01 June 2007

Michael O'Hare joined Birmingham Royal Ballet as a dancer when it was still Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet and based in London. He achieved the rank of Principal 20 years ago this year, joining the ballet staff as Assistant Ballet Master five years ago. As with many of the ballet staff, whose ranks include Ballet Mistress Marion Tait, Ballet Master Alain Dubreuil and Video Archivist David Morse, Michael's popularity as a dancer still continues unabated, and he still regularly appears on stage as part of the Company. He performs the role of Dr Coppélius in this summer's production of Coppélia .

For his successes and achievements as a dancer, Michael quickly establishes his appreciation of those he now works with, describing himself first and foremost as 'part of the team of the ballet staff, a junior member as the others have obviously been in their roles for much longer'. Softly spoken and deliberate, he explains his day-to-day duties: 'I allocate certain people to coach different roles as and when required, depending on what the repertory requires, and generally assist. I teach class on a regular basis - we [the ballet staff] alternate that. I've been doing that since I originally retired in 2002, although I had been teaching class before that, and the odd rehearsal.'

Speaking of his move from dancer to teacher, he continues: 'The transition from dancer to staff takes a while. It was, for me, a natural, progressive thing. Obviously, like anything physical, a career as a dancer is a relatively short one, and there comes a point when your time is up. So you're thinking about that, in anticipation of what to do next from some time before, and you're testing the water with different things. I taught at some summer schools and did workshops and things to see if I had a feel for that, and if it was for me, and I felt it was.' The decision to continue with Birmingham Royal Ballet was an easy one for Michael. 'Obviously my career had been with this company and with SWRB before it, so I felt that this would be the ideal place to be while making that transition, and fortunately there was an opportunity to do so.'

This opportunity is one that Michael is vocally appreciative of, along with the chance to continue gracing the stage. 'I'm glad to still be able to perform' he says, 'both in familiar roles that I've done in the past, and also new ones that come up as well.'

Discussing the benefits of such extensive dance experience when teaching, he says: 'It makes a difference to the coaching of the Company if you've danced a role before. One hopes one can passes on insights that you might have, from another point of view from theirs. And obviously you're a lot more intimately acquainted with the role, and the intricacies it requires.'

Click here to read the second part of this interview.