Filipino dancer for Hong Kong Ballet on his workout routine – sit-ups, push-ups, the splits and a lot of planking
Garry Corpuz has to be in tip-top shape to perform in ballet, with the strength – though not the bulging biceps – to lift a ballerina. The 20-year-old takes us through his exercise regime and tells us the importance of sleep and relaxing
A budding ballet talent from the Philippines, Garry Corpuz joined the Hong Kong Ballet’s corps de ballet last year having performed in classic productions such as The Nutcracker and Le Corsaire.
Corpuz, a graduate of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila who previously apprenticed at Ballet Philippines, will perform in the “Wheeldon, Ratmansky, McIntyre and The Beatles” show at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre from June 1 to 3.
Supermodel-approved workout inspired by ballet put to the test
The show will feature three pieces: Le Carnaval des Animaux, choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky; Christopher Wheeldon’s jazz-infused Rush; and Trey McIntyre’s rock ballet A Day in the Life, which is set to a medley of 12 classic Beatles songs.
As a Beatles fan, Corpuz’s favourite parts of the show are from A Day in the Life, such as when the 1968 classic Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da plays.
“When you hear the beat of the music, it’s so good that you just groove with the music, but of course you have to do the ballet techniques,” he says. “You can add a bit of your own groove.”
Corpuz will be performing to a new groove in August when Hong Kong Ballet’s 2018-19 season rolls out with productions including Alice (in Wonderland) – the Asian premiere of the piece by the company’s artistic director, Septime Webre – and Giselle.
It has not yet been announced which roles he will perform, but he will be putting in many hours of training to maintain the physique needed to perform at least one strenuous show a night.