Genée Alumni

Xander Parish

Bio

Xander was born in East Yorkshire, England and began dancing in Kingston upon Hull at the age of eight. In 1998 he joined the Royal Ballet School in London where he trained until summer 2005 when he joined The Royal Ballet Company with his sister Demelza. In 2009, he was invited to join The Mariinsky Ballet by its ballet director Yuri Fateyev and moved to St. Petersburg to join the company in January 2010 as its first and only British dancer.

His repertoire includes: Count Albrecht (Giselle), Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), Romeo (Romeo & Juliet), Nutcracker Prince (The Nutcracker), Prince Désiré (Sleeping Beauty) Count Vronsky (Ratmansky’s Anna Karenina), Poet (Chopiniana), Golden Slave (Scheherazade), Aminta (Sylvia) & Armand (Marguerite and Armand) by Ashton, Balanchine ballets include the title roles in Apollo, Emeralds, Diamonds & Serenade; Hans Van Manen’s Adagio Hammerklavier and Variations for Two Couples; and McGregor’s Infra.

His recent awards include the Positano Premia La Danza Léonide Massine Emerging Dancer on the International Scene Award 2014, Best Young Male Dancer at the 1st Taglioni European Ballet Awards in Berlin 2014 and Best Male Performance (Classical) for Apollo at the UK’s Critics Circle National Dance Awards 2014.

Xander has been a guest artist with The Kremlin Ballet, Opera National Bucharest and Roberto Bolle & Friends. Xander is generously supported by The Mariinsky Theatre Trust UK.

Genée experience

The Genée was a highlight in my ballet training and gave invaluable experience which contributed to me being ready to become a professional dancer.

What did you learn from the Genée?

Invaluable experience of being on stage alone, performing and holding the attention of a large audience.

What is your fondest memory from the competition?

Other than having a lot of fun with my friends and Maria O’Connor, dancing under the stars in the Herod Atticus Odeon in Athens was absolutely incredible.

Do you have any advice for future candidates?

Competitions are not an end in themselves, they are a stepping stone along the path towards having a career and should be viewed positively as a tool to help you gain the strength and experience you need to spread your wings whether you win or not!

Would you recommend the competition to others?

Yes, certainly- young dancers firstly need as much experience on stage and in performance environments as possible (that can’t be replicated in the studio), and secondly it is good for them to see where they are up to against the international competition out there in the world and to learn from them.

How did the Genée benefit you personally or professionally?

At the time it was a boost for my confidence & later it came in handy when I moved to Russia- in the programmes here, the dancers have accolades printed after their names whether Honoured Artist of Russia or whatever and those who have won medals have ‘Laureate of International Competition’ which thanks to Genée I have too.

Video link

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRr66Tg1tNb9orpV5fecYww