'Everything's ballet, ballet, ballet...'
One of the world’s greatest ballet dancers sits before me in a Covent Garden coffee house. She exudes energy, charm and grace. Her manner is natural and unaffected and she’s dressed elegantly in a slim-fitting grey jumper and trousers. She is Marianela Nuñez, principal dancer of The Royal Ballet who is appearing at the Royal Opera House this Christmas season in Nutcracker, and Jewels followed by Giselle in the New Year.
Life has been on an upward trajectory for Marianela ever since she started dancing as a small child in her native Argentina. She didn’t come from an artistic family - her father was a policeman, two of her three brothers followed him into the profession and the third is a journalist. So it was up to Marianela to break the mould, and she certainly did. Her prodigious dancing talent was recognised at a young age so she joined the Teatro Colón Ballet School in Buenos Aires where at 14, the director took her out of the school to join the ballet company.
From there it was a straight leap into the arms of The Royal Ballet where, still too young to be employed, she had to spend a year in the Royal Ballet School adapting to a new country and learning to speak English. Now 31, she’s been in England ever since and considers London her home.
'I don’t actually miss anything from Argentina apart from my family. When I leave London for two weeks I start missing it so I feel London is my home,' she says cheerfully. Would she go back there in time? 'Not really,' comes the positive reply.
Another powerful reason keeps her in London - her husband Thiago Soares, also a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and now Marianela’s regular dancing partner. Together, they make a star couple. When you learn the story of how Marianela and Thiago came together, you can’t help believing in destiny.
'I knew there was a Brazilian guy joining the company,' recalls Marianela, 'and one day I was waiting for the lift to go to class when a guy got in. I could so see it was Thiago.' After a year they started going out and as their dancing developed, so gradually, did their love, and they married in 2011.
What’s it like dancing with your husband? 'It’s natural because the chemistry is there. You don’t have to work on it, especially now we’ve been together 11 years.'
The story of their relationship is the subject of Beadi Finzi’s beautiful new film, All I Am, currently in production and due for release in 2014. Set in Argentina, Brazil and London, it gives glimpses into the highs and lows of being a star ballet couple and includes tear-jerking scenes of Marianela and Thiago’s wedding in Buenos Aires as well as a moving sequence of the happy couple dancing in a side street after the ceremony. The film captures the bitter-sweet poignancy of leaving your family behind to make it on the grand international stage of the Royal Opera House.
Marianela Nuñez
Having made a new life in London (they’ve recently moved into their own north London flat), what language do they speak at home? 'Mainly Portuguese now,' explains Marianela, 'Thiago spoke some Spanish because he had some Cuban teachers but Brazilians speak Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese is closer to Spanish anyway so it’s relatively easy to pick up.'
Christmas in their new flat will be extra special for Marianela this year as her parents are coming to stay for three weeks and they’ll see her dance in three big productions – Nutcracker, Jewels and Giselle. She’s got a beautiful new kitchen where she’s keen to try out some cooking even though she professes to be a terrible cook. 'My mum and grandma are good cooks – Argentinian cooking is plain and simple with lots of meat. My gran grew up in the country so she used to make hearty stews. I wish I’d learnt – Thiago’s experimenting, but he’s like me - with great facilities all around us we don’t really need to cook.'
So, apart from food and ballet, what else is on the agenda? 'Well, I have to organise for my dad to see a football match because he’s an Arsenal fan and we live close to the Emirates stadium.'
Now at the peak of her form, Marianela is at the height of her career. She’s young enough to have the strength and stamina in her body to perform all the great roles but she’s got the experience and maturity to really understand her characters and convey that to her audience. By her own admission she’s something of a 'bun head' ('everything’s ballet, ballet, ballet') and she hasn’t got a favourite role because she loves them all.
Just like actors, some dancers can get pigeon-holed but such is Marianela’s huge talent she can shift from pure classical brilliance one minute to the most weird and wonderful shapes of modern choreography the next.
As we leave the coffee house, I have one last question: What would you have been if you hadn’t been a dancer?
She pauses before laughing infectiously.
'A dancer,' she replies simply.
Marianela Nuñez dances in Nutcracker, Jewels and Giselle at The Royal Opera House. To book 020 7304 4000 or www.roh.org.uk
All I Am from Tigerlily Films, www.alliamfilm.com
Life has been on an upward trajectory for Marianela ever since she started dancing as a small child in her native Argentina. She didn’t come from an artistic family - her father was a policeman, two of her three brothers followed him into the profession and the third is a journalist. So it was up to Marianela to break the mould, and she certainly did. Her prodigious dancing talent was recognised at a young age so she joined the Teatro Colón Ballet School in Buenos Aires where at 14, the director took her out of the school to join the ballet company.
From there it was a straight leap into the arms of The Royal Ballet where, still too young to be employed, she had to spend a year in the Royal Ballet School adapting to a new country and learning to speak English. Now 31, she’s been in England ever since and considers London her home.
'I don’t actually miss anything from Argentina apart from my family. When I leave London for two weeks I start missing it so I feel London is my home,' she says cheerfully. Would she go back there in time? 'Not really,' comes the positive reply.
Another powerful reason keeps her in London - her husband Thiago Soares, also a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and now Marianela’s regular dancing partner. Together, they make a star couple. When you learn the story of how Marianela and Thiago came together, you can’t help believing in destiny.
'I knew there was a Brazilian guy joining the company,' recalls Marianela, 'and one day I was waiting for the lift to go to class when a guy got in. I could so see it was Thiago.' After a year they started going out and as their dancing developed, so gradually, did their love, and they married in 2011.
What’s it like dancing with your husband? 'It’s natural because the chemistry is there. You don’t have to work on it, especially now we’ve been together 11 years.'
The story of their relationship is the subject of Beadi Finzi’s beautiful new film, All I Am, currently in production and due for release in 2014. Set in Argentina, Brazil and London, it gives glimpses into the highs and lows of being a star ballet couple and includes tear-jerking scenes of Marianela and Thiago’s wedding in Buenos Aires as well as a moving sequence of the happy couple dancing in a side street after the ceremony. The film captures the bitter-sweet poignancy of leaving your family behind to make it on the grand international stage of the Royal Opera House.
Marianela Nuñez Having made a new life in London (they’ve recently moved into their own north London flat), what language do they speak at home? 'Mainly Portuguese now,' explains Marianela, 'Thiago spoke some Spanish because he had some Cuban teachers but Brazilians speak Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese is closer to Spanish anyway so it’s relatively easy to pick up.'
Christmas in their new flat will be extra special for Marianela this year as her parents are coming to stay for three weeks and they’ll see her dance in three big productions – Nutcracker, Jewels and Giselle. She’s got a beautiful new kitchen where she’s keen to try out some cooking even though she professes to be a terrible cook. 'My mum and grandma are good cooks – Argentinian cooking is plain and simple with lots of meat. My gran grew up in the country so she used to make hearty stews. I wish I’d learnt – Thiago’s experimenting, but he’s like me - with great facilities all around us we don’t really need to cook.'
So, apart from food and ballet, what else is on the agenda? 'Well, I have to organise for my dad to see a football match because he’s an Arsenal fan and we live close to the Emirates stadium.'
Now at the peak of her form, Marianela is at the height of her career. She’s young enough to have the strength and stamina in her body to perform all the great roles but she’s got the experience and maturity to really understand her characters and convey that to her audience. By her own admission she’s something of a 'bun head' ('everything’s ballet, ballet, ballet') and she hasn’t got a favourite role because she loves them all.
Just like actors, some dancers can get pigeon-holed but such is Marianela’s huge talent she can shift from pure classical brilliance one minute to the most weird and wonderful shapes of modern choreography the next.
As we leave the coffee house, I have one last question: What would you have been if you hadn’t been a dancer?
She pauses before laughing infectiously.
'A dancer,' she replies simply.
Marianela Nuñez dances in Nutcracker, Jewels and Giselle at The Royal Opera House. To book 020 7304 4000 or www.roh.org.uk
All I Am from Tigerlily Films, www.alliamfilm.com