A Principal Artist with the Leeds-based Northern Ballet Theatre, Jonathan Ollivier is at the height of his career. Here he tells us about his latest role in Swan Lake, how he relaxes - and the joys of dancing in skimpy boxer shorts!

Earlier this year, Jonathan Ollivier wowed the Milton Keynes Theatre with his sensitive portrayal of Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream and a very brief pair of boxer shorts!

This September, he's returning to MK in Swan Lake, equally empassioned, but wearing a few more clothes!

In the spring we spoke to him about his very own Billy Elliot story, now he has told us more about his life as a dancer and his latest role.

This production of Swan Lake is very different from Northern Ballet Theatre’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but again it’s not all tutus and tights is it?

Jonathan Ollivier in the Northern Ballet Theatre's Wuthering Heights

Jonathan: No it’s not. The original story is about a prince and it’s a real fairy tale where a swan turns into a lady and Prince Siegfried falls in love with her.

Our version is pretty similar but it’s about a normal, young middle class guy raised in America in the early 1900s.

It’s just about his experiences of growing up. He’s a very complex man and he feels like he just doesn’t fit in anywhere. His best mate Simon ‘likes’ him. This girl Odelia ‘likes’ him too. He just doesn’t know what to do, so he lays down by the lake, closes his eyes and has a vision of this perfect swan-like being and falls completely in love.

That’s were the classical side of the original story comes in, but the rest of it is quite neo-classical so there’s plenty in it for both the purists and for those who like something a little bit different.

You play Anthony, the Siegfried character in the production. It sounds like he’s undergoing some kind of sexual awakening where he’s not quite sure which way to go?

Jonathan: Yes, it’s just like that. It’s a sexual awakening and he really is very confused, so much so, that he’s just not happy with anyone. His destiny is really to be a dreamer forever. He just doesn’t feel part of this world. He doesn’t feel like he fits in.

So does he make a decision one way or the other?

Jonathan: No, not really! But I think he’s influenced in his decisions like a lot of people are. There’s one moment when he’s very, very close to Simon but his mum sees him. So to prove to his mum that he’s not ‘like that’ he marries Odelia his friend.

There does seem to be a lot more acting in Northern Ballet Theatre productions now. Do you have special acting coaches as well?

Jonathan: Yes - we have Patricia Doyle who’s done a lot of stuff with RADA etc. She helps us when the piece is being choreographed. She sets the scene and we do workshops with nearly every ballet that we’ve done. When you’re deciding how to interpret it, she helps you along and gives you ideas.

A lot of ballet seems to moving in that direction now. To actually see a traditional classical ballet is getting quite rare! Do you see it as the duty of a dancer nowadays to move them on a bit?

Jonathan: Not necessarily because classics are classics. I think it’s just that people are trying to interest a wider audience. A lot of people still think that ballet is guys running around in tights and I think that nowadays they are trying it different ways. For example with Swan Lake, they’ve tried it with men being swans. There are so many different versions and I think it really is just to let people see different ways it can be done.

But I think that classical ballet still has a very big niche as well. There are a lot of companys that still do purely classical stuff. But doing something where the audience have to think a little bit is something that Northern prides itself on.

Jonathan Ollivier as Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photo Brian Slater Read our review of A Midsummer Night's Dream >>

I know people who were ‘dragged’ along to MK and absolutely loved A Midsummer Night’s Dream so it’s obviously working!

Jonathan: Yes. It is going through a big change and a lot of stuff that the company do is very butch and very masculine. Except for this one where Anthony’s a bit confused!

Dracula was a great ballet to bring people to for the first time because everybody knew the story. It’s the same with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. People know the story so it’s really good for them to come if they are seeing ballet for the first time.

When you're getting ready to perform, do you have a routine you like to follow?

Jonathan: I do yes. Some people are very funny about their routines - they have to put this bit of make-up on first etc. I normally have a little snooze if I can, then I jump in a hot shower for about 5 or 10 minutes, do my make-up, go through some stuff and then warm-up and stretch for the show which takes about 20 minutes.

You haven’t got any superstitions then?

Jonathan: There are a couple of things, yes! I think that a lot of dancers and people who go on the stage have funny things that they do. But I wouldn’t say what mine are because I feel they’re so small and I wouldn’t want it to bring me bad luck!

When you’re training and learning you get told about these things - don’t walk under ladders etc and whether you believe them or not you don't do it! You want as much luck and peace of mind as possible before you go on!

Your part involves a lot of torment and anguish. How do you relax afterwards? Does it stay with you?

Jonathan: With this particular production it’s not so bad really because it’s such a different part of life that I’m playing. I’m just guessing what it’s like really, so I get into it as emotionally as I possibly can but it never feels real.

Whereas with other productions like Wuthering Heights and Romeo and Juliet you know how it is to fall in love and to be hurt so it’s quite hard to come down from that and feel a bit normal afterwards.

Swan Lake is very physically tiring though, so I do like to just have some good food afterwards and a drink! I’m lucky. My wife’s in the company as well so we go and have something to eat together and have a chat and either forget or talk about the evening.

What’s it like working with your wife?

Jonathan: I love it! I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You’re on tour so much, I suppose it would be hard if you weren’t?

Jonathan: Yes. There are couples in the company who have found it very hard when the girl has stopped to have children, because we tour for about 30-32 weeks per year.

I get the best of both worlds. I love spending time with my wife - and vice versa I hope! And we still have so much to talk about. We don’t get to see each other very much during the day anyway because we’re in different rehearsals - so it’s great! I love it!

Jonathan Ollivier as Death in NBT's Requiem

Do you ever both get ‘home’ to a base?

Jonathan: Yeah - my wife and I have just bought a flat in Leeds and that’s our base. That’s where the company rehearse but we haven’t been there for a month now!

You don’t ever feel a need to rehearse at home though do you?

Jonathan: No never! I suppose we could do but I wouldn’t want to! It’s quite strange because when we're at home you would think we wouldn’t want to think of anything about work at all.

Bbut we both love watching dance videos because we don’t ever get to see other ballet dancers. We love to see things that are on TV that are to do with dance.

You were also been nominated for dancer of the year this year. That must have been quite exciting.

Jonathan: It was wonderful - very unexpected. I was nominated the year before as best male newcomer and I was over the moon with that.

But then I got a nomination again this year and it was against some huge dancers - William Trevitt and Carlos Acosta - who are both world class so it was absolutely amazing being in the same category. I was very chuffed with that. My mum and nan were very happy as well!

Does it put any kind of extra pressure on you once you’ve had a nomination for that kind of thing?

Jonathan: Not really no. You just try and do your best whether you’ve been nominated or not because people pay money to watch a show and they want to be entertained. I got nominated because I try to do the shows to the best of my ability which is what I’ve always done and that won’t change.

But you’re getting to be a bit of a star in the dance world?

Jonathan: Yeah - I’m getting known a bit more now and it’s lovely. It’s just great to read nice things about yourself every now and again. But even if it’s bad things I don’t mind too much because you’re still being spoken about. It’s a nice feeling. It’s what you strive for when you start dancing as a little kid.

It’s nice to know you’re making an impression on someone whether it’s good or bad. Hopefully it’s good most of the time and that’s such a nice feeling - one of the rewards of the job.

Well they say that all publicity is good. Do you read your reviews?

Jonathan: I read all of them yes! And if I get constructive comments then I will definitely try and do them. If someone says they don’t think my first act is strong enough then I’d look at why and try and make it better.

If there are nice things said, then I’ll know that that bit’s OK and I’ll try and keep it like that. I try and use it all constructively. But if there are just silly comments then you can’t really do anything about it.

Do you ever go blank like actors do? Do you ever forget your steps? And if you do, can you make them up and get away with it?

Jonathan: Yes it does happen! We take four ballets on tour a season which is for three or four months and we do a different ballet every week so that’s a lot of steps that you have to remember. It’s happened to me a couple of times and it’s an absolutely horrible feeling. It’s bizarre. If it’s a huge blank you have to do something, you can’t just stand there so yes, you do make something up!

You can cover it up if you’re clever enough, but sometimes you blank and you have no idea what’s going on.

Once I was in a box that I had to come out of as my entrance when we were doing Jekyll and Hyde. They had lights in the box and it was really, really hot. By the time I got out, I got such a head rush that I just blanked and forgot everything. I was like that until I felt cool which took about five seconds but it felt like an eternity! It’s a really strange feeling.

The NBT's A Midsummer Night's Dream

There’s one thing I have to ask - I hope you don’t mind! Those boxer shorts in A Midsummer Night’s Dream - did they ever rip? Were you ever worried about that when you were dancing?

Jonathan: I wasn’t really worried about it no. They were so skimpy anyway that if they were to rip it wouldn’t have made that much difference! But they were not re-inforced, they were pure silk boxer shorts!

Have you ever been worried about any costume?

Jonathan: It’s actually worse when you’ve got trousers on and they’re a bit tight. You feel a bit more exposed in trousers because you’re completely covered and it would be horrible to have a tear and people looking at you. But in Midsummer, they were such short boxer shorts that I already felt quite naked anyway!

What’s the worse thing they’ve put you in?

Jonathan: The worst thing was in Jekyll and Hyde. I was Hyde and it was a very sado-masochistic costume. It was all latex and really, really hot - and very uncomfortable to dance in as well. It was quite restrictive and tight and I was in it for the whole show.

But that was how the choreographer wanted the costume to look and I really had to just make do with it. But the majority of time they would rather have you in stuff that you are comfortable in and can move around in.

So you prefer something a bit skimpier then?

Jonathan: Yeah - I like something skimpy! We work so hard trying to get a nice body and to cover it up all the time really seems a shame. I suppose that’s a bit of the vanity side of all dancers coming out!

I’m sure the audience don’t mind either!

Jonathan: I hope not!

Read our review of Swan Lake

What dreams are made of?
Read our last interview with Jonathan Ollivier

Read our review of A Midsummer Night's Dream

Grantham gets hooked!