Windsor native to rejoin Royal Winnipeg ballet
Craig Ramsay is worried about looking too muscular.
It seems like a strange concern for an actor and fitness specialist, but it could pose a problem for his next project. From Feb. 13 to 17, the Windsor native will be dancing as Lord Capulet in a production of Romeo and Juliet by the internationally renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Ramsay said he was 195 pounds when he got the call, which is the “largest, most muscular person they’ve probably ever had on that stage.” He’s hoping to get down to 170 before rehearsals. Still pretty big for a ballet dancer.
“No matter what I do, I’m still going to be a huge muscular-looking guy,” said Ramsay, who was born in Windsor and grew up in Harrow. “I just don’t want to be a bodybuilder on that stage.”
Since his days in Essex County, Ramsay has toured with a production of Mamma Mia, and performed in several Broadway shows, including Fiddler on the Roof and Hair with Jennifer Hudson and Ru Paul.
He now lives in Los Angeles where he landed starring roles in several reality shows on Bravo TV, including Shahs of Sunset and Newlyweds: The First Year, and guest starred on other shows including 2 Broke Girls and General Hospital. He’s also a personal trainer and fitness guru for celebrities.
It wasn’t always clear that Ramsay ’s path would lead to show business.
“Growing up in Harrow, there wasn’t a lot of options,” he said. “Hockey was primarily my focus.” But he wanted to be in musical theatre. So in Grade 10, he started going to Walkerville Collegiate and the Windsor Centre for Creative Arts (WCCA).
From there he was introduced to the former Theatre Alive and Windsor Light Music Theatre. “I had what I was told was a unique special gift in flexibility and artistry with dance and movement,” said Ramsay. “So it really inspired me to audition for the Royal Winnipeg. To my surprise and shock, and I think the shock of my whole family, they accepted me.”
In 1998 he received a full scholarship to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s professional school division. Only one person from Ontario is offered the scholarship annually. But after that stint he thought his ballet days were behind him. Ramsay said he has never actually performed in a full-length ballet. Then he recently returned to Winnipeg to visit his friend, Catherine Wreford, a well-known performer with terminal brain cancer. “We stopped in to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and to my surprise I was met with open arms,” said Ramsay. “They were so nice and sweet, and then last week they called me to see if I’d be interested, along with Catherine, to play Lord and Lady Capulet in their Romeo and Juliet in February.”
So at age 41, Ramsay is preparing for the first time to perform in a ballet production with one of the world’s premier dance companies. It’s a lot of pressure. “They’re not just dancers,” he said. “To call a star from Royal Winnipeg Ballet a dancer, in my opinion, is an insult because they are artists.”
But despite the stress of trying to keep up with some of the best in one of the most physically demanding professions, there’s no stage he’d rather step foot on. “Every single time I mention it I get shivers,” said Ramsay. “I can hear that music, the symphony playing. Romeo and Juliet is one of my favourite ballets. So to be invited back when I technically retired ... I’m grateful and I’m nervous and I’m excited.”