Upclose with The Ballerino
Australian dancer Brett Simon debuts as Prince Charming in the Hong Kong Ballet’s version of Cinderella this August. Dominique Rowe finds out about ballerinos, the ups and downs of being Charming, and “Stupidity in Motion.”
HK Magazine: What do you call a male ballerina?
Brett Simon: Good question. Officially, it’s “premier danseur,” but speaking strictly from a language point of view, it’s Italian, so the real masculine term should be “ballerino.”
HK: How does being a male ballet dancer go down with your fellow Aussies?
BS: I’ve never really had a problem, though I went through a stage of not telling anyone when I started high school. When word finally “got out” that I did ballet, most people were impressed - at the time I was performing with the English National Ballet.
HK: Do you relate to your character, Prince Charming?
BS: It’s a fairy tale, so the prince is of course incredibly charming. I have been told that I’m charming on a few occasions, so I could probably relate to him on some degree. I don’t find it terribly hard playing royalty either (laughs).
HK: Tell us about the Ugly Sisters.
BS: We’ve got to be careful that they don’t steal the show. Audiences love them. They are men dressed up as women. People seem to get great delight from seeing others who think they are beautiful, though they clearly are not.
HK: What’s it like working with the Hong Kong Ballet?
BS: They are all very impressive, inspiring dancers. It’s also amazing to be working on Victoria Harbour [at the Cultural Centre] - though it’s not so nice when you’re walking to work in a category three typhoon...
HK: Is there anything especially taxing in your role as Prince Charming?
BS: I think everything in ballet is especially physically taxing! The pas de deux is quite long but beautiful with some challenging lifts. As the Prince, you have to be strong in everything that you do and to keep that going through an entire ballet can be taxing.