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- Q: At this time of year, it must be so tempting to eat and drink loads! What is your usual diet as a dancer? Q: Do you still get nervous before performanc­es? Q: Of the four ballets – Snow Maiden, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Cinderella – which is your fa

Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella and La Sylphide. unwell I’m needed to step in for a second time. You can’t show your tiredness and lack of energy to the audience though. They came to watch and get that energy and joy from you, and you can’t fail them.

A: Ballet dancers actually eat well and don’t adhere to the diet for the sake of physical form.

Most of us love meat as we need lots of energy on stage, and burn all calories in rehearsals and performanc­es.

I’ll certainly indulge over Christmas, but then I may have a harder exercise at the barre on December 27! The best New Year detox is exercise and plenty of water. A: I don’t get nervous, but I focus all my attention on what is ahead.

I have no superstiti­ous rituals to complete, and I don’t enter into conversati­ons with colleagues backstage.

Instead, I save all my energy and concentrat­ion for the performanc­e.

A: The Nutcracker. Everything is in harmony in this ballet – the storyline, music and choreograp­hy.

The entire production is quintessen­tially Christmas.

A: The audience will be surprised to see more magical transforma­tions onstage beyond the dancing on the digital screen.

For instance, the Christmas tree will grow, whilst Moor and Columbine dolls will literally jump from Drosseleme­yer’s box of surprises on the backdrop to dance onstage.

A: We love the Cardiff audience, and can’t wait to meet them every year. Cardiff is always the first city on our tour, and coming directly from Siberia we find ourselves in a warm environmen­t in all senses of the word.

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> Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia

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