Born: 1994
Nationality: Belgian, Australian and American
Education: Elmhurst School for Dance, Birmingham, 2008-11, and Royal Ballet School, London, 2011-14
Career: Joined the Royal Danish Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2014
Highlights from the repertoire with the Royal Danish Ballet: Symphony of Psalms (Jiří Kylián), The Lady of the Camellias (John Neumeier), Romeo and Juliet (John Neumeier), Etudes (Harald Lander), Theme and Variations (George Balanchine), Diamonds (George Balanchine), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Christopher Wheeldon), Napoli (August Bournonville) and La Sylphide (August Bournonville)
Creations: The Death That Best Preserves by Natalia Horecna, 2015
Other engagements: Choreographer at the theatre, working alone and with Beila Ungar. I have so far produced 2 performances in A-salen. I also work as a guest teacher in USA and Japan.
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What was the first ballet you saw, and how did you like it?
I started training at a professional school without ever having seen a ballet. My school often got us tickets to Birmingham Royal Ballet, and I remember the first one I saw was Beauty and the Beast. I fell asleep.
Why do you dance?
Every now and then a ballet can make me cry. It’s fun to be thrown on that roller coaster.
Why do you think that ballet is relevant today?
There are endless ways a ballet can be experienced. It can be satisfying, joyous, heartbreaking, unsettling. It can also be boring and terrible. Everyone will experience it differently, and every experience is valid. That’s the best part.
Do you have a backstage story that you want to share?
The longer ballets sometimes have a long break for the corps halfway through the show, and we like to make the most of these breaks, putting sweaters over our costumes and hanging out behind the wings on stage right. We will often bring snacks and really make the most of it – once we even brought candles for maximum hygge.
Read more about Samuel Rees:
Instagram: samuelscottrees