A bit of character
When I met with soloist Sebastian Kloborg, he was sporting a long hairstyle and a full beard. The reason: He is currently dancing the Russian Divertissement in Peter Martins1 “Swan Lake” and wanted to add a bit of character to the pas deux so he transformed his good looks to become a Russian ruffian. I discover pretty quickly that for Sebastian Kloborg ballet is truly a dramatic art.
“I understood from my parents` work that nothing in their vocation could succeed without a strong team effort and that appealed to me. Entering ballet school late also allowed me to have a normal childhood, with schools, friends and doing sports,” says Sebastian Kloborg.
As a late entry he only spent four years at ballet school with Niels Balle as his primary teacher before entering the aspirant programme a year after his mates Ulrik Birkkjær and Alexander Stæger.
“ I remember feeling left behind and my final year could not pass quickly enough” say Kloborg. But once he joined the company things started happening with alarming speed. As a first year dancer he suddenly found himself in possession of one of the most coveted roles in the repertoire: Romeo in John Neumeier’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Kloborg came to this huge role without having danced one single featured role before.
“I was originally cast as Benvolio and thrilled about getting that role, but suddenly injuries propelled from a reserve cast to the front line,” explains Kloborg.
Daunted by the expectations, Kloborg nevertheless kept his cool, at least on the outside, and went straight to business to create a young, impulsive and temperamental renaissance kid and scored an overnight sensation alongside Susanne Grinder as Juliet. There is no doubt that this ordeal formed him as a dancer and as a stage actor and it also gave him insights and built admiration for John Neumeier as a craftsman.
“John Neumeier is a master in building a dramatic ballet. Everything is there for a reason. I was pleasantly surprised this season when finding myself cast in yet another Neumeier heavyweight as Theseus/Oberon in 1A Midsummer Night’s Dream,1“ says Kloborg.
Kloborg understands the dramatic element that colors his performances as Lenski in “Onegin” and the growing number of leading romantic roles like the prince in Tim Rushton’s “Cinderella” and Albrecht in “Giselle”.
In 2007 when Nikolaj Hübbe took over the company following Frank Andersen, it could have been an awkward period but Kloborg is probably the dancer who had developed most under Hübbe’s tutelage and became a soloist in 2009. “Nikolaj Hübbe helped me to form a clear image of the dancer I wanted to be. It is great to get key roles and I loved working with him on the second act in “Napoli” where I am Golfo. But my strategy is to get something out of every part, I get and keep developing,” says he.
Going international
Kloborg is one of the RDB dancers who most actively makes time for extracurricular activities. He has danced as a guest with Georgian State Ballet in “La Fille Malle Garde” and in his parents' revival of Bournonville’s “From Siberia to Moscow”. With Ulrik Birkjær he has also formed a group of dancers who tour internationally.
“It gave us a lot of experience taking care of everything that needs to be done to mount a performance. I am a great fan of the Kompagni B project, where the ballet student really learn how to mount a production. It is an activity I would have loved to have as a student and I think it really gives the students a ballast for their career,” says Kloborg, who is keenly interested in all aspects of ballet production. AHe says that he is happy with every opportunity, but still has one dream role he would like to get his hands on. Not surprisingly it is a Neumeier ballet. Kloborg can see himself as Armand in ”Lady of the Camilles” – and so could I, easily.
Pictures:
Sebastian Kloborg as Tony in "West Side Story" with Anastasia Paschali
As Theseus Oberon in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Gudrun Bojesen
As Golfo in Napoli with Amy Watson
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