From ballet to breakdancing, there has never been more happening for dance enthusiasts in the capital. Time Out profiles the leading lights in London's lively dance scene.
Zenaida Yanowsky
Principal dancer at the Royal Ballet
Royal Ballet principal Zenaida Yanowsky’s career has taken off in 2005. She’s already tucked lead roles in ‘Sylvia’ and ‘The Rite of Spring’ under her tutu and in November fulfils a long-cherished ambition to perform the lead in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s ‘Manon’, the tragic tale of a convent girl turned courtesan. Feature continues
At 5' 9" Yanowsky is a giant in ballerina terms, but her strikingly statuesque presence is at odds with her vibrant personality, and for too long the Royal Ballet seemed at a loss to know what to do with her theatrically expressive style. Consequently her career was thrown on the back foot in the dark days of Ross Stretton’s ill-fated tenure as artistic director.
‘Of course it’s frustrating that a lot of what ballet is about is whether you suit the role, or more realistically, if the choreographer thinks you are right. You do feel at the mercy of someone else – and many people go freelance because of that.’
Whether the Royal Ballet will hold on to Yanowsky now it’s acknowledged her stellar presence remains to be seen. At 30 it’s clear she’s ambitious to get the most out of a dancer’s relatively short shelf-life. Contemporary work is one of the avenues she’s keen to explore.
‘It’s a fact that there are only a limited amount of classical roles and I don’t want to feel caged. With contemporary dance your body reacts differently to different movement and it takes you down a different path. I’m trying to find a balance between doing both because what I love about classical roles is making people cry!’
Such contradictions aren’t a surprise considering Yanowsky’s jumbled heritage. She owes her Russian name to her grandfather, but she was raised in Spain by French parents who, though dancers themselves, were anxious not to push their children into following in their footsteps.
‘I didn’t start dancing until I was 14 – late for a ballet dancer. My parents wanted us to know the world is full of other things. But when I decided dance was for me, that was it.’ And if Yanowsky has been playing catch up ever since, she’s now racing ahead of the game.
|
|
The best of London in your inbox
|
|
