Evan McKie is a Principal Dancer with The Stuttgart Ballet, as well as being a photographer, choreographer and guest writer for DANCE magazine, New York.
Mr. McKie was born in Toronto and received his dance training from Canada’s National Ballet School, The Kirov Academy of Ballet and the John Cranko School, Stuttgart. He has received critical acclaim for many roles including Hamlet, Onegin, Siegfried in Swan Lake, the Prince in The Sleeping Beauty and appeared in Dance Europe Magazine's Critic's Choice List for his portrayal of Albrecht in Giselle.
Choreographers who have created roles especially for Mr. McKie include Wayne McGregor, Marco Goecke, Mauro Bigonzetti, Christian Spuck, Kevin O'Day and Douglas Lee. Mr. McKie has also worked with John Neumeier and the late Glen Tetley. Most recently he was guest artist in Onegin at Paris Opéra Ballet and the Universal Ballet in Seoul, South Korea. 'Of all of today's dance stars, McKie is one of the very brightest'' hailed Danse Magazine, Paris.
The Sleeping Beauty marks Mr. McKie’s debut with The National Ballet of Canada and the first time he has danced in Canada since he was a child.
Question & Answer
This is your National Ballet debut, but you did dance with the company as a student with Canada’s National Ballet School. What did you perform?
This is my CANADIAN debut since being a young dance student! Friends in Europe are always amazed that I have never 'asked' to perform at home in Toronto since becoming a Principal Dancer. It's much more glamorous to be invited by Karen Kain, isn't it? (laugh) I was thrilled when she came to Stuttgart and approached me after a performance. I danced with the NBoC (National Ballet of Canada) as a child though. When I was ten, I toured with the company (to Europe!) in James Kudelka's Pastorale and I was also in the very first performances of Kudelka's Nutcracker. There is a famous picture of Martine Lamy emerging from the Fabergé egg and I am the little boy standing there watching in amazement.
What excites you about dancing the role of Prince Florimund in Rudolf Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty?
Rudolf's version offers the most complete portrayal, meaning that the audience gets to see the cocky veneer of the Prince when he is with other people and then his vulnerable side when he is alone with his thoughts. I feel like it takes a great deal to respect this choreography because it must be exquisitely elegant in detail and style but also requires the bold, grand gestures that makes Nureyev's Prince so masculine. Because I am so big, (6ft 3in) I love Nureyev's larger-than-life choreography that requires, if I may speak freely, balls of steel!
How does this production differ from the other The Sleeping Beauty’s you have danced?
We have a wonderful Sleeping Beauty in Stuttgart with lots of dancing for all of the men in the company and I love it. When you dance it you feel as if they are presenting a beautiful, polished jewel to the audience. But I imagine Rudolph's version feeling like diving into a whole vault crammed with the most precious jewels you've ever seen. It's decadent luxury at its most extreme!
You will partner Principal Dancer Greta Hodgkinson as Princess Aurora. How are rehearsals going so far?
Greta is a powerhouse. She sets the bar for feminine strength. It's so nice to dance with a ballerina who knows what she wants.
In addition to being Principal Dancer at Stuttgart Ballet and a busy guest artist you are also a writer for Dance Magazine. Why did you want to write about dance?
Dancing is fascinating on and off stage and all dancers have their own individual feelings about theatre life. I write about my experiences working with choreographers who changed my point of view or I reflect on some of the ways I get in shape for a particularly difficult role. I feel very connected to the audience during a performance because we create the moment together. After the show is over I want to take them all with me so I write!
You have embraced Twitter! How do you feel social media is changing how dancers communicate with their audience?
Because I mentioned my performances with The NBoC on Twitter recently there will now be guests in the audience from London and Tokyo. Twitter has connected people who care about the same thing and it's a clean, simple way to generate excitement and awareness for what really matters: the performances.
Follow Evan on Twitter at @ EVANMcKIE
What have you been doing in Toronto when you are not in the studio?
My family is here as are some of my best friends and we all go to my favourite restaurant Sotto Sotto every time I am here. But I have been spending a lot of time IN the studio actually and I must say the other Prince Florimunds and Princess Auroras have been extremely welcoming. Piotr, Guillaume, Sonia, Heather and Jill are all working on the ballet at the same time and I really appreciate their camaraderie. It's also a pleasure to get to know the artistic staff who are invaluable for something like this.
What is up next for you?
I am performing Swan Lake in Japan and pieces by Cranko and Bejart in Stuttgart.