Returned to New Zealand, Christchurch boy and international dancer Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson has joined forces with Royal New Zealand Ballet in Venus Rising.

We hear Venus Rising will be your first professional performance in your hometown. How does that feel?

It’s a very strange circumstance to begin with. I’d not expected to be in New Zealand right now, given my usual place of work is the Houston Ballet, let alone dancing as a guest for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. I am deeply grateful to Artistic Director Patricia Barker for this opportunity, firstly to continue my dance training when ballet performances across America are largely cancelled for the rest of the year, but secondly to perform with the RNZB. Christchurch is where my dream began. It feels so important to me and poetic – I left Christchurch for the USA exactly ten years ago on the 29th of August 2010. We will perform in Christchurch on the 28th and 29th of August 2020. How weird is that?

What has been your favourite ballet to perform in?

Come In by Aszure Barton. It's an all-male cast set to transcendental music by Vladimir Martynov. It involves moments of really physical dancing as well as moments of simply standing still. To me it encompasses everything it is to be a male dancer, and it shows strength through sensitivity. It was also a moment of personal breakthrough for me, I had been slowly building up a lot of nerves since becoming a professional that I hadn't experienced in school, there are a lot of new expectations that you aren't used to. I felt like the energy and confidence that this dance gave me are things that have followed me every time I've gone out on stage since.

What’s the most common misconception about ballet?

That it's only for girls. Saying something is only for girls shouldn't be negative anyway, the women and men that do ballet have to be extremely athletic and artistic... and intelligent! 

What kind of fitness routine do you need to perform at this top level? 

The hard thing is that as a dancer even though you're exercising the whole day, each day can be really varied depending on which choreographers you are working with or what ballet you are doing. We have to do a lot of cross training to make sure that we are ready for anything that could come up and that we target some areas that ballet might not get. I do a lot of weights to try and make sure that I can support the ballerinas in whatever crazy lift or position the choreographer comes up with next. Pilates and yoga are really popular because they use a lot of strength and flexibility together. Swimming is really popular in the RNZB it seems, and in Houston a few of the dancers like to go bouldering. Finding the time to exercise more on top of a physical work day can be hard, but it's important to stay well rounded and injury free, as long as you don't overdo it.

You were the first New Zealander to be accepted by The Juilliard School in New York. How has that training shaped your career?

Juilliard was game-changing for me. The training is out of this world and it makes you really versatile because we work on a lot of different dance styles, even got to do a bit of tap and ballroom. The school has a strong focus on contemporary dance, and I think that's helped me get noticed at times in a ballet company because I move a bit outside of the ballet box. Getting a degree was also really important to me because I've always enjoyed the academic side of it all and even though the school really shaped me as a dancer, it shaped me much more as an artist. It taught me the importance of using my art to help the world and how important it is to advocate for my art form. Juilliard gave me the ability to use my dancing to reach for more than just my next show on stage. 

Tell us about the international ballet scene. What’s life like when you live and breathe ballet?

The international scene is a bit crazy at the moment – with most dance companies unable to operate, the art form has been trying to find a new way to breathe. We are resilient and creative, and I think some of the most exciting ideas we've seen in ages have come out of this global crisis. So many really cool social media projects, and video projects that I'm hoping are helping ballet to find a wider audience than ever before. 

What’s special to you about Venus Rising?

So much. Dancing in New Zealand, dancing for my family and friends that have supported me all the way, dancing with the RNZB who were one of my first images of what a professional dancer looks like, seeing more of our beautiful country, and being in a programme of all female choreographers. Female choreographers are far more scarce than male even though when you are in school there are many more girls studying ballet than boys. The setup we have as a society, and in the ballet world, really enables men to be more successful in choreography than women and so it's really exciting that the RNZB has put together this programme filled with incredible female voices.

What do you hope audiences will take away from the performances?

I always hope three things: That we have inspired at least one person to dance, that people can't wait for the next one, and that audience members leave feeling limitless. Watching dance makes me feel like anything is possible.

How has it been working with the talented women choreographing Venus Rising?

I've yet to work with the choreographers because the company has been rehearsing some of the pieces for a while, but I think we are having rehearsal with one on Zoom soon. Even though I'm yet to meet them, these women are choreographers with renowned names in the international dance world and I've wanted to be involved in their works for a while. It feels cool to get to share these voices with the New Zealand public. They are renowned for a reason.

What’s your favourite spot to hang out in Christchurch?

Riverside Market. Also, nothing beats home, on my couch, with chips and dip.

What do you like to listen to, read or watch?

Survivor. There's been 40 seasons now and it's still so good. I go back and watch the old ones and I love it even when I know who's won.

What’s the next big thing you want to achieve in ballet?

I would love to become a choreographer someday. I've done a lot of short pieces but I'd like to eventually make something more substantial, similar in scope to the works you will see in Venus Rising.

Unfortunately, Royal New Zealand Ballet has had to cancel performance of Venus Rising.
rnzb.org.nz