:00:12. > :00:16.previously agreed. Now on BBC News, on the road with a ballet dancer.
:00:16. > :00:19.Now it is time for On The Road With.... We are joined by Ed Watson,
:00:19. > :00:23.principal with the Royal Ballet. Edward Watson is the principal
:00:23. > :00:27.dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. I spent the day with him as
:00:27. > :00:31.he prepared to play the lead in The Rite of Spring and Romeo and Juliet.
:00:31. > :00:41.He studied ballet when he was three years old. I wanted to see what
:00:41. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:48.life was like in his shoes. He is making his way back after an
:00:48. > :00:51.operation he had on a ruptured tendon. We start the day at a
:00:51. > :00:57.Pilates studio where he is doing some exercises for professional
:00:57. > :01:07.dancers. This is an important exercise because everything he does
:01:07. > :01:14.
:01:14. > :01:17.in classical ballet comes from the standing leg and the working leg.
:01:18. > :01:27.The hip joint has to be very loose, but totally controlled from the
:01:28. > :01:32.
:01:32. > :01:35.opposite hip joint. Is this part of the job? Yes. I see it as part of
:01:36. > :01:41.my job to be in the best possible condition. People pay a lot of
:01:41. > :01:44.money to see me. It is my job to be in the best form that I can. If
:01:44. > :01:50.that means coming in early and putting in extra time, that does
:01:50. > :01:56.not really feel like too much effort. It is what my job is.
:01:56. > :02:00.strong must you be? You have to be strong to be a dancer. Stronger
:02:00. > :02:08.than I think people realise. Stronger than we look. The look of
:02:08. > :02:18.a dancer is a long-limbed and hiding what you have to do. It is
:02:18. > :02:21.
:02:21. > :02:27.deceptive. Do you go to the gym? Yes, sometimes. I do two days here
:02:27. > :02:37.and two days in the gym. But because of my injury at the moment,
:02:37. > :02:38.
:02:38. > :02:41.I am just focusing on this, which has been brilliant. It has pulled
:02:41. > :02:45.my body back into focus very quickly. It is exactly what I
:02:45. > :02:52.needed. It is off to the Royal Ballet where he will get changed
:02:52. > :02:56.for morning class. This is the daily board which has the
:02:56. > :02:59.rehearsals and name calls and the performance information. You need
:02:59. > :03:09.to check this because it changes all the time if somebody is injured
:03:09. > :03:14.
:03:14. > :03:20.or if we need an extra rehearsal. This is Elizabeth, a teacher here.
:03:20. > :03:30.She has known me from when I was 18. I am now 34. I have worked with her
:03:30. > :03:31.
:03:31. > :03:34.most days. What is he like to work with? He is an acquired taste. He
:03:34. > :03:44.is a wonderful example to everybody because he works consistently every
:03:44. > :03:47.
:03:47. > :03:53.day. He will try anything. He is not worried about particular style,
:03:53. > :04:02.anything. He will give it a go, which is rare these days. We like
:04:02. > :04:08.each other. Yes. (LAUGHTER). What about class? Class is, at the
:04:08. > :04:18.lowest level, a warm-up. It is preparing for the performance.
:04:18. > :04:19.
:04:19. > :05:20.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 61 seconds
:05:20. > :05:24.(MELODIC PIANO MUSIC AND OPERATIC SINGING). There are six levels of
:05:24. > :05:33.dancers at the Royal Ballet, with the principal being the highest. Ed
:05:33. > :05:37.is one of four full-time male principals at the company. After
:05:37. > :05:40.class, he has a rehearsal of The Rite of Spring. He is working with
:05:40. > :05:50.the director of the Royal Ballet, Dame Monica Mason, choreographed by
:05:50. > :05:52.
:05:52. > :05:58.Kevin McMillan. It is unusual that a man is doing that role. But it is
:05:58. > :06:04.interesting to watch. It is just incredibly physical. What is it
:06:04. > :06:14.like rehearsing with him? (LAUGHTER). It is very easy because
:06:14. > :06:14.
:06:14. > :06:18.he works so hard. I am trying to pass on as much as I can. It is a
:06:18. > :06:22.long time ago but I remember it well because it was made for me. I
:06:22. > :06:32.want him to have a great time doing it. (PIANO MUSIC FROM 'THE RITE OF
:06:32. > :06:32.
:06:32. > :07:26.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 61 seconds
:07:26. > :07:32.SPRING' PLAYS). Do you think there is a stigma attached to being a
:07:32. > :07:42.male ballet dancer? Yes, but I think that it also comes from a
:07:42. > :08:16.
:08:16. > :08:26.lack of knowledge, not seeing what we do every day. It is tough.
:08:26. > :08:31.
:08:31. > :08:41.really see the collapse... Like this. Do not emphasise the hands.
:08:41. > :08:54.
:08:54. > :09:01.Emphasise your top arm. Yes. Yes. Tell me about the part you are
:09:01. > :09:05.playing? It is called The Chosen One and it is part, I am part of a
:09:05. > :09:14.tribe of people. It goes through the ritual and sacrifice of one
:09:14. > :09:24.person. The feeling of ultimate honour but also terror, the fact
:09:24. > :09:41.
:09:41. > :09:51.that you're going to be sacrificed to whatever it is. You kind of
:09:51. > :09:59.
:09:59. > :10:09.dance yourself to death, really. You basically do it to yourself.
:10:09. > :10:10.
:10:10. > :10:14.Keep going, more body. Yes. Good. Well done. How was that? It was
:10:14. > :10:20.good because I did everything and tried to apply the things that I
:10:20. > :10:30.was told weren't so good yesterday. I felt as if I had started to do
:10:30. > :10:53.
:10:53. > :10:56.that. In terms of stamina, to run something like that you always a
:10:57. > :11:00.bit of a sense of achievement afterwards. The fact I can get
:11:00. > :11:05.through it, whether or not it looks awful, makes me feel more positive
:11:05. > :11:09.going into it. That is one of the worries I get. I do not know if it
:11:09. > :11:13.is just me, but I worry if I will be able to get through doing
:11:13. > :11:17.everything I am supposed to. When you know you are on track for that,
:11:17. > :11:21.you feel more confident. Is it a test of endurance? Yes, it is. It
:11:22. > :11:25.is able to be done, I am not dead, but you feel exhausted. It is hard.
:11:25. > :11:29.It is rhythmically hard. You do not go at the same pace. That takes
:11:29. > :11:34.energy. How closely do you listen to the music? Very closely. It is
:11:34. > :11:39.absolutely everything. It is like something is making you do it, I am
:11:39. > :11:42.not in control. In this case, music drives you to push you to do things
:11:42. > :11:46.that you do not want to. That is important. Can you improvise?
:11:47. > :11:50.Not really. It has been done by a lot of people. It is written down.
:11:50. > :11:54.There is a certain way to do things. You can interpret, within those
:11:54. > :11:57.rules, but you do not improvise and change. You give your thoughts and
:11:57. > :12:01.musicality to something. Is there a sense of pressure for you doing a
:12:01. > :12:04.role that others have done before you? Yes, there is always that
:12:04. > :12:08.pressure with everything. Even with the roles that have been made for
:12:08. > :12:12.me, you still feel that pressure. Because once you do that first one,
:12:12. > :12:16.you have to do the show again. is my turn for some coaching. It is
:12:16. > :12:20.time to try out the ballet shoes. He starts by giving me a beginner's
:12:20. > :12:24.guide. First of all, when you do a pirouette, you go from this
:12:24. > :12:34.position, so you need to be able to balance first. Balance before you
:12:34. > :12:37.
:12:37. > :12:47.turn. Put your right foot behind, turn. You picked up the wrong foot.
:12:47. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :13:01.Put this foot on the other knee. It happens in one piece. Almost. As
:13:01. > :13:02.
:13:02. > :13:12.you turn, leave your head and bring your arm in. As you leave your head,
:13:12. > :13:16.
:13:16. > :13:22.remember to pick up your leg. too late for me to take up ballet?
:13:22. > :13:28.Yes. How old were you when you started? I was three. That was
:13:28. > :13:32.young. I think a lot of people start between 3 and 5. Most of us.
:13:32. > :13:36.Not intending to make a career of it at that age, but because it is
:13:36. > :13:40.fun or because your friends are. But I became serious about it. I
:13:40. > :13:46.was nine or ten when I knew it was what I wanted to do and I joined
:13:46. > :13:56.the Royal Ballet School when I was 10. When I was 11, I began at the
:13:56. > :13:59.
:13:59. > :14:03.Royal Ballet School full-time. That is a big thing from going to one
:14:03. > :14:05.class a week to doing it for several hours a day with people who
:14:05. > :14:10.have the same ability and skill with different kinds of
:14:10. > :14:13.competitions. A different atmosphere. It was totally
:14:13. > :14:23.different. It was totally alien to be surrounded by everybody wanting
:14:23. > :14:25.
:14:25. > :14:31.the same thing. Because before I was the only one. When you are
:14:31. > :14:36.there, it is a whole other level of how good you are. What happened
:14:36. > :14:40.after the Royal Ballet School? left when I was 16 and joined the
:14:40. > :14:49.Royal Ballet Upper School when I was 16-18. Then I joined here when
:14:49. > :14:56.I was 18. It sounds like a progression, which it was, but I
:14:56. > :15:00.was lucky because very few people have that happen to them. You have
:15:00. > :15:06.to pass an assessment every year to see if you are improving enough and
:15:06. > :15:11.if they liked you. You could be asked to leave at any time. To make
:15:11. > :15:15.it through each year is like an event. To make it from the lower
:15:15. > :15:24.school to the upper school was a bigger event. To be chosen by the
:15:24. > :15:29.company is another massive moment. It is what everybody wants. Do you
:15:29. > :15:36.enjoy being a dancer? Yes, I do. It is not like I wake up every day and
:15:36. > :15:41.think, I love this. It is something that is part of me. I have to do it.
:15:42. > :15:45.It is part of who I am. There are moments when you think, I loved
:15:45. > :15:55.that performance. I love working with that woman. But it is more
:15:55. > :16:16.
:16:17. > :16:22.Ed is now rehearsing for Romeo and Juliet composed by Prokofiev. He is
:16:22. > :16:32.playing Romeo. It is a one-on-one session with a Royal Ballet trainer
:16:32. > :16:32.
:16:32. > :17:39.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 61 seconds
:17:39. > :17:49.who was himself a principal with the company. Good. Yes. Attitude,
:17:49. > :18:15.
:18:15. > :18:25.lined up, tuck it behind. Single attitude. Johnny was the greatest
:18:25. > :18:31.
:18:31. > :18:34.British male principle for a long time. At the Royal Ballet? Yes. We
:18:34. > :18:37.did some performances together when I was starting. Johnny was a great
:18:37. > :18:47.inspiration to me and a lot of other people. It is great to have
:18:47. > :18:58.
:18:58. > :19:02.someone I respected so much looking after me. He has got great taste
:19:02. > :19:12.and he will not let me get away with looking too dreadful. What do
:19:12. > :19:16.
:19:16. > :19:20.you two work on together? Most things I do, actually. Ed knows
:19:20. > :19:24.about me. I teach him most of that. That makes it easier, if I have
:19:24. > :19:28.taught him from scratch, because he knows what I see the role as being.
:19:28. > :19:31.We work as an athlete. Later on once we are out making the run of
:19:31. > :19:34.rehearsals we try to bring the performance side into it as well as
:19:34. > :19:44.the physical. In the early stages it is very much about uch about al
:19:44. > :19:53.
:19:53. > :20:03.side. The technique. I am one of those people who is probably
:20:03. > :20:13.
:20:13. > :20:23.frustrating to work with because I know what the right way is.
:20:23. > :20:26.
:20:26. > :20:30.interesting artists are up and down. Some days that are good, some days
:20:30. > :20:34.not. That is just their ability as artists. It is not a formatted look
:20:34. > :20:38.that is the same every day. I do test Johnny's patience a bit.
:20:38. > :20:41.Romeo a difficult role? I think Romeo is one of the hardest. It
:20:41. > :20:44.could be such a fulfilling role. There is so much to the Prokofiev
:20:44. > :20:48.score and you want to enjoy every moment. The pressure of the
:20:48. > :20:52.physical side is always at the back of your mind. The stamina needed.
:20:52. > :21:02.You want it to feel as amazing as it looks and it does not. It is a
:21:02. > :21:11.
:21:11. > :21:16.tough one. Before his next rehearsal, Ed has a physio session.
:21:16. > :21:21.His calf is like a bullet and he has symptoms in his heel. How many
:21:21. > :21:26.large injuries have you had in your career? Two. This one and I broke a
:21:26. > :21:30.bone in my foot ten years ago. So in ten years it is not that bad.
:21:30. > :21:39.How long do you think you can keep going as a ballet dancer? I don't
:21:39. > :21:43.know. I would like to keep going for as long as my body feels good
:21:43. > :21:51.and I look good and I can still do the choreography the way it is
:21:51. > :21:56.supposed to be done. I guess it is different for every person. I feel
:21:56. > :22:06.like I am just starting really in some ways. I am not thinking about
:22:06. > :22:10.
:22:10. > :22:13.it within the next couple of years anyway. After physio I asked Ed
:22:13. > :22:23.whether he goes out dancing with his friends. Not really too often.
:22:23. > :22:26.
:22:26. > :22:29.I am too self-aware. As a dancer you get used to having a lot of
:22:29. > :22:33.people watching and telling you are doing something wrong so it feels
:22:33. > :22:37.brave to just go out and dance. A lot of them do, just not me. Do you
:22:37. > :22:47.have the moves on the dance floor? No, I do not. I get very self-
:22:47. > :22:48.
:22:48. > :22:58.conscious at the disco. Ed's final rehearsal of the day is the Rite of
:22:58. > :23:15.
:23:15. > :23:19.Spring again with other members of the cast. At the end of the day we
:23:19. > :23:22.are off to the O2 Arena. Ed will get a sense of it before playing
:23:22. > :23:26.Romeo there in Romeo and Juliet. You will be performing here. How
:23:26. > :23:29.does that make you feel? Slightly terrified by the size of it. It is
:23:29. > :23:33.a real landmark, isn't it? I can't wait to get inside and see how it
:23:33. > :23:40.is going to look. I freak out when I see just how many people can get
:23:40. > :23:47.in there. Ed has brought some friends with him to the arena.
:23:47. > :23:57.is a lot of seats, isn't it? It is a lot of seats. Do you know how big
:23:57. > :24:05.
:24:05. > :24:08.the stage is going to be? No. When I actually go onto the stage of the
:24:08. > :24:12.Opera House when it is not a performance, just to walk across
:24:12. > :24:17.and you look out and see all the seats that is scary anyway. But it
:24:17. > :24:21.is like that on a much bigger, kind of... They are everywhere. I do not
:24:21. > :24:28.know if it was such a good idea coming. They put me right off.
:24:28. > :24:34.this is a different perspective? Yes, seeing how small people look
:24:34. > :24:41.down there. You forget when you know people are watching, but when
:24:41. > :24:47.you watch someone else you realise how they watch everything. It is
:24:47. > :24:56.sort of strange. It is the wrong way round for me. Is all the hard
:24:56. > :24:59.work worth it for you? Yes, definitely. For those moments where
:24:59. > :25:04.everything works and you feel like the work has paid off and you have
:25:04. > :25:07.done what you set out to do. It is always worth it. There is nothing
:25:07. > :25:15.quite like the feeling of doing a really good performance. And it is
:25:15. > :25:18.awful when you know you have done a bad one. It is satisfying at the
:25:18. > :25:21.end of the day to feel like you have really given everything you've