldly.
We have all received coaching on our solos from Gillian Revie, who has helped everyone really get under the skin of their roles. For me, she has been amazing- because she was such a dramatic dancer herself, she has really given me the tools to get into the character myself, and helping me not to feel silly and histrionic by investing the movement with truth and conviction. Thankyou so much, Gillian!!

Sometimes I think about how my life would be right now if I had never gone to that first ballet class when I was small. I would probably be at university now, or maybe travelling the world and experiencing new and exotic cultures, like one close non-dancer friend is doing at the moment. I admire and envy the way he is just going wherever the wind takes him and kind of going on a journey of self discovery as well as his physical travels, and I feel a bit inferior until I think about the steps I take every day. I might only get on the Hammersmith and City line from Bow every morning, but by the end of the day, I got a little bit closer to being the dancer I want to be, so its no less valid. So although I feel like I might as well sleep at school because I spend so much time there, and that I don’t even have time to go and buy pointe shoes I am so busy, I know without a doubt I wouldn’t change a thing. When I think about the rewards (and you all know I’m not talking about fame and fortune) that come from a life spent in the theatre, I know I would give anything that is asked of me.

I get a bit flowery and melodramatic if I go on too long, so ill stop before I get on to how much I’m going to miss all my fantastic friends when we leave- there have already been tears from this particular drama queen on that subject…………!

Posted by Rym Kechacha at March 1, 2008 10:35 PM