But i obviously grew up watching him pursue a passion. My sister did a lot of gymnastics, a bit of dancing, and as a seven year old, i asked my father if i could have a go. I wanted to go to a dance lesson, and my mother and father didn t even question any of it bearing in mind we didn t go to the theatre, we didn t go to galleries, or. . . I was not exposed to the arts. But they found a local school around the corner, and we now can fully appreciate that little local school had some of the best teachers you could ever come across. And you had this very rapid rise through your teens. You performed at the opening ceremony of the sydney olympics, and then you started to win international ballet competitions. The first teachers i had unleashed this tiger within me. So, then it was when i was about 13 or 14, which again shows you just how incredible my first teachers were, that they felt they d taken me so far, and it was time to hand me on they introduced me to my teacher in sydney, h
Steven mcrae, welcome to hardtalk. We re here at the royal ballet and opera in london, which has been your professional home for many years now, and you re about to go back on stage as the mad hatter in alice s adventures in wonderland. Tell me first how this adventure began for you, the world of ballet. Because you grew up far away from here. Yes. So i grew up in the outskirts of sydney, australia. Probably the furthest you could possibly get from the royal opera house here in london. I grew up in a motorsport family. My father was a drag racer. My father was an incredibly clever man who would create any parts with his own bare hands that he couldn t afford to purchase or to import. But i obviously grew up watching him pursue a passion. My sister did a lot of gymnastics, a bit of dancing, and as a seven year old, i asked my father if i could have a go. I wanted to go to a dance lesson, and my mother and father didn t even question any of it. Bearing in mind we didn t go to the theatre
Every week, tens of thousands of children go to Ballet Classes at their local clubs. The most talented compete for a place at one of the top ballet boarding schools. There, they train like elite athletes, with one aim to join a professional ballet company. It really was that, like, billy elliot moment, where you get the letter and i ran up to my room. India thompson was 11 and living with her family in yorkshire when she was offered a place at the Royal Ballet School in 2007. I was just like. Wow this is it now, like, this is my life. The Junior Section of the Royal Ballet School is for children aged 11 to 16, and it nestles in the heart of londons richmond park. King charles is its president. Its the top Ballet School in britain, and widely regarded as one of the best in the world. It is an extraordinary place. It produces fabulous dancers. Some of the best dancers of our time. For india, it was a dream come true. I couldnt wait to pack my parents off. I was like, bye and they were pr
Beyond recognition. A bustling city, now a wasteland. The destructive power of water has ripped the heart from derna. Its survivors left wracked with grief and anger. Translation we were told to stay inside our homes. Why . They should have told us there was a storm, told us the dam was old and crumbling. Some of these destroyed buildings were 100 years old. This man lost five members of his family in the raging current. One was his ten month old daughter. He shows me their pictures. First, alive. And then their bodies. This was what brought him here. A convoy of ministers from the eastern government, one of libyas two opposing authorities. Fighting has decimated the countrys infrastructure. He says its proved fatal. I spoke to the eastern prime minister, osama hamad. How could this happen when the dams were supposed to keep people safe . It was a very strong cyclone, he told me. Too strong for the dams. Here in the centre of derna, the destruction is total. And when you look down this
Every week, tens of thousands of children go to Ballet Classes at their local clubs. The most talented compete for a place at one of the top ballet boarding schools. There, they train like elite athletes, with one aim to join a professional ballet company. It really was that, like, billy elliot moment, where you get the letter and i ran up to my room. India thompson was 11 and living with her family in yorkshire when she was offered a place at the Royal Ballet School in 2007. I was just like. Wow this is it now, like, this is my life. The Junior Section of the Royal Ballet School is for children aged 11 to 16, and it nestles in the heart of londons richmond park. King charles is its president. Its the top Ballet School in britain, and widely regarded as one of the best in the world. It is an extraordinary place. It produces fabulous dancers. Some of the best dancers of our time. For india, it was a dream come true. I couldnt wait to pack my parents off. I was like, bye and they were pr