Playing his Hand

 

 

 

Interview with Tobias Praetorius

Maj 17, 2018

 

A few months ago, Tobias Praetorius took the step from being a young dancer, known for technical skills, character dance and modern ballet to succeed in a leading male as Hermann in Liam Scarlett´s creation “Queen of Spades”.

I met with him to learn how he managed to create such a full-fledged character.

“For a young dancer like me, it was a gift from above to find myself on the list for not one but two leading roles in Liam Scarlett´s creation for Royal Danish Ballet. With a comparatively short time for building a ballet from scratz, the odds for me and the other dancers in third cast to actually get a performance were not that great. As I also was cast as Tomskij in second cast and also as part of the corps, it meant that I could be so busy with these assignments that I would have very little time to work on the big treat, Herman,” says Tobias Praetorius.

Luckily, as it turned out, Liam Scarlett is a choreographer who works efficiently and who knows what he want to achieve.

“He decided to pull me from the corps, so I could concentrate on the two bigger roles. That made it possible for me to really work with the two characters, the easy going and loyal friend Tomskij and the deeply complicated Hermann”, says Tobias Praetorius.

 
High Speed

“Queen of Spades” is a fast moving venture. Each of the three act is down to 45 minutes:

“It is therefore important that we can deliver even the smallest interactions on time and get the messages to the audience clear and sharp. There is very little time to show the close relationship between Hermann and Tomskij. If we miss a beat the audience may not get another chance."

Each Hermann has had the freedom to build their own interpretation.

“My Hermann is ambitious, but not really content with the soldier life. Hearing the tale of the countess´ winning system, he sees it as his get out plan and he put everything in to get hold of the winning tickets. Friends, Lisa, the young protégé of the Countess becomes the means to get the big prize.”  

Playing Hermann, means being on stage almost nonstop. There is also strong partnering commitments:

“As Hermann I have not just the pas de deux´ with my Liza, danced by Lena Maria Gruber, but also heavy duty partnering with Ji Min Hong, who is the countess on my team. It is some of the most important sections of the ballet, so I have to put everything into it. My Hermann is so dedicated to his course that he uses them as pawns in his game.”

 

Tobias Praetorius uses his versatility in “Queen of Spades” but even more impressive, he also shows outstanding leading man qualities. From the moment he enters the stage, he has the audience in his trail.

 With “Queen of Spades”, Liam Scarlett has created a blockbuster part for the employ of the leading male. It cannot only catapult a dancer like Tobias Praetorius to the front of the company; it could be an international hit.

When I spoke with Tobias Praetorius, he told me that his is going to London soon to see Liam Scarlett´s new production of “Swan Lake”. It is clear he has great admiration for the British choreographer and have learnt a lot from studying his methods.

 

Creating a Company

On August 15 -16, Tobias Praetorius will present “The Chamber Ballet”, a new initiative he has created with a group of leading dancer and musicians. They will perform two programs with new choreography by Adam Lüders, Alessandro Pereira, Kristian Lever and Tobias Praetorius himself. The short run is already sold out. The Chamber Ballet can boost a cast of outstanding dancers, including Alban Lendorf, Andreas Kaas, Ida Praetorius, Alba Nadal, Emma Håkansson, Liam Redhead, Stephanie Chen Gundorph and Tobias Praetorius himself. There will be live music by Trio Vitruvi.

It will be a major project for the young dancer, especially as Tobias Praetorius is very busy with his day job at RDB. Presently he is dancing in four out of five ballets in the “Ballet de Luxe” program, “Swan Lake”, the Kylian program, Akram Khan´s “Vertical Road” and “Queen of Spades”, as well as preparing for the Festival.

However, it tells us a lot about the person, Tobias Praetorius. He is developing fast not only as a dancer,but also as a performer, he is constantly developing and searching for new outlets. It is not only Hermann, who has ambitions.

Tobias Praetorius may be more successful than his alter ego. At least he has his feet on the ground, most of the time. However, his skills, dedication, maturity and stage appeal may propel him to the front of the RDB ensemble. It can happen fast. All the cards are on the table.

 

Photos:

1. Tobias Praetorius by Seline Meyer (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet)
2. Tobias Praetorius in "Krash"  by Henrik  Stenberg (Copyright(c)  Royal Danish Ballet)
3. Tobias Praetorius by Natascha Rydvald (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet)
4. The Cast of Kammerballetten  (Copyright (c) Kammerballetten)

Comments

[Lynne]

How lovely to read about this lovely young man's well deserved success.He really does capture the audience whilst on stage.

[Eva Kistrup]

Thank you.