FROM BANGKOK TO CLEVELAND

Guest Artist, Robert Carter, has been an American primo donna ballet dancer for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo for over 25 years. As a lead dancer of the all-male dance troupe he has performed across the globe. We sat down with him to talk about staging the Paquita variations.

Tell us about your background that led you to dance with Les Ballets Trockadero? My first teacher spotted me at a local arts festival in my hometown of Charleston, South Carolina while I was performing with a children’s theatrical group. I went for my first class at age seven and a half and instantly I was hooked. After seeing Les Ballets Trockadero for the first time around age twelve, I just knew that it was a company for me. I didn’t know how or when, but I was determined to dance with the company of men who did what I did. I managed to get the contact information from its director Tory Dobrin and called to inquire about auditions. After taking a class with the company and hanging out for rehearsal, he asked if I was free to come again. I did and upon entering the studio was presented with my first contract. That was twenty-five years ago and I’m still going strong.

How did you end up in Cleveland? I met Dr. Carlson years ago when she came to work with Trockodero as a company teacher and ballet mistress. I have always loved her energy! Unfortunately, like many other companies my dear Ballets Trockadero has not been able to work during the pandemic as the majority of our work includes traveling. I am grateful that she reached out and offered the opportunity to dance as a guest while my normal work is shut down. What did you impart on the dancers during this re-staging? The variations I taught are through the lens of my understanding and influence with my Trockadero background. I have danced all of the variations at one time or another. I tried to impart to the dancers that they are limitless if they are willing to push the envelope and explore their own possibilities within any dance. Sometimes it can be as small as a tilt of the head or even the way the hands are used within a movement of the arms. Expecting the unexpected and giving new life to even time-honored classics.

What did you impart on the dancers during this re-staging? The variations I taught are through the lens of my understanding and influence with my Trockadero background. I have danced all of the variations at one time or another. I tried to impart to the dancers that they are limitless if they are willing to push the envelope and explore their own possibilities within any dance. Sometimes it can be as small as a tilt of the head or even the way the hands are used within a movement of the arms. Expecting the unexpected and giving new life to even time-honored classics.

What is your favorite memory of dancing Paquita variations? I can recall many memories that makes each of the variations special to me in their own way. One of my fondest was when I danced before a crown princess of Thailand in Bangkok and later meeting her on a red carpet following the performance.