Every month we announce Top-5 of Dancers in different categories and “La Notte Ballet Top-5” is continuing in September.
Today we're announcing the Top-5 male ballet dancers “Young and bright #boysdancetoo”. Although many problems men might have on their way to the ballet top, including sexism, underestimation, bullying etc. there are many amazing male dancers around the world. The five chosen by La Notte Magazine are young and promising, but they have already demonstrated their professional qualities, performing leading roles in the major ballet companies.
Julian Mackay
Photo: Nicholas Mackay
Julian Mackay, Montana born, began his story in the state of Montana, but he is the mostly known for being the youngest American to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy (2015). Julian’s professional debut as Siegfried with the Russian State Ballet happened in Berlin. He won the Prix de Lausanne 2015, and after that spent a year as an apprentice with The Royal Ballet. Being the first soloist of Mikhailovsky Ballet (St. Petersburg) from 2016 to 2019, Julian showed himself as a bright dancer in leading roles in classical ballets like Giselle, La Sylphide, Flames of Paris and Cinderella. In 2018, MacKay was a competitor on the Russian television show Big Ballet, where the audience could discover him as person fully involved in the art of classical, modern and contemporary ballet and interested in the collaborations with modern choreographers Like Sebastian Bertaud (The Renaissance) and Kirill Radev (At the Sunset).
“Russia was an opportunity MacKay couldn't pass up, daunting as it was to move halfway around the world to begin six years of extremely intense training. "I went through army boot-camp schooling," he says of the six-days-per-week program, which ranged from rigorous ballet technique to the Stanislavsky acting method.”
Pointe Magazine
Julian is a worldwide famous dancer, he has performed in cities like Tokyo, New York, Shanghai, Moscow, London, St. Petersburg etc.
“...it was a Dream with a capital letter from childhood to see the world and get to know different people, different cultures, their theaters. I am incredibly happy to have been given the privilege of dancing on the most diverse stages of the world.”
Julian Mackay for Forbes.kz.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Ballet Master Art and Choreography from GITIS University (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts) in Moscow, Russia. Julian speaks Russian fluently and has friends around the world, he is a participant of various charity events. Also, Julian and his family are spreading the arts and ballet legacy in the USA through the Yellowstone International Arts Festival. (You can read more about Julian in our 10 facts you need to know about... Julian MacKay. ).
“...I will still focus on ballet dance, which distinguishes me from others,” he said. “When I made up my mind to study ballet, my parents supported my wish to go to Russia. It was an obvious choice for classical ballet. Indeed, I was taught not only about dancing, but about all qualities of a stage performer.”
Julian Mackay for Shine.cn.
“...Julian McKay, the owner of a light, airy jump and fine plastic phrasing”.
St. Petersburg Vedomosti.
Photo: Nicholas Mackay
This year was hard for everyone but for Julian it was even more dramatic.More about Julian’s life you can read and watch in his Instagram account.
In June it was announced that Julian MacKay will be joining the San Francisco Ballet as Principal Dancer in the 2021 Season. So, let’s look at his developing as a dancer on the San Francisco stage and in worldwide tours.
Jacopo Tissi
Photo: Gregory Shelukhin
The young star of Bolshoi ballet Jacopo Tissi was born Born in Landriano (Province of Pavia, Italy). In 2014, he graduated from the Ballet School of the Teatro alla Scala Academy, during the season 2014/15 he danced with the Vienna State Ballet under the direction of Manuel Legris, in the season 2015/16 he joined La Scala Ballet Company under the direction of Makhar Vaziev. In 2017, he joined the Bolshoi Ballet, where he is now a leading soloist. His repertoire at the Bolshoi includes Siegfried, Solor, Nutcracker-Prince, Romeo and Paris (Romeo and Juliet), Jean de Brienne (Raymonda), Antoine Mistral (Flames of Paris), ‘Diamonds’ (Jewels), Forgotten Land, Caravaggio etc.
His perfect technique, pure noble manner of performing attracts attention of the audience not only in Russia.
“Italian import to the Bolshoi, the pencil-thin Jacopo Tissi is a dreamy innocent, politely going through the motions with the princesses at the ball and an easy target for his nemesis the Evil Genius. <...> He exhibits a fluid mastery of technique though, with precise landings, plenty of ballon and twinkling batterie.”
Charlotte Kasner, SeeingDance.com, February 2020.
Jacopo likes Moscow and is interested in Russian cultural identity, traditions and, of course, Russian ballet. He likes reading and arts, have a pet, a Pomeranian dog called Leo, does modeling a little, of course. He seems and tells about himself as about a dreamer, but also Jacopo is a purposeful and persevering young man:
“Usually, our dreams, ambitions and wishes give us a huge impulse. I am a big dreamer, but once I tell myself – “Enough, back to reality”. To achieve all you want you need to build yourself, to work with force, and then it goes how it goes. But the main goal in life must exist.”
Jacopo Tissi for La Personne.
Photo: Natalia Voronova
In his Instagram you can find not only the performing content and a little bit of lifestyle but also you can notice his regular participating in charity events. Also Jacopo is connected with The What Dance Can Do Project – a Zurich-based non profit organization, where all the team are volunteers. They organize dance programs and events for children made vulnerable by poverty, illness or exile.
“The public responds strongly, which is essential for me. I need and love to feel the audience’s energy, the adrenaline that comes during and after the show thanks to the audience’s emotions. It gives a dancer strength. Depending on the role one has just danced on stage, at the end one can feel even stronger or completely exhausted. This is because every ballet – and every role, indeed – is a story in and of itself. Siegfried of Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty’s Prince are very interesting roles, and achievements for every classical dancer, because they are pieces of the ancient repertoire. But more recent ballets such as Manon or Romeo and Juliet, or Spartacus, are moving as well. Choreographies that I feel strongest about are the ones that lead me to wonder and think, and be in a constant dialogue between reason and sentiment.”
Jacopo Tissi for The What Dance Can Do Project.
Victor Caixeta
Photo: Marianna Sorokina
Born in Brazil, Victor Caixeta started ballet at age 12. He was successful in the ballet competitions like The Youth America Grand Prix (New York, 2015, 2014, finalist), European Ballet Grand Prix (Vienna, 2017, first prize and jury award), the International Competition Tanzolymp (Berlin, 2017, 1st prize in the Classical Dance nomination). Graduated the Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin Victor went to the Moscow International Ballet Competition at age 17 (2017) and won the 3rd prize, when Yuri Fateev approached him backstage and offered him a trainee contract with Mariinsky Ballet.
His first major debut as the Nutcracker Prince happened when Victor was only 18. Since then, despite the serious injury in the summer 2018, he's added Basilio (Don Quixote), James (La Sylphide), Prince Desire (Sleeping Beauty) and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) to his repertoire in Mariinsky, and he was promoted to second soloist in September 2019.
“...I like to express my emotions on the stage, so... Don Quixote (Basilio). I like to play with the character, not just the classical things. I like something where I show the style and express the things by the dance.”
Victor Caixeta for Voci dell’Opera about his favorite roles, December 2019.
“...The dancer is young, decisive, cheerful and virtuoso: in 2017, at the Moscow competition, he impressed the audience and the jury by twisting a dozen pirouettes in variation. A contender for all roles where a bouncy pace of allegro is required.”
Anna Gordeeva for Sobaka.ru, 2019
However, Victor is also a romantic image dancer, his James and Romeo provoke the audience to cry every time Caixeta demonstrates his own special feeling and attitude to these roles.
“I really like to show a different atmosphere and I like the hidden beauty, the imperfections which make perfection,” he explains about his main hobby, photography. Victor even has a photo account in Instagram @caixetaeyes.
He is known as a very communicative and emotional person who loves traveling, going out and learning something new, but at the same time a reflective perfectionist always involved in the process of creating individual characters in every, even a classical piece.
Photo: Marianna Sorokina
“In Mariinsky, we have a computer room where we can see some old performances which happened in the theatre, something like videos of the legends... I go there and I watch these stars of the past, compare and see what I would like to take from them and try to create something mine because I don't want to copy them, I just want to get some inspiration to create something myself with the help of the teachers, of course.”
Victor Caixeta for Voci dell’Opera, December 2019.
Victor in well-known in the ballet world and regularly impresses the international audience while touring with Mariinsky:
“...Victor Caixeta, as the poet Clemente (in Paquita), commanded the audience’s attention early in the ballet with an Act I variation where his grand jete series sent him nearly floating across stage in a tuxedo tailcoat.”
The DC Line.
He spent the hard time of the quarantine 2020 at home in Uberlandia, Brazil and being a role model for many young Brazilian dancers, started to give online master classes, supporting young ballet generation of his native country.
Jacob Feyferlik
Photo: Sebastien Galtier
The Austrian Jakob Feyferlik this year was announced as a Principal dancer of the Dutch National Ballet. Trained at the Vienna Conservatory's Department of Ballet and Ballet Academy of the Vienna State Opera, he joined the Vienna State Ballet in 2013 and, in 2016, was promoted to Soloist. Jakob has recieved a number of awards, such as the 2nd Premio Roma Danza and the 3rd Prize at the International Ballet Competition in Peking as well as in 2014 the Karl Musil Memorial Award and in 2016 the Advancement Award of the Ballet Club at the Vienna State Opera. In February 2019, he was promoted to Principal following a performance of Rudolf Nureyev's Swan Lake at the Vienna State Opera House. Jakob has appeared as guest artist with numerous European and other international ballet companies.
“…constant top performances, and the sympathetic, young dancer has achieved this since he was hired by the school directly in the company.”
Tanz.at
Ted Brandsen, director Het Nationale Ballet:
“Jakob Feyferik is an exceptional dancer, who became principal in Vienna at an early age. He has beautiful classic lines, a strong technique, is a good partner and a versatile artist. A real asset to our company! After his successful guest appearance in Nutcracker and the Mouse King last year, I am happy to welcome Jakob to Dutch National Ballet this season.”
In the interview with Ricardo Leitner in March 2020 Jakob described his favorite roles:
“Oh, definitely “Peer Gynt” because it is 100% emotion, “Swan Lake” - it had always been my dream to dance it and everything from Balanchine that I was in: "Diamonds", "Symphony in C", "Theme and Variations"!”
A sweet tooth and the leader of the scouts, Feyferlik is known as a very good partner and a calm, positive, friendly and confident person, who is not afraid of challenges and opportunities his career gives him.
“...If there is resentment among colleagues, he doesn't care, “but I didn't notice anything. I can actually get on well with everyone, I still have a large group of friends from my classmates, that makes life easy for me. "
DiePresse.com
Being an attractive young man and a model, bright and passionate on stage, he is a reserved and hardworking person, whose social media is fully dedicated to work, respectful to his colleagues and teachers, interested in ballet history.
Photo: Ashley Taylor
Very interesting and individual in the roles like Lenski (Onegin), Armand (Marguerite and Armand), Jakob has three dream roles: Des Grieux in “Manon”, Romeo in McMillan's version and Onegin by John Cranko. So, he has a lot of opportunities in the Dutch National Ballet and the audience is impatient waiting for Jakob’s debuts in classical, neoclassical and contemporary repertoire.
David Motta Soares
The photo from David's Instagram account with the portrait by Andrey Remnev
The first soloist in Bolshoi Ballet David Motta Soares was born in Cabo Frio (Brazil, state of Rio de Janeiro). There he began to study ballet and in 2010, after attending the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive in Middlebury, Connecticut, he was offered to continue education at this school. In 2015, he graduated from the Academy (Andrei Smirnov’s class) and joined the Ballet Company of the Bolshoi Theatre. He rehearsed under Vladimir Nikonov from 2015 to June 2020.
In his repertoire there are such roles as Count Albrecht (Giselle), Pechorin (A Hero of Our Time), Nutcracker-Prince (Nutcracker), Antoine Mistral (The Flames of Paris), Frantz (Coppelia), Basilio (Don Quixote), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Florizel (The Winter’s Tale) etc.
David has participated in the Bolshoi Ballet tours to Europe, Asia, America and Australia.
“I thus became a part of one of the most important classic companies in the world. What does not prevent me, too, a certain desire to try contemporary ballets. Without pretending, at this moment, to the “oficio coreográfico”, a very beautiful gift but for which I have not yet been blessed.”
David Motta Soares for www.escriturascenicas.com.br
“David is a dancer who, at such a young age, already has a level of maturity that is the dream of any partner.”
Claudia Mota, the Principal dancer in Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro.
His classical characters have a special sensitivity of a genteel people, who are not only typical “good” heroes, but personalities with their own manners and moral qualities. If we are talking about the controversial characters like Pechorin from one of the most famous Russian classical novels, David feels both Pechorin a hero and an anti-hero.
Being a dancer able to perform as classical as contemporary choreography, he notes:
“...Classical dance has evolved well in tune with our time, in its demands for a physical-sensorial perfectionism of long-distance dancers and with increasing support for flexibility and stretching.”
David Motta Soares for www.escriturascenicas.com.br
Photo: Gregory Shelukhin
This season started for David and Bolshoi Ballet from the very successful series of one act ballets “Four Characters in Search of a plot”, where he performed in The Ninth Wave by Bryan Arias and Silentium by Martin Chaix.
In the non-ballet life, David is active in social media, friendly and communicative young man interested in traveling, sport, cinema, music and art.He is an inspiring person for many people in Brazil and Russia by his attitude to the work and people around and we hope to see more and more brilliant roles performed by David Motta Soares in future.
You can vote for category for September by e-mail lanottemag@gmail.com by choosing from the list:
The masters of ballet
Classical Idols
Contemporary Stars
Young and Bright. # girlspower
Newcomers 2020
Just send your name and the category you've chosen.
Text: Julia Sumzina
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