On The Road: Darcey Bussell
Darcey Bussell toured all over the globe as a ballet star but, she tells Louise Flind, she has always looked forward to going home
Is there anything you can’t leave home without? I have a hard rubber ball because I get stiff if I sit for too long. I roll on it and it releases my whole lower back and the top of my buttocks – that’s an old ballet dancer thing.
Something you really miss? I just miss home full stop. I suppose my bed. I never really sleep that well when I’m away. It always takes a couple of days with different beds – apparently you should sleep on the floor.
Earliest childhood holiday memories? I loved the ocean as a kid. We went to Australia a lot because of my Dad being Australian. I thought the smell and the colours were amazing in Australia.
Did you tour with the Royal Ballet? America, Japan, Asia – we’d tour every other year. I loved Asia because it was so contrasting but also because the audiences were incredibly welcoming. I loved America; we performed in New York and Orange County, California, and Dallas. I also did a lot of guesting with companies: going to Russia with the Mariinsky, and the Paris Opera. It was really hard in Russia because it was minus 30C and I remember I was guesting with the Australian ballet afterwards and then it was plus 30C.
Did you find theatres abroad different? When you travel as a big company, you have to go to the big theatres because of the sets – places like Washington’s Kennedy Centre, which has very advanced technology – so you always felt incredibly privileged. What I miss most is travelling with the company as a group – you work together and support each other. In the resident company in London, we all have our outside lives.
Are your travelling habits different from when you were a working dancer? I don’t think they have changed, actually. We had a lot more help with our luggage! I was really organised and made sure I knew all the temperature changes in different countries and took a variety of clothes. There would always be a smart evening or a first night, and I think that’s stayed with me – I think of every possibility, and I like clothes as well. I just don’t take point shoes anymore, which are very heavy. But we had a tour box where we put all our plasters and stuff that protected our feet, along with our point shoes and our make-up. And you’d always travel with your practice gear, just in case the luggage didn’t arrive.
Do you walk around the plane? Yes – we were always up and about. I don’t envy anybody who has to travel with the Royal Ballet because it’s a very busy flight – everybody is walking around, chatting to each other and exercising or lying on the floor, right down the corridors, until we get told off and sent back to our seats. Loads of dancers used to have their legs up on the seats in front to help circulation – and it’s a bit noisy as they’re very young. You’ve just been made a dame by the Queen. Do you use your title to get flight upgrades? I normally travel under my married name… very low-key. No upgrades!
Strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? In Beijing, we went to a restaurant and they show you everything before you eat it – fresh, alive. We had turtle soup, and when you saw the live turtle before you ate it, that wasn’t good. I must have only been about nineteen.
Do you have a go at the local language? No, I’m very lazy. I always intend to. My family live in France, so that’s a great incentive. My whole language in the classical ballet world is French so I know a ridiculous amount of ballet words that I probably wouldn’t use in everyday French – sissone, pas de chat or pas de bourrée – I know what they all mean. I don’t have a great ear for languages, even being musical. I’ve worked with Russians, Italians, Hungarians and Germans and I taught them English… especially, a lovely Italian dancer called Roberto Bolle, when I went to guest with him at La Scala. So many people just want to speak in English – that’s a really bad excuse for me not learning.
Top travelling tips? When you get on a plane, drink a lot of water. I don’t think I ever do, and I notice the difference as soon as I do. And when you arrive in a country, try not to drink things to keep you awake, like sugary drinks; just keep drinking water. Also, I love all those moisture sprays for your skin and facial oils – I have them, even on the train.
What are you working on at the moment? Diverse Dance Mix – which is a dance fitness programme. It’s in the adult market as well. But it’s a programme that we put into state schools to engage kids in dance and all the attributes.