Strength in MOTION
All-male English ensemble, BalletBoyz, takes the traditional and flips it
M ichael Nunn and William Trevitt are no strangers to taking chances.
In fact, both men were dancers in The Royal Ballet in England.
After a full career of dancing, the pair decided to retire from dancing and start their own company.
Enter BalletBoyz, which got off the ground in 2001.
The company was something different — as it has only male dancers.
Over the years, the company has won praise in England and is now making its way through the United States.
The group will have a performance on Thursday, Feb. 11, at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe.
“We seem to have touched a chord in America,” Trevitt says during a recent phone interview. “We’ve found an audience who enjoys the work that we are doing.”
Trevitt says the company has grown to 10 dancers.
The current tour features two commissions from leading British choreographers.
The first piece, “The Murmuring,” is choreographed by rising talent Alexander Whitley — an affiliate choreographer of The Royal Ballet from 2012-2014 and a New Wave Associate at Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
Then there’s “Mesmerics,” which is choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, artistic associate at The Royal Ballet.
Trevitt says “Mesmerics” was an experiment for the company because it was originally choreographed for three people.
While at The Royal Ballet, Trevitt, Nunn and a female dancer often performed it.
“It occurred to us that it might be an interesting experiment,” he says. “We turned it into a piece for eight men.”
And with “The Murmuring,” he says Whitley has brought in a theme of royalty to the program.
“It’s more masculine and more physical,” he says. “The piece is also very intricate.”
Trevitt admits when the company was started, he thought it would be a passing trend.
No other companies were all male, which also makes it very intriguing for choreographers.
Trevitt says after a decade in existence, there are oftentimes that choreographers come to the company with an idea in mind.
In fact, choreographer Javier de Frutos, who is best known for his 2007 work in the West End revival of “Cabaret,” is currently working with the group.
“He came to us and asked if he could borrow the dancers for a week,” he says. “It was a really interesting experience. He’s currently making a new piece for us based on this week-long research he did. He’s turned the dancers into fascinating beings. It’s really unusual yet powerful.”
Trevitt says having an all-male company provides opportunities to change the normal when it comes to ballet.
“Each dancer is spectacular in his own right,” he says. “It’s when a piece of choreography brings them together as a unit. Magic happens and we can’t wait to take this company further.”
Trevitt, who began at The Royal Ballet at age 18 and became principal dancer in 1994, says stepping away from dancing was a difficult choice.
But he revels in having a different view when it comes to running the company.
“Yes it’s fun to tell people what to do,” he says with a laugh. “But I also know what a dancer is capable of. I want each dancer to reach his full potential.”