CRITICAL acclaim is too often what artists aim for when showcasing their particular discipline to the public. Too often forgetting what a strong influence their performance could have on a small lad or lass sitting in the gods. Critics may be considered knowledgeable about technical, artistic, interpretive skills in whatever art form is on stage. But to an awestruck youngster these are unimportant details.
Children define a performance by whether or not they are transported into magic land. As well as being inspired to follow their idol’s footsteps beyond, that is, saying “that was a nice show, or pretty or interesting” before reaching for a chocolate.
It’s quite impossible to equate the influences of Anna Pavlova, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryishnikov - even our own Phyllis Spira and Eduard Greyling – for inspiring countless numbers to seriously train for a ballet career and to carry forward ballet as the glorious living art it is. But for David Moore, guest artiste for Prince Desire in Cape Town City Ballets (CTCB) forthcoming The Sleeping Beauty season, his inspiration came from Michael Flatley in River Dance. “So many sparks from Michael’s feet flew skyward, I think some landed on me sparking off an interest in me to dance. Not like him, but like me.
Gently prodded by my sister, and supported by my parents at ten I began training at Angela Rowe’s School of Dance later joining the Royal Ballet School from where I graduated in 2007.”
Ipswich born, Moore admits to finding the early training stages “okay,” but advanced work “infinitely more challenging.”
Yet within that challenge lay a keen intelligent interest to know how everything worked, and how he could do better.
Over and above classical ballet, Moore studied contemporary, Irish and Morris dancing going on to his first character role as Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet.
“Although people passed flattering comments, inside I knew I could do better. This egged me on to working harder, and I was really fortunate to have had both male and female teachers who understood my body’s strengths and dynamics (I enjoy pirouettes in all their intricate combinations).”
“In their different ways my teachers tapped in to those guiding and encouraging me to reach towards that ever elusive - possibly unattainable - technical artistic - perfection,” he said.
Standing at 1.85cm and presently a principal dancer with Stuttgart Ballet, Moore’s repertoire ranges from John Neumeier’s A Streetcar Named Desire(remember Neumeier’s exciting CTCB’s 2014 Spring & Fall triple bill season); Benno in Swan Lake, Prince in Lady and the Fool, Count Paris in Romeo and Juliet all choreographed by Cape Town born and trained John Cranko; Soldier in Demis Volpi’s A Soldier’s Tale, as well as Albrecht in Giselle and Prince Desire in Marcia Haydee’s Sleeping Beauty production.
Moore also has a long list of specially created roles displaying his wide technical and artistic range. He has also dipped into the choreographers world, “but choreography is for my future. At the moment I don’t want my energies dissipated from dancing and performing in as many different ballets as I possibly can.”
Moore’s original Aurora was Stuttgart friend and colleague Hyo-Jung Kang. Unfortunately an injury put paid to that partnership leaving a problematic gap in CTCB’s casting.
Into this has stepped the lovely Royal Ballet principal Hikaru Kobayashi who balletomanes will recall seeing last year as Giselle opposite her husband Federico Bonelli’s Albrecht.
“Hikaru and I have not previously partnered each other, and as The Sleeping Beauty is one of the great and one of the most demanding of traditional classical ballets, I nipped across to London for a rehearsal or two with her.”
“A wise decision. Now we at least know what the other looks like and I learnt where her gravity centre is. In our profession, we are well versed in last minute partnership changes, so after a couple more rehearsals we’ll be all set for our Friday and Saturday 7.30 pm performances.”
At Artscape from September 2 to 18. Brandon Phillips conducts the Cape Town Philharmonic at select performances.
l For alternate casting see: capetowncityballet.org.za. Book: 021 421 7696, 0861 915 8000