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• Anna Rose O'Sullivan
• Caspar Lench
• Denilson Almeida
• Genevra Zambon
• Giacomo Rovero
• Heewon Moon
• Iain Mackay
• Lauren Cuthbertson
• Laura Morera
• Leo Dixon
• Marianna Tsembenhoi
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• Olivia Cowley
• Reece Clarke
• Tristan Ian Massa
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• Zenaida Yanowsky

Caspar Lench & Denilson Almeida

First Artists, The Royal Ballet

Interviewed by David Bain
American International Church, Mon 01st Sep, 2025

 

Following David's welcome, Caspar and Denilson talked about the mini tour to Nervi, Italy at the end of the season. Denilson spoke about the programme of Ashton works which included Rhapsody and Marguerite and Armand and how the company performed on a gorgeous outdoor stage by the sea. It was his first time doing Rhapsody and it was a challenge which Caspar had warned him about, but he found it so rewarding, particularly performing at that venue. After that they were on holiday. Caspar agreed the tour was amazing! Because the performance venue was outside, and the heat of the Italian sun, their day didn't start till 7 pm. This meant they were in tourist mode on the beaches of the Italian Riviera, eating good food and spending more time with colleagues. Caspar has done Rhapsody before, but this was his first time coming back to a production since joining the Company. This allowed him to know when to push and what to expect throughout the piece. It was also his first tour which was really cool. Denilson spoke about problems with the rough flooring on the outdoor stage which meant he had to change shoes multiple times in a show. Then on the night of the final performance there was rain forecast, so a hurried decision was made to move the second performance inside to a theatre in Genoa. Inside it felt safe and comfortable, said Caspar, although it was a shame as the outdoor setting with the sea, the mountains and the sunset behind them was beautiful despite the floor being like sandpaper. As a result, they seemed like two completely different shows, and both felt like a first performance. Marguerite and Armand was a first for them both and Denilson thought it was one of the most beautiful pieces he'd ever seen, with lovely music. Caspar didn't perform in Marguerite and Armand as he was only a cover so just watched it from the side with two incredible casts including a guest principal from Vienna, Jakob Feyferlik alongside Marianela Nunez and the sensational Alina Cojacaru paired with Matthew Ball.

Straight afterwards a small group of dancers did a gala in Rocchetta, Italy which was an enjoyable way to finish for the summer. Caspar took four weeks off and spent time with family which was special, went to Switzerland with his brother and really connected with nature. Disconnecting from his everyday life which was just what he needed. After that he booked an impromptu trip to New York to see friends and then felt mentally in a really great place to start the season. Refreshed and energised. 

Denilson spoke about visiting the beautiful vineyard in Rocchetta, and being asked by Giacomo Rovero, who was organising the gala, to dance Corsaire” with Meagan Grace Hinkis for which they had just one rehearsal. He then flew to Brazil and spent three weeks at home. He really prioritised spending time with his family during the break, hiking with his mum and brother, renting a place by the beach and going to the countryside to see his dad and little sisters, one only four years old. Then he came back to Europe and did some teaching at “Master Classes in Prague” with Daria Klimentova, teaching kids from 14 to 16 which was really fun. The break gave him a whole arc of working, resting, getting creative again. Reverting to Le Corsaire, Denilson said when he was young, he used to do it a lot in competitions in Brazil, and did a gala with Maddison Pritchard in New Caledonia, an island in the middle of nowhere between New Zealand and Australia. Asked how he got a contract to perform in the middle of an ocean, Denilson said he has a good friend who was first soloist in Paris Opera who now organises small galas. He has a co-worker who comes from there and wants to introduce ballet to his people. It was a big learning curve, but he'd just joined the Company, was excited and said yes to everything!

Caspar said coming back the first week it was really just class before they got into Like Water For Chocolate which was new for him though he'd watched it during the opening run. They've only had two weeks so far, but he's enjoying it as he loves Christopher Wheeldon's work and what they've done is quite light-hearted with fun music.

Denilson said this is his second time for the ballet but the first time he had a lot of “stage crew” type jobs including hooking the beds so they would fly at the end. This time he's dancing a lot more on stage and doing more shows. They're also working on Perspectives, the triple bill, currently with Cathy Marston who's making a very interesting piece, mainly to showcase the male talent in the company. It's abstract but based on an idea of a story, so there'll be a lot of open interpretation while having something you can follow. In her creative process she uses lots of improvisation, taking a lot from the dancers too. It's not purely abstract but relates to human emotions through the different themes in the piece. Cathy has ideas of what she wants to see or feel. She might suggest something with a flag but wants the audience to see what it symbolises, like a parade or something patriotic, rather than the flag itself. So, working with that in mind she wants to create the feeling without there actually being a physical thing. At the beginning when she was choosing the cast she came with tasks saying she wanted a movement to symbolise a gun or powerful objects, they had to imagine it and show her something. She'll pick a movement and they then develop the whole phrase, which she builds on and gives to specific people. She has a vision, but Caspar finds it quite intimidating as he doesn't think of himself as choreographically creative. When a choreographer asks them to create, he is worried it might not be what's wanted and it's outside his comfort zone. He's been lucky to be involved with Denilson when he has done pieces for Draft Works with just two of them or one other when he finds it easier to contribute to piecing things together in a more intimate environment. When all the boys are offering ideas for Cathy, he finds it quite stressful but hopes in time he'll feel more secure and confident. Denilson sympathised saying sometimes you may not be having a good day when you come into the room and see everyone else giving so much and you have to give everything you have. The triple bill casting hasn't yet been announced though for the moment everyone is involved with Cathy who works with whoever is in the room.

Last season's highlights. Denilson said he'd not seen Prodigal Son before, but it was really fun with such freedom on the stage and hoped that came across. Choreographing on Caspar is always a highlight. Denilson made a piece with live music which he created with the composer. He's obsessed with creating something beautiful with Caspar and he was so fulfilled with the way it turned out.

Caspar had a great last season with lots of opportunities, and he was very grateful to be involved with the Legacy project in the Linbury with Joseph Sissens. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of, with incredible artists from around the world. Joseph is such an inspiration, he was in the third year when Caspar was in Year 7 so he is someone he's always looked up to which made it super special. Then he really enjoyed Wayne McGregor’s MaddAddam. He'd read the books, so understood the story and wondered what parts Wayne would build on. If he hadn't read beforehand, it might have been confusing. Working with Denilson and Mayara Magri was amazing, they have a really good friendship and being in a safe place and finding your voice is something important. Another Ashton piece was Jester in Cinderella, which was amazing. It was very difficult but super fun and really enjoyable. Then he only found out the night before that he was to do lead mandolin in Romeo and Juliet. That was stressful as he wondered how he'd do some of the jumps that he hadn't tried before but was proud of himself for getting through it. Friendships and life in London feel really settled, and the blossoming of his community and people at work he's very grateful for. They're a close-knit group and it's a great feeling to be part of that.

Back to the beginning. Caspar started dancing aged four at the Bristol School of Dancing. His best friend went, and it was a way to hang out with her, going to ballet on a Friday after school. It was just a fun hobby and his mum said when he was in the back at the nativity, she had never seen a kid of that age so comfortable on stage, and she knew from that moment he was going to be a performer. His parents saw he was good and each year he added an extra class night, until he was going five or six nights a week. His ballet school suggested he try for Junior Associates (JA) though he didn't know what the Royal Ballet School was. He got in and it unlocked a new world and opened his eyes as to what ballet could be. He went to see Romeo and Juliet at the O2, his first time watching live ballet at the age of eight or nine and was transfixed seeing Carlos Acosta and Tamara Rojo. The venue too was very impressive. He joined the school and in the best way it snowballed from there. His parents were very supportive but never put pressure on him so he felt he could experiment and explore what he wanted to do. White Lodge covered his formative years when he became the person he is today, learning so much about himself. He made his closest friends and looks back with the best memories as the funniest things that happened there. But at the same time, it was difficult, because he wanted to be heard and it's important to respect people's opinions and voices and that's not always the way in ballet. As a student you are sometimes not valued as a person but more what you give as a dancer. He was lucky as he didn't have that experience getting through all the assessments in the school but some of his close friends went through hard times and it was challenging as a kid to feel adults couldn't value them as the amazing young people they were. His parents said you're a person who does ballet, it's not the be all and end all but that was what he found hardest at school. From Year 7 to Year 9 it changed so much, and it's probably not like that anymore - even at the Upper School he found student voices and students' initiatives were being taken on board, But, it was the best years of his life. David asked how many of Caspar's Year 7 went to the Upper School and then into companies, Caspar said three girls and four boys went to the Upper School, all got jobs at the end of the third year but since then some have stopped dancing. You don't have to follow the full trajectory. Some of his friends who got assessed out have gone to BRB2, Sarasota, and Dresden. If you're hard working, dedicated and passionate it can work out for you.

Denilson comes from Brazil and started dancing aged eight. His Mum had him when she was 16, and she lived in the countryside but went to Rio as she was passionate about dancing. She came from a very religious family so they went to church where there would be music and singing and Denilson would be dancing in the corner, imitating her. She was part of the Ministry of Dance, and he would watch and copy what she was doing and still remembers some of the routine. Everyone knew who he was and after two years a guy came to the service, saw him and said why not come to his ballet school? His mum took him to the school where the teacher said he was very talented. The school had a partnership with Miami City Ballet and they said we're going to make him a principal and his Mum was thrilled. Initially she just wanted him to get better and find a hobby to keep him off the streets and ballet did that. He was there the whole day, until at 13 she said she'd thought it would make his church dancing better and now he was going to the Prix de Lausanne! He went to the Petite Danse School which was where Mayara went six years before him, and he followed in her footsteps on the same trajectory. Leticia Dias was at the same school. At the Prix he got a scholarship to the Upper School. The Prix was one of his first big competitions, it was so beautiful, and they treasured ballet and teaching in a way he didn't find at YAGP which he found very busy with everything happening at once. They were taken care of, and it was magical and changed his life as he got several scholarships and chose the Royal Ballet School.

Caspar joined the Upper School just after Covid so his first year was a bit different. They were in Covid bubbles, and the second term was spent in lockdown so he missed a chunk. He really liked it and being in London, you pushed each other, had amazing teachers, you are older and more mature. Class and coaching class, solos and pas de deux and rep as well as academics, six days a week working like machines. In the 3rd year he was looking after himself and was more independent and close with his friends. It's such a high-quality institution. He did a degree course. It was a relatively new BA in conjunction with Roehampton University. Classical ballet across two elements, the healthy dancer, which includes topics such as the cardiovascular system, physiotherapy base, monitoring injury, nutrition and looking after yourself. Along with the Classical context, including, history of the Royal Ballet, Kenneth MacMillan and Federick Ashton, studying ballet costumes, choreography music etc. In third year you write your dissertation which Caspar did on Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. He is fascinated by him and his visionary company, so he wrote about 1920s Paris when they were based there, and their influence on fashion and design, both in the home and clothes people wore. He loves reading and writing and enjoyed researching for that. Diaghilev had famous collaborators like Chanel and Picasso. Those designs still influence today's high fashion and stage and set design. A company that set up by a man who didn't dance but achieved huge things. In his the third year they did excerpts from Within the Golden Hour, Christopher Wheeldon's beautiful piece, fulfilling but difficult stuff to work on. Also super fun was Kylian's Sechs Tanze crazy with wigs and red lipstick and being silly on stage which doesn't often happen. Also, Takadame , the solo which he's being doing for some years and first performed for the Lynn Seymour competition in his second year and also performed at the Opera House. He chose it for the Lynn Seymour when he was struggling and finding things difficult and that was a beacon of light so every time he does it, it is such a blessing. A classmate Guillem created a duet for him with Alexandra Manuel, now at BRB, which they did at the ROH and was another highlight.

Denilson joined the Upper School in the first year from the Prix. It was magical and very high class, feeling this is how ballet should be. He was learning English and about the culture. Valeri Hristov was his teacher which was a highlight. He had a big injury so was off for eight months and was diagnosed with reactive arthritis, so there was a challenging period. The second year was great, with Paul Lewis as his teacher from whom he learned so much. Then third year they were due to go on little tours, to Canada and Tokyo. He'd been to Prix to perform with the school at the finals which was a full circle moment of sorts. Then Covid struck and he went back home for eight months. It was stressful as not the way he had planned for his dream of dancing with the royal ballet to begin. It was difficult to get a visa in Brazil, so he had to come back to UK to do an English test for it and started with the company in November which was also a slow process as it took about a year before his first performance. It wasn't until the third season he felt he was engaging as a company member which at least meant he felt mature to begin his career. He spent two years as an apprentice. Second year at the Upper School he won the Ballet Association award which was very special and danced Ashley Page's Larina Waltz. And a male piece of his, also Pulse by Goyo Montero with 40 dancers on stage, and they also did La Waltz, his first Ashton experience. He also did the Aminta solo from Sylvia, a feel-good ballet and one of his favourites. School was impressed that after eight months off he came back so hungry to start again.

Speaking of first roles when joining the company. Denilson was very sorry to miss Elite Syncopations while waiting for his visa but did Act III of Sleeping Beauty, wig and make up and getting paid! He also did Onegin with the company while at school. They were filming a documentary Men at the Barre. cameras everywhere, he got an audition for ENB and wasn't allowed to go and was upset but it was the day he was told had a contract with the Royal Ballet. In Swan Lake the Neapolitan dance. Kyle Abraham's The Weathering was very special being created on with two others on stage. Giselle, he was not meant to do peasant but was told on the day, everything shifted. Cinderella has lots of dancing for the corps and he did the tailor and when it came back last season he did a fairy cavalier.

Caspar. At school they did Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty with the company but it was so stressful, and he was so anxious and feels he has now come a long way. He enjoyed being close to the company on stage while being a bit invisible. You could enjoy and not be thinking about the next entrance. He joined the company and did Don Quixotewith the big crowd scenes, having fun on stage and a nice ice breaker. Denilson made a piece with him and Martin Diaz, a duet and something to work on when not too busy and an outlet to express himself which they will perform again in October. He was lucky enough to do Puck in The Dream at the end of his first season. He was completely in shock. He was a cover so in the room with Christopher Carr and four other incredible boys, a nice way to finish the season. He learned the choreography and was practising for fun as he wasn't busy so had lots of free time. He'd been in the studio when Lauren Cuthbertson came in and asked what he was doing, so he said he was playing with Puck. A few weeks later people were getting injured and Kevin asked if he minded doing the general rehearsal tomorrow! Lauren had told him Caspar had been rehearsing. He was lucky that Kevin was so lovely assuring him there was no pressure, as it was just a rehearsal and you don't have to do everything as people do mark, so it was a safe place to test the water. It was actually the day before his birthday, it went well, he was super happy, and he went off to celebrate turning 20. He came back on Monday morning, not at his best, and at 4pm Kevin asked if he would do the show that night - with all the Frederick Ashton Foundation watching. He can't believe it happened, dancing with Marcelino, his hero, and Frankie. It was a pinch me moment. He did another show at the end of the week. It all came and went within a week. It was very cool to be trusted with that role. Working with Chris Carr was incredible. Caspar did Nutcracker at White Lodge, party boy, Fritz and soldiers with Chris and as a young 11 year old found him intimating at times. However he always recognised the breadth of knowledge he has and attention to details. Getting into the studio for Puck, he felt exposed and suffered impostor syndrome. Caspar was so grateful it was Chris Carr coaching otherwise he would not have known it as well. He is so specific you can't help absorbing all the detail. He was so supportive, he looks out for the dancers' best interests. wanting them to look as good as possible. But he can be quite scary.

Denilson has worked with Kyle Ambraham, Joshua Junker on Never Known and Wayne Mcgregor. Kyle was his first experience of having something choreographed on him. They were five months in the studio spending so much time with him, it was very special and a nice learning curve. He was sweet, generous and very humble and had great ideas using beautiful music. It's always nice when something comes back when you can add layers as there is more room to explore. Denilson is now in his sixth season so more things, like Giselle, are coming back which is exciting. Wayne comes back quite often so you can really appreciate the way he works. He's a very smart man in many ways, working with everyone and knowing how to control the room. Being a choreographer himself, Denilson is always looking at ways others work. Josh is a really good colleague, it's nice to work with him in the studio and then talk about his ideas and music, and he's very good at counts. They'd sit down and he'd guide him through everything. It was very special working with him on Wayne's Untitled as during his first season Denilson was the only cover for the whole piece. Josh got injured and Denilson did it at a day's notice. He remembers trying to impress Wayne who was fine with it and got all the shows. Now that ballet is coming back.

Talking about his own choreography, Denilson said he would see a film or read a book and imagine how it might be choreographed. He was curious to explore new ideas and always wondering how they might look. They are very lucky to have Draft Works where they're allowed to explore their creativity in small, not necessarily complete, works and you can involve colleagues. This year it's been developed and Denilson got to perform in Ballet Nights and a few other things at the Opera House. He feels he's really developing his creative side which helps with his dancing.

Caspar said Denilson is such an amazing person to be with in the studio and he loves working with him. He isn't trying to make anything which has been done before so it's a fresh start. He's not aiming to create “something good” and Denilson is so good at making an original and authentic piece, and making it good for him means it becomes organic, original and beautiful choreography.

Ballet Nights is coming up, they're both involved, Denilson opening with Calvin Richardson's Dying Swan and Caspar second. It's one of the most beautiful solos and gives him goosebumps and so nice to learn and work with Calvin. They've not rehearsed together yet and open in two weeks, 10/11 September in Sloane Square.

Caspar is doing a new solo by Jordan James Bridge, an incredible choreographer and ex-dancer with Studio Wayne McGregor, who taught Caspar contemporary dance at school. When Ballet Nights said he could make a solo for Caspar he was thrilled. They created the solo in April, then he completely forgot about it until he recently got a text from JJ saying he should come and rehearse it with him, had he been keeping it going! It's pushing his comfort zone, moving the body in different ways. It's quite punchy, a bit confrontational with the audience which isn't something he's previously explored. It's difficult stamina-wise so coming back he's struggling and it's hard. The costume is very stripped back so everyone can see everything. He's looking forward to it and it should be fun.

Favourite dancers. Denilson said as a child he was obsessed with Roberto Bolle and Darcey Bussell. Thiago Soares was a big inspiration growing up, Carlos Acosta was and is incredible and when he sees him at BRB he's still awestruck. Also, Marianela Nunez and Natalia Ospova. Caspar finds it hard to answer as just in the UK there are so many dancers in different companies. It seems unfair to choose one person as you see someone in a different role and it clicks. He's always loved Marcelino who is incredible and such a great person and he'd like to see something of Marcie in himself. Maybe Lauren in Manon in one performance he remembers fondly watching from the wings. The artistry blew him away and stuck with him. Denilson said being so busy you don't often get to watch a show but in the last run of Onegin he watched Osipova from the front and thought it amazing.

Getting into a character. Denilson is working on that approach with Calvin in Dying Swan. He is equally deep as a person, so they become very profound. He's also been watching Pavlova videos, and a street dancer doing an amazing, improvised solo of Dying Swan. Soon he'll be walking round looking at swans! In works like Manon and Don Q there's a lot of stagecraft, and it's fun as you create little stories on stage, everyone is in the zone, and it's like kids playing in the garden. Caspar tries to make it real and has a dialogue in his head for examples as a townsperson in Romeo and Juliet, making it real even if what you're playing isn't real, because ultimately you are real people on stage. In Swan Lake you connect to the person, asking yourself honest questions and being authentic, thinking about actions and reactions in everyday life and incorporating that into what you do on stage.

Which part of the ballet class do you enjoy most? Denilson said he loves from pirouettes onwards, he enjoys turns and jumps which is more his forte so engages more in what he's doing.

Caspar said turns and jumps are his comfort but what he finds most rewarding is fondu and adage to the centre. Which is very satisfying when it works, and it feels good when you're on your leg but it doesn't happen very often.

David thanked both our guests for coming and said it was always a delight to have people early in their career and follow them in succeeding years. We'll look forward to talking to them both again when they are more senior in the company.

Report written by Liz Bouttell and edited by Caspar Lench, Denilson Almeida and David Bain.

© The Ballet Association 2025