Young at his art
National Ballet’s Aleksandar Antonijevic is still dancing demanding roles at 42
At an age when most male dancers have made their final bows, National Ballet principal dancer Aleksandar Antonijevic is not only still dancing big meaty roles; he’s adding new ones to a diverse repertoire.
Antonijevic, 42, will reprise his role in Chroma, the hyperphysical hit by British choreographer Wayne McGregor. And he’ll make his debut in Maurice Béjart’s Song of a Wayfarer, in a plum role originated in 1971 (and at a much younger age) by superstar Rudolf Nureyev. Both ballets are part of a National Ballet mixed program running June 13 to 17.
“I keep hearing men never last this long and it’s certainly a challenge, physically and mentally, but I keep getting these amazing roles that make me want to keep dancing,” Antonijevic says.
He calls Wayfarer “one of my dearest roles already and I’ve not even gone onstage with it yet.”
“Aleks is just perfect,” says British ballerina Maina Gielgud, once a star of the late Béjart’s company who is staging Wayfarer for the National Ballet. “The role lends itself to individual interpretation and can mean such different things to different dancers according to their personality and stage of their career . . . It’s so obvious that (Antonijevic) is relishing every second of his involvement with it, and brings the benefit of his immense experience and artistry.”
Since he turned 40 in July 2009, Antonijevic has been picked by McGregor for the 2010 company premiere of Chroma; by Christopher Wheeldon to originate the du- el role of Lewis Carroll/The White Rabbit in 2011’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; and by Alexei Ratmansky for the male lead in his new Romeo and Juliet. The last of these came as a big surprise and morale booster. “We’d heard rumours Alexei was looking for younger dancers,” says Antonijevic. “It was really gratifying to be chosen. It was also pretty taxing. He’s a very physical choreographer.”
Antonijevic, whose youthful looks belie his age, is of Serbian/Polish parentage. He trained in the classical Russian Vaganova method at the national ballet school in Novi Sad. He graduated and joined Zurich Ballet just as the former Yugoslavia was unravelling and his Serbian homeland was pitched into war. His move to Canada in 1991 meant accepting a lower-rank position than he had in the Swiss company, but Antonijevic was soon dancing leading roles and, within four years, the National Ballet made him a principal.
So just how has Antonijevic managed to beat the odds in such an athletically unremitting art form? As he explains, it’s part experience, knowing your body, and how to condition and pace it, but also good fortune. “It all depends on the body and I was lucky to be blessed with one that’s made for ballet. And every injury I’ve had, there have fortunately been no long-term repercus- sions. I’ve just bounced back.” Ironically, one of Antonijevic’s longest spells on the sidelines due to injury had nothing to do with ballet. He was on holiday in Croatia, scrambled up a stone wall, fell and broke his right wrist. “I had to have surgery. I was out for eight weeks.” Antonijevic also attributes his un- usually long career to the nurturing environment he’s found at the National Ballet, a major reason he resisted offers elsewhere.
“This company feels like family to me. As a dancer you need support and I’ve found that here. It’s a place where you can develop as an artist. Also, I just love this city and this country. It’s truly my home.”
Antonijevic says company artistic director Karen Kain, who danced into her late 40s, is not pressuring him to retire. “Karen is so understanding. She just tells me to take my time and keep an open mind.”
And when that final bow does come, Antonijevic is keeping his options open. Over the past few years he’s developed a successful sideline as a photographer, and Kain has been assigning him to teach company classes and coach other dancers.
“Whatever it is, I certainly want it to be artistic. But right now I’m still loving dancing a lot.” Chroma, Song of a Wayfarer & Elite Syncopations, June 13-17, Four Seasons Centre, 145 Queen St. W.; national.ballet.ca or 1-866-345-9595.