Ivan Vasiliev and Roberto Bolle: interview with ballet royalty

In 1845, the theatre impresario Benjamin Lumley made history by inviting the four greatest ballerinas of the day to appeartogether on the stage of Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. It is fitting, therefore, that next week, 169 years later, Sergei Danilian’s internationally acclaimed project Kings of the Dance should reach the London Coliseum. After all, the project, which had its world première in 2006, is a modern adaptation of an old idea, even though it is an all-male event this time round, and more than just an exploitation of trite balletomania, which is probably what Lumley went for.

Echoes of the old balletomania can be found in the title itself, which evokes the days before the Romantic rise of the ballerina to supremacy, when male dancers dominated the scene as either ‘kings’ or ‘gods’ of their art. But can one be a ‘king of the dance’ in 2014? And, if so, what is he like?

For Ivan Vasiliev, the Russian star who dazzles audiences with his breathtaking bravura and powerful dramatic gifts, ‘titles such as “king” or “idol” are not just accolades, they are also incentives to constantly perfect one’s art and to find new ways to refine what it is that we give to the public. This is, in the end, all that matters, as this is — or should be — every dance artist’s mission.’

Responsibility is also central to wearing the crown for Roberto Bolle, the quintessential modern-day incarnation of the ideal danseur noble. ‘Being referred to as a “king” is somewhat intriguing and amusing. It makes you ponder on your achievements and, at the same time, it makes you wonder what you can do factually to contribute to the advancement of the art, its popularity, its future. In that sense, it is a role laden with duties and obligations.