Interview with Jonathan Chmelensky
January 23, 2019
Can a leopard change it spots? Can a ballet dancer absorb another traditions style?
In a period where ballet companies finds it difficult to build an ensemble on their own schools and is forced to hire on a global market, they face the challenge of harmonizing a wide intake and keep their house style and history complete.
Principal Jonathan Chmelensky, who joined Royal Danish Ballet, directly following his education in France and Cuba, is probably one of the best integration stories on the subject. I meet with him last week to learn more of his integration and development in probably one of the most conservative and nationalistic companies the world, the Royal Danish Ballet.
When Jonathan Chmelensky joined the company the year before Nikolaj Hübbe took over as Artistic Director, he was asked to train with the apprentice group:
“As a dancer who already had passed his exam, I could easily have taken offence, but I decided to stay on and see what would happen. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only did I get to work with some of the greatest talents the company has ever developed. We also had the late great teacher Truman Finney as our head coach, and that made me, not only better acquainted with the company style, but also made me a stronger and better dancer.”
A Man with a Plan
Jonathan Chmelensky was a man with a plan. And that was to work hard and never say no to any role offered for him. In my first interview with him in 2014, he said:
“Nikolaj Hübbe is driving a steam locomotive with Alban Lendorf on the front and I am trying to hang on to the train with everything I got”.
And hang on he did. He swiftly moved from corps duty, to smaller parts, then bigger part and leading roles.
However as Jonathan Chmelensky developed his skills and worked hard to meet the RDBs definition of style, a lot changed in the company, especially on the male wing.
Where RDB used to be the company where most male stars stayed dedicated to the company for the whole of their career, male dancers even on the lower levels chose to go abroad and try their luck. At the same time, after presenting one of the best male generation in many years, the source from the school died out for several years.
That made it even more necessary to hire male dancers from abroad. The result is that at present the RDB, once renowned for their outstanding homemade male ensemble today only includes seven homegrown male dancers, which is a percentage of 20% of the male wing.
For a dancer like Jonathan Chmelensky, one could say that he is now part of the majority group, instead of the then minority group when he joined the company. However, that is not the case. Jonathan Chmelensky had found his identity and his heroes among the Royal Danish Ballet homegrown dancers.
Joining the Team
“I was lucky to join the company early enough to see and learn from some of the outstanding Danish dancers and teachers, and I learned a lot from company stars and outstanding dramatic dancers like Principals Mads Blangstrup, Thomas Lund and Kristoffer Sakurai. Unfortunately Sakurai’s career was cut short by injuries, However, this trio gave me the opportunity to study their style and dancing as well as their outstanding dramatic talent.”
There was also another group, closer to his own age who inspired Chmelensky. The trio, Ulrik Birkkjær who became principal in 2009 and his contemporaries, Soloists Sebastian Kloborg and Alexander Stæger. In addition to their RDB commitments, the group also arranged tours and special events.
“We took part in the same ballets. In John Neumeier´s “Romeo & Juliet”, Ulrik and Sebastian were Romeo, and I was Paris. A few years later, when the ballet had it next run, Ulrik Birkkjær and I were both casted as Lord Capulet, Julie´s father. It was a surprise for both of us. However, John Neumeier explained to us that Lord Capulet should not be an old man, and he wanted to give more space to the role. I realized the potential in the role and had a good run of it.”
John Neumeier and his team will soon return to Copenhagen to restage his “Lady of the Camellias”, which has been a smash hit in Copenhagen since its first performance in 2012:
“It suits the company so well and the Old Stage is the perfect place for it, as John Neumeier says. We are really looking forward to the run.”
In the previous performances, Jonathan Chmelensky has danced the role as the French bon vivant Gaston, an obvious choice for the French dancer.
However, this is not the only role, where Jonathan Chmelensky has harvest the benefit of his Latin genes:
“When I got the role as Basil in “Don Quixote” my ancestry and my time in Cuba, made is easier for me to form the character. When Nikolaj Hübbe showed me an sms from Mikhail Barysnikov on his telephone, which approved that the RDB could use the solo he had choreographed for himself, I was very pleased. It became one of my favorite roles, and a role where I had a really good feeling”.
Waving goodbye
At that time, RDB started to lose some of their leading men. Not only had Mads Blangstrup retired, and Thomas Lund taken over the leadership of the Ballet school, but the trio, Ulrik Birkkjær, Sebastian Kloborg and Alexander Stæger left the main company. Sebastian Kloborg is now focusing on choreography, Alexander Stæger is part of the inhouse modern dance group and Ulrik Birkkjær has left RDB for San Francisco Ballet. In addition leading company star Alban Lendorf joined ABT and upcoming star Sebastian Haynes joined Netherlands Dance Theatre.
A loss for the company, but giving a boost to Jonathan Chmelensky, who now shares the leading roles with Gregory Dean, Andreas Kaas and Jon Axel Fransson. This last year has given him the chance to dance some of the most coveted roles. He has moved from the pheasant Pas de deux to “Albrecht in “Giselle”, from Rothbart and Benno to Siegfried in “Swan Lake” and recently from “Golfo” to Gennaro in Bournonville´s “Napoli”, one of our most coveted ballets.
“When I first joined the company, I was one of the fisher boys, later I became part of the pas de six and now I am handling the leading role. It is a role where once again I can use my Latin genes. It was such a privilege to work with Sorella Englund on the role. She is such an inspiration.”
The current “Napoli” production by Nikolaj Hübbe and Sorella Englund is not that popular with the reviewers, including me. I personally fell that omitting the religious content hurt the production, where Jonathan Chmelensky celebrates the edginess of the production.
A Short Work Life
Recently turned thirty, Jonathan Chmelensky is aware that although he may have many years ahead of him as a dancer, it is a very short career:
“I am grateful for having got the chance to dance so many great roles, but there are still even more roles I has would like to get my hands on. Luckily, we will be changing the rooster next year, so in addition to bringing out a handful of new production, the season will in addition also include three good productions from the coffers. I do not know yet, which productions will be included, but I have my hopes up.
For instance, I would love to dance some of the John Neumeier ballets; we have in our repertoire, especially “A Midsummer Night´s Dream”. I would like a shot at the Theseus/Oberon role. John Neumeier has also created “The Little Mermaid “for RDB. He has made some outstanding dramatic roles for the male dancers, as has John Cranko and Kenneth McMillan. “Onegin” and “Manon” would also be a treat both for the dancers and the audience”.
A Role Model
In many ways Jonathan Chmelensky could be the role model for the 12 foreign male dancers who has joined the RDB in recent years. They could emulate his high working ethic and his strategy of not saying no, and setting goals for himself. He has also insisted to learn Danish and to be a part of the Danish society.
His strategy to never say no, had put him in some challenging situations, but he has forced himself through them and often come out as the winner. It was not an easy task to take on “Etudes” created by former Danish Ballet Master, Harald Lander, and especially when his fellow soloist had to pull out leaving Chmelensky to dance almost all the male variations and the pas de deux:
“Etudes” is an outstanding ballet, however the variations and the way the steps are put together is rather different from most classic ballets, so you find yourself in some tight spots, and you get physically very tired during the performance. Still it is a wonderful ballet, and I am not one to flee from a challenge.”
It is an attitude that has giving Jonathan Chmelensky a great career. It could work as well for the next person.
Photos:
1. Portrait with August Bournonville by Frederik Lentz Andersen Copyright (c). Frederik Lenz Andersen
1. Jonathan Chmelensky & Caroline Baldwin in "The Nutcracker" by Henrik Stenberg . Copyright (c) Royal Danish Ballet
2. Jonathan Chmelensky as Gaston in "Lady of Camellias" by Costin Radu. Copyright (c) Royal Danish Ballet
3. Jonathan Chmelensky as Basil in "Don Quixote" by Costin Radu. Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet
4. Jonathan Chmelensky as Gennaro in "Don Quixote" by Henrik Stenberg. Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet
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