C U L T U R E Cyp r us ba lle t
Cypriot dancers Christina Arestis (left), soloist to the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, and Anastasia Paschali (right), soloist to the Royal Ballet of Flanders, are inspiring role models for budding
winning her a place at the Royal Danish Ballet where she became the youngest company member at the time. In a rare break from the terpsichorean arts, she returned to the island in her twenties to pursue a degree in psychology. But, no sooner had she earned her BA, she accepted a place at Leipzig Ballet in Germany. Today she is a Soloist at the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Belgium.
A HOME OF THEIR OWN
Four Seasons Portrait
80
Yet, despite Arestis and Paschali headlining a stream of such Cypriot professionals, the island remains the only European Union country lacking a permanent ballet company of its own. But at least one organization – the non-profit Dancecyprus – is working hard to undo this statistic. Its Founding Chairman Jacqueline Owen, argues: “This is a great shame, since we have the talent and we have excellent teachers.” Proving that point, Dancecyprus has been putting neoclassical ballets among its other ballet-promoting initiatives, since 2006. An Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance but originally from New Zealand, Owen settled on the island in 1971 with her husband, the painter Michael Owen. She has been active as a teacher and a champion of ballet in Cyprus ever since. Despite the dearth of resources in the decades that followed,
© Hans-Gerritsen
© Yiorgos Eressios
}
local talent.
Owen joined forces with other ballet teachers and leading cultural figures – such as the classical pianist Martino Tirimo – to found Dancecyprus in 2005. Their mission? To establish a permanent national company, allowing Cypriot ballet dancers a career on their own soil. As for Dancecyprus, it celebrated its 10th anniversary gala this past September, with Limassol and Nicosia performances featuring Honorary Founder Arestis and Paschali – who often comes back to teach the Juniors – as well as Royal Ballet Principals Edward Watson and Ryoichi Hirano, First Soloist Yuhui Choe and Royal Ballet of Flanders Principal Gabor Kapin. Also participating were Dancecyprus’s Junior Associates – 13 to 18-year-old Cypriot talent drawn from across the island’s dance schools – in works choreographed by Royal Ballet Soloist Kristen McNally, former Royal Ballet of Flanders Soloist Altea Nonez, Margarita Makridou, Fouli Stylianidou, Ilaria Larkou and Valeria Makri.
MATERIALISING THE DREAM But it’s a constant battle between triumph and tremendous odds. “We struggle to pay for dancers and theatres and costumes and flights, and then we’re at rock bottom again and we have to let the dancers go,” says Owen.
