Biography
Polish-born Piotr Stanczyk trained at the State Ballet School
of Poznan before studying at Canada’s
National Ballet School.
He joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1998 and was promoted to Principal
Dancer in 2008.
Mr. Stanczyk’s repertoire includes principal roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Giselle, Romeo and
Juliet, Swan Lake, Onegin, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée, Petrouchka, Theme and Variations, Symphony in C, Etudes and The Four Seasons.
He has created several roles in
ballets by James Kudelka, including Felix in An Italian Straw Hat and a featured role in Cinderella. Mr. Stanczyk
performed in company premieres by such contemporary choreographers as Wayne
McGregor, Alexei Ratmanksy and John Neumeier. He danced the lead role of Lewis
Carroll/The White Rabbit in the North American premiere of Christopher
Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland.
In 2003, Mr. Stanczyk was the recipient of the William Marrié
Award for Dramatic Excellence, for his role as Jaguar in The Firebird. He has guested with the Vienna State Opera and the
International Ballet Festival of Miami.
One of the National Ballet’s leading men, Principal Dancer Piotr Stanczyk will dance the title role in Hamlet this season. He will also perform in Wayne McGregor’s Chroma.
You have been in the studio with choreographer Kevin O'Day this week. What can audiences expect from his Hamlet?
I think the audience can expect very intelligent work, and that goes for both choreography and music. Hamlet is a complex play and so is the ballet. That is what good art is all about – the audience will be talking about it afterwards!
Describe your interpretation of Hamlet's character.
At this stage in the rehearsal process, I don't fully have my interpretation yet. I will try to put as much of myself as I can into the role and feel the suffering and conflict Hamlet goes through. Kevin is very specific about what he wants and what kind of feeling we should project in a particular scene. The whole interpretation and structure of it is in the choreography. It is a ballet where music, choreography and dancer have to be in sync to project the right message for the audience to follow Hamlet’s story.
How is Hamlet's inner conflict expressed in movement?
Hamlet’s inner turmoil is expressed through movement that is very dark, heavy and filled with pain and anguish. He has his own musical theme, played on a trombone, which expresses these characteristics. As you can imagine Hamlet is very intellectual ballet, everything in this production has a reason and a meaning starting from the various instrumental themes through the choreography and sets.
Wayne McGregor's Chroma is also on stage this season. Audiences were thrilled by the athleticism of this piece last season. What is it like to perform?
Chroma is very athletic, it pushes your body to real extremes and it’s very hard on stamina. I think we’re going to dance it even better this year.
You have a diverse repertoire in both classical and contemporary ballets. Do you have a favorite role?
There are many roles that I love in both classical and contemporary works. The beauty about my work is that I always discover something new that I love each time I dance a role. Favourite roles have to a lot to do with time passing by, something that you admired and loved yesterday may not move you as much in next few years, we all grow as people as artists, time changes everything.
What are you most looking forward to in the 2012/13 season?
I’m looking forward to John Neumeier's Nijinsky and James Kudelka's The Man in Black. I love both choreographers and these works are very powerful.
What book is on your bedside table right now?
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
One Soldier's War by Arkady Babchenko
I Don't Want to Talk About It by Terrence Real
Polskie miłości... by Andrzej Mularczyk
Quotes
Don
Quixote
“Stanczyk and Hodgkinson are superb,
turning Act III's classic pas de deux into a thrilling demonstration of
good-hearted balletic one-upmanship.”
Toronto Sun, 2011
Onegin
“Piotr Stanczyk and Stacey Shiori Minagawa as the young lovers Lensky and Olga are all perfectly in the moment.”
The Hamilton Spectator, 2010
The Nutcracker
“Stanczyk displayed formidable technique, particularly in his rapid-fire jump turns”
The Globe and Mail, 2010