Experience Don Quixote with the Birmingham Royal Ballet

I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to a member of the corps de ballet, Hannah Martin, about the ballet and her experiences of working with this world renowned company. She has a charming, delightful disposition; the type of lady you would love as a best friend, but underneath, there is a sense of determination, drive and ambition as well as an extreme hard work ethic, all of which are of course essential for dancers at this level.

Hannah’s journey to the world of professional dance was an unusual one.

“I started baby ballet classes when I was really young, encouraged by my mum who was also a dancer. She wanted to give me the best start in life, which I so appreciate,” said Hannah.

She continued, “I continued at the RAD when I was eight and it was hard work which I enjoy, so I felt it was something I could apply myself to. Then at the age of 11, I became heavily involved in rhythmic gymnastics which then took me on a whole different path. I competed for Great Britain, when to the Commonwealth Games at the age of 15 and I was officially the youngest member of Team England. It was an incredible experience.”

“I went to the World Championships and became English Champion as a senior in 2018, before suddenly deciding to concentrate on my ballet career,” Hannah told me.

A lot of hard work followed and it was a very brave decision to make at this point in her career, but as Hannah pointed out “you have to have some level of crazy to be a dancer! I mean we dance on our toes all day” she laughed!

Hannah also competed on the hit BBC TV Show The Greatest Dancer and made it all the way through to the semi finals, which was another incredible experience. This lead to an audition to join the world famous Elmhurst Ballet School, which she naturally grabbed with both hands.

The hard work paid off as Hannah obtained an apprenticeship with the Birmingham Royal Ballet and has not looked back since. 

“Ballet is a very rewarding art form, but it is also a very harsh one at times,” said Hannah. “That said, I am so grateful that I get to do what I love for my job.”

But back to “Don Quixote.” Hannah told me “It is vibrant, colourful and loud and we get to vocalise in the ballet which is unusual, but really fun. There is so much acting for the corps de ballet too. You will never be bored. Take a look at what is happening the background, because we have a whole little story of our own going on,” she said.

“There are lots of little side characters. I imagine I am Princess whoever from what ever Spanish town and built a story around her. It’s such fun to have your own personality, individuality and freedom. If each member of the company takes that on, it creates a lot of energy on stage.”

Hannah continued, “All the main characters are a little over the top, which I absolutely love. Sometimes ballet can be a little understated, but I call Don Q a pantomime ballet because of the humorous characters, and you will be laughing throughout. Act Two is a contrast though.”

I asked Hannah what audiences can expect in terms of scenery and costumes for the piece.

“It completely captures the essence of Spain,” she said. “The costumes are bright green, red, gold. The matadors with their suits and capes bring so much colour to the stage, never mind the girls with their various dresses.”

“Act One takes place mostly in the town square which is very colourful and bright, but in Act Two it moves into the gypsy den which is darker and more atmospheric”, she continued. And Act Three is yet another contrast.

No more spoilers from me! I feel as if I have told you too much already, and you need to go along and see for yourself, but for sure, there is much more before a stunning finale. 

Hannah is still in awe of the principal dancers in the company.

“For the corps de ballet, it is wonderful to just watch and learn and admire the technique of our principals, probably just as much as the audience,” said Hannah.

I wondered what Carlos Acosta is like to work with. “He is a very passionate director and whenever he is in the room, he brings his Cuban Spanish roots and flair, which I think this ballet really needs,” said Hannah.

She continued, “I am very British and so I love getting into the characters and that more Latino style. He is very keen on the punctuation of the choreography and the presentation of your upper body which is something that I am trying to learn and bring to my dancing.”

My personal favourite ballet is the tragic love story “Romeo and Juliet” and Hannah’s dream role is that of the young star-crossed lover.

“It is not just the dancing, but it is the emotion and the story,” she said. “I can remember seeing in rehearsal and sobbing,” she continued. “I would love to dance the role of Juliet.”

Away from the world of dance, Hannah is very disciplined with her strength, flexibility and mindfulness and regularly posts on social media with exercises and ideas. She also has an online presence called “Make it Happen Academy” which concentrates on exercise but also mindset, body confidence and anything else which dancers have to deal with every day.

Hannah is of the opinion that there is some much out there to help with the physical side of life, but we rarely concentrate enough on the mindset and mental health, which is equally, if not more as important.

“I am so passionate about this that if I didn’t dance, I think maybe motivational speaking would be for me. I feel such a calling to empower people to believe that their dreams are possible,” she said.

I wondered where Hannah sees herself in five years time. She laughed out loud!

“I used to be called Hannah the Planner,” she said, “but I have already had two surgeries since I have worked here and so now I try to live more in the moment. I have dreams of moving up in the company and dancing my dream roles, although I do love my corps de ballet work. There is no guarantee in this job that you will ever get there, but I know that at the end of every day if I have given my best and put in the work, then the rest is up to fate.”

What a delightful interview with an enchanting young dancer.

Do you dream of dancing in a ballet? The Birmingham Royal Ballet is running a series of dance workshops where children and adults can learn dances inspired by “Don Quixote.” Taught by former and current professional dancers from the company, the workshops are tailored towards the needs of the specific participants. Who could resist?

Catch Don Quixote at the Birmingham Hippodrome from February 12-21 before it heads out on tour.

For more information and tickets visit brb.org.uk or birminghamhippodrome.com to book.

For more information on Hannah Martin and the Make It Happen Academy, visit hannahmartin.info