Prelude to fine Danish ballet

Close to 100 ballet students are getting a privileged taste of the distinctive Bournonville technique during workshops led by the Royal Danish Ballet's artistic director of soloists and principals.

Peter Bo Bendixen, who gave two classes last night and will be giving another two today, is focusing on foot practice and legwork - following in the footsteps of the master August Bournonville himself.

Organised by the Dance Council, the workshops are a prelude to the Royal Danish Ballet's anticipated performance at the Manoel Theatre on Easter Sunday, on April 8.

Established at the opening of Denmark's Royal Theatre, in Copenhagen, in 1748, the ballet will be accompanied to Malta by Princess Benedikte of Denmark.

The gala event is the venture of Malta's Ambassador to Denmark Noel Buttigieg Scicluna who believes there is no better way to strengthening ties between the two countries than through culture.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Bendixen said that Bournonville was of the philosophy that if you stood against a lamp-post and looked up, others would instinctively do the same. With this in mind, Bournonville featured basic use of arms and took his audience on a fleeting journey of distinctive footwork.

It is not an easy style, but a handful of Bournonville's choreographic gems are still performed in 25 per cent of the ballet's repertoire; handed down from one generation of dancers to the next.

While in Malta, the 18-strong troupe of soloists and principals will perform Bournonville's signature works including La Sylphide, and Act III of Napoli, as well as colourful tarantellas and pieces from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, George Balanchine's new classical ballet Apollo and Tim Rushton's Triplex.

The troupe is looking forward to performing at the Manoel Theatre, despite the fact that it has such a "small stage".

"I think we look best on small stages and I love the intimacy of the Manoel. It's going to be very special," Mr Bendixen said.

The Royal Danish Ballet chooses potential ballet stars as young as six years, grooming them to celebrity status. Each year about 300 audition and of these the school chooses just 10 or 12.

The young children are then immersed in ballet, while going through primary education at the school itself; a tough gruelling experience from which one or two eventually pass the examinations and make it on stage.

"It's a lot of hard work for the kids, but it's a fairytale world. For me it was the centre of the universe," he said.

Mr Bendixen was accepted into the ballet school at the age of nine and for the past 32 years he has lived and breathed ballet. The sell-by date for most Royal Danish Ballet dancers is 40, and at 41 Mr Bendixen felt it was time to make way for the younger generation.

"I remember when I was 22 I felt it was my right to be on stage and I was eager to get out there. I expected the older generation to step aside. I could have probably gone on for longer, but there's a time for everything," he said.

Apart from being able to spend more time with his family, Mr Bendixen is getting a kick out of directing and touring with the group of soloists and principals.