Dancers' diaries
What do ballerinas eat for breakfast? How do dancers prepare before taking to the stage? And which muscles hurt most in the morning? Dancers talk about their morning class, their routines and the shows they're rehearsing
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Teen ballet sensation Leroy Mokgatle: 'There is no plan B'When the 16-year-old South African was told he was too short to become a principal dancer, it motivated him to prove himself. He talks medals, 6am starts and two-minute naps
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Dancing for Pina Bausch: 'We're screaming and crying and laughing'Tanztheater Wuppertal’s Fernando Suels Mendoza on what he learned from the great German choreographer – and how it feels to perform her works
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BBC Young Dancer finalist Vidya Patel: 'Your feet are almost a musical instrument'The rising dance star on the exchange of ideas in her collaboration with Richard Alston, kathak’s rhythm and grace, and meditating before rehearsal
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Penguin cancans and endless bananas: the life of a panto dancerBilly Warren, currently appearing with Duncan James and Joe Pasquale in Aladdin at Southampton’s Mayflower theatre, tells us what it’s like doing two challenging performances every day
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Then we take Berlin – with erotic aerial antics and a pack of poodlesJemima Rose Dean, a cast member of ‘full-on’ stage show The Wyld, talks about dancing in sparkly high heels, BMX bike stunts and her canine co-stars
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Louise Lecavalier: 'I'm a show-off in the studio. On stage I'm another entity'The Canadian contemporary dancer explains how she conquered the terror of performing – and how she’s pushing herself to her limits in her choreography
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Dancer Vanessa Vince-Pang: 'the audience’s energy feeds us'On tour, Phoenix Dance Theatre’s performers can play several characters in a single night – you lose yourself in one role then dive into the next
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Gotta dance! A day in the life of Broadway star Mara DaviWhat’s it like to perform in a razzle-dazzle New York musical? Exhilarating and exhausting, says the tap-dancing, high-kicking star of Dames at Sea
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Dances with horses: hoofing it for the equine balletThe rider Herwig Radnetter is partnered with a Lipizzaner stallion in the Spanish Riding School’s majestic shows, which demand discipline, balance and the shiniest shoes
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'The Moulin Rouge has an army of dressers – we can't put all the feathers on ourselves'Our series on dancers’ lives continues with Isabelle Van Den Bergh’s day at the Parisian theatre, from a can-can warm-up to shows that require 10 costumes each
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Dancer Xander Parish: 'It's relentless. I did 50 days in a row without a break'In the first of a new series exploring dancers’ lives, Xander Parish of the Mariinsky Ballet gets into the role of Romeo, explains how to be the perfect partner and considers his hectic schedule
Flamenco superstar Sara Baras: 'If you don’t feel it, you can’t do it'