ROMEO – the most famous romantic hero in literary history and, despite the Beckhams' best efforts, a name still synonymous with undying love and tragic death. Over 400 years since Shakespeare put quill to paper, Scottish Ballet is about to prove the
timeless quality of Romeo & Juliet by updating it for our times. Meanwhile, three male dancers prepare to step into the role, without a single word of prose to fall back on. Touring a large-scale ballet can take a lot out of a dancer, which is why Sc
ERIK CAVALLARIAN ITALIAN himself, Erik Cavallari is well suited to play Verona's love-struck youth. "It's an incredible role," he says, "but also very hard, because you change a great deal during the course of the show. You start off as a young boy and go through a lot – murder, seeing your love die – it's very challenging."
Choreographer Krzysztof Pastor has updated the action from the 16th century to three modern eras – the 1930s, 50s and present day. With each period represented by changing backdrops and fashions. "Krzysztof's idea is to make the story timeless – something which could happen at any time – which I think is a good idea," explains Cavallari. "We're going to have some strong images in the background, of a terrorist attack which took place at Bologna Central Station. So the idea is that from just two families fighting – where will it all end?"
When he's not playing Romeo, Cavallari will take to the stage as the hero's friend, Benvolio. Does switching between two major roles come easily to him? "We're kind of used to it," he says. "Scottish Ballet isn't a large company so we always end up dancing lots of big roles. I don't have as much time to work on Benvolio, so that can be a bit of a struggle – to learn Romeo but still keep an eye on the other role. But Benvolio is easier, more straightforward, and doesn't take too much interpretation."
Pastor's aim to make the ballet as accessible as possible extends to the characters, with the dancers encouraged to eschew melodrama in favour of something more unaffected and real. "Krzysztof is trying to stop us from acting too much," says Cavallari. "He's pushing us to be ourselves and go for a more natural style, which is hard because we've never done anything like this before. But I think it will make a massive difference for the audience to see something so natural."
TAMA BARRYWhen New Zealander Tama Barry arrived at Scottish Ballet in 2006, his first taste of the company was dancing in Pastor's In Light & Shadow, so he was excited to have the Polish choreographer back in Glasgow, creating such a major work. For Barry, Pastor's decision to cut the show's length, lose a few characters and dispense with the sword fights was the right one.
"Krzysztof's take on it is a bit more guttural," he says. "There's the absolute desperation of hand-to-hand combat, juxtaposed with the soft and tender moments between Romeo and Juliet."
Conjuring up emotions and atmosphere is something dance does very well. Telling a story clearly and concisely comes less easily – but, without it, engaging an audience can be a tricky business. "It's a lot harder to tell it with dance," admits Barry. "With the play you've got those wonderful words which do the talking for you. But Krzysztof has created a really fantastic, dramatic way of choreographing, so the steps and movement say what's meant to be coming across."
Like Cavallari, Barry has another meaty role to sink his teeth into when not playing Romeo – his arch rival, Tybalt. As a dancer, Barry has more than proved his technical ability. Playing two such opposing roles would prove challenging for any actor, however.
"One is really peace-loving and romantic, the other is very much the aggressor – so in that respect it's quite easy to differentiate between them," he says. "It's about trying to find that character within yourself. I'm neither a Romeo nor a Tybalt, I'm somewhere in between. So you find the parts in you that link to that character and bring them to the fore, and push the others back."
No matter which character he's dancing on any given night, Barry will be happy with his lot. "I'm thrilled to be dancing these roles," he says. "Because if I could choose any two roles in ballet, Romeo and Tybalt would be the ones I'd plump for."
ADAM BLYDEHAVING trained and danced with the Royal Ballet before joining Scottish Ballet in 2003, Adam Blyde knows a thing or two about tradition. Kenneth MacMillan's classic version of Romeo and Juliet was his introduction to narrative ballet. Yet for Blyde, Pastor's stylish new production has the edge.
"I grew up watching the MacMillan version," says Blyde. "It has some beautiful moments but is very long and has lots of traditional street scenes that are quite dated. I think this version is going to be a much fresher take on it that will appeal to a younger audience."
For Blyde, Pastor's modern setting has made dancing the part of Romeo a career highlight: "For me it's a dream role and it's something I never thought I would ever do. "Because it's one of the most realistic characters I'll come across in dance – compared to a prince or something like that. Which makes it easier; it all happens so naturally."
Pastor's choreography is renowned for its drama and passion – something Blyde is keen to bring out in his performance: "Though you want to be technically brilliant, and you always strive for that, the most important thing in a story like this is that the audience remembers that we were really in love, not how many turns I did."
With three men rehearsing the same role in one studio, there's a lot the Romeos can learn from each other. What works for one dancer, however, might not suit another.
"It's good to watch the others because you notice things that you really like and then take them for yourself," says Blyde. "But you also notice things that just wouldn't suit you. Krzysztof's been very accepting of that and understands the three of us are very different dancers, both in the way we look and the way we move. So it's about finding what the most comfortable thing for you is, because you can't dance someone else's version."
The full article contains 1109 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
