Ksenia Ovsyanick interviewed for "Cupcakes & Conversation .."

Cupcakes & conversation with Ksenia Ovsyanick, Artist, English National Ballet

Ksenia is one of the 6 nominees for the Emerging Dancer Award, which celebrates the talent of up and coming dancers at English National Ballet.

The Emerging Dancer Award is an annual competition for English National Ballet to recognise and nurture the phenomenal talent of their up-and-coming dancers. The Award encourages excellence and potential within the Company, with the winner being awarded a £5,000 cash prize.

During the Summer English National Ballet’s artistic, musical, administrative staff and Principal dancers have been voting for their Emerging Dancer and the top six nominated dancers are Esteban Berlanga, Anais Chalendard, Crystal Costa, Ksenia Ovsyanick, Junor de Oliveira Souza and Venus Villa. You can read my interviews with all of the nominees (with the exception of Junor) in the archive section to your right.

Each nominee has chosen a solo to perform to the judges (Tamara Rojo, Wayne Eagling & Dame Beryl Grey among others), and Ksenia has chosen :

Ksenia Ovsyanick, Swanhilda variation from Coppélia
Choreography Vinogradov Oleg
Music Leo Delibes

The other nominees have selected :

Esteban Berlanga, Casi Fado
Choreography Ricardo Franco
Music Misia

Anais Chalendard, Nikiya's Death Scene from La Bayadere
Choreography Natalia Makarova, after Marius Petipa
Music Ludwig Minkus

Crystal Costa, Transcendence
Choreography Yat-Sen Chang
Music Oleg Kostron

Junor de Oliveira Souza, Des Grieux's Act I solo from Manon
Choreography Kenneth MacMillan
Music Jules Massenet

Venus Villa, Carmen variation
Choreography Elena Glurdjidze
Music Georges Bizet

The winner will be announced next week.

What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ?
A hearty breakfast with a cup of coffee, watching my favourite TV show.

What are you looking forward to dancing in 2010 ?
There is a chance I'll be dancing Giselle in spring 2010. I can't wait!

Who would you most like to dance with & what would you dance ?
Michael Baryshnikov, if he was still dancing. Probably Don Quixote.

If you could dance anywhere in the world (not only in a theatre), where would you dance ?
In a huge beautiful field with lots of space and stunning scenery.

How do you prepare your pointe shoes ?
I do loads of darning, so that every inch of the shoe fits my foot perfectly. Takes a while!

What is your daily routine at the moment ?
I get up at about 8.30am, have a slow breakfast, get to the company an hour and a half before class to do yoga and warm up. Then class and either rehearsals or shows untill about 10pm. Obviously we have breaks in between (which are really hard not to spend shopping.)

You can ask six famous people to dinner - who would you invite ?
Michael Baryshnikov, Jude Law, Hugh Grant, JK Rowling, Ant and Dec.

What would surprise people about you ?
erm... I lose loads of things, but then always find even more.

Who inspired you to dance ?
The Crystal Fountain fairy in Sleeping Beauty. It was the first ballet I'd seen and my favourite bit was the Crystal Fountain variation.

What is your best piece of advice ?
Dreams do come true, just make sure you really DO want it.

How do you prepare in the hours before a show ?
I usually take my time starting about an hour and a half before the show, putting make up on, then hair and I spend at least half an hour warming up. If I finish getting ready quicker I would spend time doing Sudoku or reading a book or just chatting..

Which role has tested you the most & how ?
I did Odette (from Swan Lake) for my graduation performance. And I don't think I've ever been more nervous in my life! Although we did only Act 2 of Swan Lake, it was my first time doing an actual principal part in the ballet.

If you were asked to design your own ballet costume, what would you create?
Maybe a tutu that I wouldn't feel I have on during dance.

What do you look for in a dance partner ?
Reliability and communication during dance.

What is your favourite quote ?
“It's Impossible!” – said the Reason.
“It's Reckless!” – noticed the Experience.
“It's Useless!” – cut off the Pride.
“Give It A Try..!” – whispered the Dream

A phrase I use far too often is ... ?
"It's Ridiculous!" I should really find some synonyms to this word!

What’s been your best on-stage moment so far ?
I was dancing Kitri's variation once (from Don Quixote) and the audience starting clapping already after the first step. It gave me such a buzz, I felt on top of the world for a minute:)

Do you have a secret skill which no-one knows about ?
I think different people know different sides of me. For some it would be a surprise, that I can play piano, or used to do acrobatics, or most of the time I know where to go even in a huge city I've never been before. And I'm good at mathematics and chemistry;)

In terms of your ballet career, where would you like to be in a year from now?
erm... promoted to the next level:)