Hikaru Kobayashi interviewed for "Cupcakes & conversation with .."

Cupcakes & Conversation with Hikaru Kobayashi, First Soloist, The Royal Ballet

What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ?
A nice big breakfast!

What are you looking forward to dancing this season ?
Of course it has to be Aurora (from The Sleeping Beauty)!

Who would you most like to dance with ?
My husband (Royal Ballet Principal dancer Federico Bonelli)!

How do you prepare your pointe shoes ?
I make sure that the platforms of my pointe shoes are flat, and I sew around to keep the shape of the platform.

What is your daily routine at the moment ?
I wake up at 8am, around 9:45 floor barre to warm up , 10:30 class, 12:00 to 18:30 rehearsals...

You can ask six famous people to dinner - who would you invite ?
Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Joel Rebouchon, Alain Ducasse, Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White. And of course they would cook for me!!

What would surprise people about you ?
When I was a little girl, I was a bit of a tomboy. I played football, rugby and basketball.

Who inspired you to dance ?
There are many good dancers who each inspire me in different ways.

How would someone else describe you ?
No idea.

What is your best piece of advice ?
Eat well, don't give up!!

Which role has tested you the most & how ?
Gamzatti, (from La Bayadère). It was not only a dancing role, it was an acting role too.

If you designed your own stage costume, what would you create ?
I would need to be inspired by the music and the dancers before creating a costume.

What are you most proud of ?
I am proud of being a professional ballet dancer.

Who would play you in the film of your life ?
Myself ?

What is your favourite quote ?
“The ballet is a purely female thing; it is a woman, a garden of beautiful flowers, and man is the gardener” (by George Balanchine)

Do you have a ‘signature step’ – one that comes naturally to you ?
No, everything in ballet is hard!!!!

A phrase I use far too often is ... ?
"I don't know!"

Do you have a secret skill which no-one knows about ?
Yes...It is a secret....