Eva Kistrup

Modern on Pointe

 

Interview with Stephanie Sahlgren

August 30, 2017

 

It is easy to call RDB dancer and one of the stars of the Tv-series on the Royal Danish Ballet, Stephanie Sahlgren a maverick. She does not conform to the unofficial standard for a ballet dancer. She does not do cute nor passive.  She is a modern girl with a strong set of values; she also makes her own decisions. Not many young RDB dancers dare to ask for leave in order to try their luck in a faraway company:

“Nikolaj Hübbe was surprised but also understanding of my decision to spend a year at the West Australian Ballet. I had also considered going to the US. However, I realized that the American companies were very hieratically structured and that would have made it difficult to get as much experience as I craved. The Australian company looked like a more open company,” says Stephanie.

 

Smart Girl

 

 

August 26, 2017

 

The Royal Danish Ballet is currently the subject of a documentary series following six dancers in the company through their highs and lows in the last season.  It is possible to view episodes on Danish Television webpage (www.dr.dk).  The series gives an insight in the dancers’ daily struggles and triumphs.

I have decided to interview some of the dancers involved in the series. First out is Emma Riis-Kofoed, who is the first from the new apprentice program to join the company.

 

Going on the Telly

Being invited to be part of a tv-series, which will document whether you will be accepted into the company or have to go elsewhere, is a difficult decision to make. Emma Riis-Kofoed dared to say yes and to let a big tv-audience follow her through the final exams and follow her decision whether to wait to see if the RDB will offer her a contract or whether she should accept offers received from other international companies.

“We were told earlier this year that we should also try to audition for other companies, and that we should take care of the whole process ourselves. I went to three auditions at leading European companies and were offered a place of two of them. It was an interesting process and I was pleased that they could use me.

Unfortunately, they needed answers before we knew if we were accepted at the RDB. It was a difficult situation. Could I feel certain that RDB would sign me?  I could easily have ended up with no company, if I refused the offer from Germany and RDB passed me over. What then? In the end, I decided to follow my heart, and politely said no to the other offers. Luckily, I was invited to join RDB. But as the tv-program shows, it was a difficult situation”, says Emma Riis-Kofoed.