Meet London's ballet boys

Thiago Soares

Soares’ rise to principal at The Royal Ballet has been a colourful one. The 36-year-old Brazilian began his training not at the barre but at circus school in Rio where he ‘learnt all the basics of movement and crobatics’.

A brief stint with a local hip-hop crew followed, during which a choreographer encouraged him to apply to Rio’s Centre for Dance. Since then, Soares has performed with St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Ballet and the Bolshoi — ‘My first big role was Solor in La Bayadère. I was full of energy. I was like a little animal.’ He eventually joined The Royal Ballet in 2002, where he partnered with Marianela Nuñez — both on stage and off — becoming one half of the RB’s golden couple (the pair divorced in 2015 but remain on good terms). Next up, Soares is the subject of a new HBO documentary by director Felipe Braga, which is out later this year.

What’s your pre-performance ritual? ‘Eating bananas. On show day it can be as many as eight. I’m like a monkey.’

Isaac Hernandez

Having come from a dancing family — both his parents were dancers in Guadalajara, and of his 10 siblings his brother Esteban now dances with the San Francisco Ballet — Mexican Isaac Hernández is at the vanguard of a wave of talented Latin American dancers who have taken the capital by storm (and is rumoured to have stolen fellow ENB star Tamara Rojo’s heart). ‘To have an internationally known career at my age has created a lot of opportunities for me to raise the profile of dance back home,’ he says. To prove this point, Hernández has curated a show this summer in Mexico City, which will bring together 14 companies and perform to a crowd of 10,000 people. Does it ever feel daunting? ‘It’s been three years since I’ve been back in Mexico City, but it’s home so I felt it was important to go back.’

What’s your one indulgence?

‘I love a good burger — perhaps the result of living in America for 10 years. The one at Burger & Lobster is my favourite.’

Alexander Campbell

Australian Alexander Campbell has a Netflix problem, having recently ‘burned through six seasons of Homeland in a weekend’. He’s allowed a little downtime, though, given that he was appointed principal at The Royal Ballet in 2016, dancing Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty opposite Francesca Hayward. This summer will be a little like a homecoming for him as The Royal Ballet heads on tour to Brisbane (although Campbell’s own family come from Sydney): ‘It’s a big deal for me personally because The Royal Ballet haven’t performed there for 15 years. The last time they were in Sydney, I was an extra in the production of Swan Lake, just in the background providing a bit of scenery. It’s quite surreal to be going back.’

Who are your dance heroes?

‘Mikhail Baryshnikov was the first one, but then David McAllister and Mark Cassidy at The Australian Ballet always stood out, too.’

Ryoichi Hirano

Osaka native Ryoichi Hirano has been dancing since the age of three (his mother was a ballet teacher) but his big break at The Royal Ballet came when he had to stand in last minute to play the Prince in Kenneth Macmillan’s revival of The Prince of the Pagodas. ‘I’d already performed in the matinee but got the call as I was heading home. I was exhausted but the show had to go on.’ Now marked out as one of the ballet world’s rising stars, Hirano, 33, has had to adapt to a strict daily regime. There’s the power breakfast that kicks off each day — ‘bacon, eggs and beans’ — followed by rehearsals from 10.30am until 6.30pm. ‘We lose so much energy from the long hours and physical stuff, that we have to eat a lot more than people think.’

Tell me something not a lot of people know about you?

‘I love walking. At the moment I’m walking down the Thames to its source. I’ve got about 16 miles to go.’

Yonah Acosta

The next six months are going to be big for Yonah Acosta. Having recovered from major knee surgery, the Cuban ballet star — and nephew of Carlos — makes his return to Covent Garden’s English National Ballet, and is also preparing for his summer wedding to fellow dancer Laurretta Summerscales. To get into shape for both that and the ENB’s summer tour of Japan, Acosta has been hitting the gym before a gruelling eight-hour daily rehearsal regime. He’s ditched his convalescent diet of ‘pizza, with everything on, even pineapple’ for a more tour- (and wedding-) friendly regime of chicken salads and fresh fruit. As for the wedding prep, all is in hand — apart from the first dance. ‘We’re not fans of a big choreographed number, but Bruno Mars’ Marry You always gets us on the dance floor.’

What’s your secret hobby?

‘Golfing, near my home in Woking, although I’m nowhere near proficient.’