Alexandra Radius Performed the role of Juliet for the first time in 1974 “Juliet is my absolute favourite role. It’s an exhausting one, as you have to give it your all, both physically and emotionally. Rudi created the role with such sensitivity: the way you dance and react, and the way you develop from a naive girl to a young woman who stands up for what she wants, with all the terrible consequences involved. Dancing the scene where she rebels against her raging father, and afterwards swallows the poison (to fake her death – ed.) was always a cathartic experience. But it was very tough as well, just like the gripping spooky scene in the tomb, when she wakes up and finds Romeo dead beside her. Rudi’s spirit pervades the whole ballet. It’s timeless because it’s so sensitive and true to life. After dancing his Juliet you’re drained, but so incredibly fulfilled.” Francis Sinceretti Performed the role of Romeo for the first time in 1974 “Rudi’s Romeo and Juliet was my debut as Romeo, and I have such good memories of working with Rudi. He always gave his all, which created an atmosphere of excitement in the studio. He worked individually with you on each solo and each pas de deux, which was tough, but in a good way. Rudi managed to draw things out of you that you didn’t even know were there. My former dancing partner, Sonja Marchiolli, had that same urge to give her all. One Sunday matinee, she didn’t show up. She’d landed in the canal with her car, struggled free, jumped in the water again to get her bag of pointe shoes and then rushed off to the theatre. After all that, we still managed to give a really good performance of Romeo and Juliet.” Jane Lord Performed the role of Juliet for the first time in 1984 “The role of Juliet was my breakthrough. Rudi had cast Barry Watt, my boyfriend at the time, and me as the youngest couple, and he worked with us intensively, going through every single detail. He ran across the studio with you, continually shouting ‘more’, ‘more’. He pushed you beyond your limits, sometimes to the point of tears. But you felt yourself growing in the role and daring to take more risks. In every performance, you had to find the balance between the physical and the emotional. Sometimes, I had to really curb my emotions, because you don’t play Juliet – you are Juliet. When Rudi asked me to dance the role at the end of my career as well, with a company in Florence, it was a huge gift, also because I could then give even more depth to the role. In Florence, too, I almost always cried in the final scenes, although they were different tears – of deep gratitude.” Altin Kaftira Performed the role of Romeo for the first time in 1995 “I trained with the National Ballet of Greece, but the company couldn’t employ me because of my Albanian nationality. So I earned a living dancing at night clubs, until I got the chance to stand in for two injured dancers at a gala performance. That was precisely the performance that Rudi came to watch, and apparently he saw me as his new Romeo. I knew nothing about him or Dutch National Ballet, but he eventually persuaded me to come to Amsterdam. The role of Romeo and the confidence Rudi gave me have shaped me as a dancer and as a person. I devoted myself to it completely and soaked everything up like a sponge. So Romeo and Juliet has always been my ballet. Everything it taught me will be part of me forever.” Text: Astrid van Leeuwen Ballet principals talk about Van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet Generations of dancers have been able to pour out their emotions in Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet. So the ballet was a highlight for many of them and even defined their career and life. We asked four former principal dancers about their experiences. “You don’t play Juliet – you are Juliet.” “ Rudi got you to give your all” Ballet 76
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