Bringing a touch of royalty to Jersey – interview with visiting Royal Ballet stars Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae

  • Royal Ballet dancers coming to Jersey for Liberation International Music Festival
  • Read our Q and A with ballet stars Steven McRae and Sarah Lamb
  • Full festival programme below

STARS from the Royal Ballet will be performing in the Liberation International Music Festival when they appear at Fort Regent on 16 May.

Principals Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae will be dancing solos and duets from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, accompanied by the Jersey Chamber Orchestra.

Tickets for the Ballet Gala with Sarah Lamb can be booked from Fort Regent by calling 449827 or clicking here. For more information about the ballet show click here

Here the two stars answer our questions:

You’ve now played all the major roles at the Royal Ballet. What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?

‘When you are in the middle of a dramatic pas de deux, with a partner you feel at home with, and you can feel the two of you are just hitting it off and it’s just happening – that’s the most rewarding thing.’

Is it the kind of feeling you can’t get in ordinary life?

‘Every time you step on stage there’s always the risk that it could go horribly wrong, but it could also be the best show of your life.

‘And it’s that adrenalin of just not knowing. I live off that buzz. I guess it’s like someone stepping out of a plane for the first time to go skydiving, or someone doing a bungee jump.

‘That’s what it’s like for a dancer every single time they step on the stage.’

Is it hard to control that adrenalin?

‘It’s hard after a show when your adrenalin levels have been that high to go back to average life.

‘It’s hard to come down from that. But you wake up the next day and go back to class.’

You’ve danced Swan Lake as a principal – was that a highlight for you?

‘Oh yes, you always want to do the classics. And our Swan Lake is different from others.

‘The prince here isn’t just your typical cardboard-cut-out prince; there’s much more to him – he’s a young lad, he’s got a bit of cheek to him.

‘He’s happy hanging out with his friends but he has to conform to what his life should be, and that’s a bit of a struggle for him. I’m really looking forward to tackling that.’

You’ve moved up the ranks really quickly. Are you ambitious?

‘Yes. I don’t think ambition is anything to be ashamed of.’

You must be the only Royal Ballet principal dancer ever to have been reared amid the smoke, sweat and speed of drag racing!

‘My dad got involved with cars at a very young age.

‘He raced, built his own cars and engines and devoted his life to it. I was brought up at the track, and I loved it.

‘To this day, if for some reason I had to step away from the dance world, I would probably want to jump in a car!’

What is an average training day like?

Every day is very different! That is what is wonderful about the Royal Ballet, we do so many performances of a very diverse repertoire.

Most days class is at 10.30 am with rehearsals until 6.30 pm or until 5.30 pm if there is a show. I’m very slow-moving after a show, so often won’t be home till nearly midnight!

Sarah Lamb in the Royal Ballet's Manon

What are the challenges of the great classical ballets like Swan Lake compared to modern works?

The challenges differ greatly. The traditional classics will always be technically challenging and one will eternally be compared with others!

The freedom offered by new work is that it has originated with the choreographer and me, and I am the one who shows it first. It’s an unparalleled experience.

How does it feel to be lifted by a great dancer like Carlos Acosta or Steven McRae?

Both Carlos and Steven are wonderful partners, and artists in their own right.

They both make me feel completely assured and capable of taking risks because they are so reliable.

Being lifted by one person could be the same as any other – but they both partner with the same attention to detail with which they dance. It brings the performance to another level.

What’s been your worst injury?

I had a terrible collision with another dancer over six years ago which broke my foot in four places and broke a joint. It was a very difficult injury and I wasn’t sure I would dance again.

Do you have a special diet?

I don’t eat red meat but that isn’t because I’m a dancer, that’s largely for environmental reasons. I try to eat mostly unprocessed food and I’ve learned more and more about nutrition and how it fuels the athlete over the years.

What’s the best thing about being a ballet dancer? And the worst?

The best is that we are fortunate enough to do what we love every single day. The worst is that the older and more experienced we become as artists and performers, the less we can tolerate physically.

The Berlin Philharmonic Octet will perform at Jersey Opera House on Saturday 9 May

WORLD-renowned classical musicians and performers will feature in the Liberation International Music Festival, which this year is expected to be bigger than ever before.

Tickets have gone on sale for the numerous concerts and events that are planned for the festival, which has been extended to take place over ten days from 7 to 17 May at various venues.

The central theme of the festival, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Occupation, is reconciliation.

Tickets for the ballet are available from Fort Regent on 449827, while tickets for all other events are available from the Jersey Opera House on 511115, or through this wesbsite.

The festival line-up

Thursday 7 May – Band of the Royal Marines, at Jersey Opera House

Saturday 9 May – Berlin Philharmonic Octet, at Jersey Opera House

Wednesday 13 May – Concert by soloist Sarah Fox and the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, at Jersey Opera House

Saturday 16 May – Ballet Gala with the Royal Ballet’s Sarah Lamb, at Fort Regent

Sunday 17 May – Jazz at Hamptonne, featuring Clare Teal, at Hamptonne

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