John Fontanini and Sophie Walters on the Les Sylphides pas de deux

John 

I’m performing the Poet, the only male role in Les Sylphides, and it's been lovely working on the pas de deux with Sophie. Joining BRB2, I hadn’t partnered anyone in the group apart from Alisa Garkavenko, who I trained with for a time at the Princess Grace Academy. So it’s been a great experience discovering a new partner, learning what works for them and how best to support them. 

Les Sylphides is incredibly soulful. It’s all about leading with feeling. The pas de deux is very much about following the other person, particularly for the male role. The Poet is always in pursuit. You can’t quite touch a sylph, so there’s this constant sense of searching, of chasing something just out of reach. It’s quite different from most pas de deux.

The ballet doesn't follow a traditional narrative – it’s more about mood and atmosphere. You’re a young man in an enchanted forest, waking under moonlight and encountering these ethereal figures. There’s a sense that something is there, but you can’t quite grasp it, almost like a dream or a hallucination.

We had quite a quick turnaround, only running the pas de deux a couple of times before performing it at The Maiden of Venice Fundraising Gala, but we made it work by rehearsing in our own time and between other commitments. For the BRB2 tour, I’ll also be performing Les Biches pas de deux and Le Spectre de la rose.

Sophie

I’m performing the Prelude girl, paired with John in the pas de deux. It’s been really exciting working with a new partner and finding what works for us together. There’s so much more to partnering than just the technical side – it’s about connection and artistry – especially in a piece like Les Sylphides, which is so expressive and atmospheric.

The Prelude girl is very ghost-like. You feel like a spirit figure, as everything is light and floating from beginning to end. There are changes in dynamics, but overall it’s very controlled, calm, and otherworldly.

It was lovely to perform the pas de deux at The Maiden of Venice Fundraising Gala before the tour begins. It was such a different setting, an intimate space where the audience was right there in front of us. You could see their reactions, which made it incredibly rewarding. It felt like a real connection with the audience, which you don’t always get in a traditional theatre setting. It was also a privilege to share the stage with such incredible artists.

With Don Quixote as our main focus recently, rehearsals for Les Sylphides have been more spaced out, but that’s part of the process. In BRB2, we all work on every piece, even if we’re not cast in every role, so that we’re ready to step in if needed. It’s a really valuable part of being a professional dancer. Alongside Les Sylphides, I’ll also be performing The Firebird pas de deux and Les Biches pas de deux.