Ballet, like all high performance endeavours, requires performers to be at their best, both physically and mentally. As the company gets ready for their Winter Season from mid-July, they were keen to add their voice to the Men’s Health Week cause.
Principal dancer Laurynas Vejalis told MHW that top fitness and mental clarity are essential for best performance.
“Good nutrition and our training get us in condition to perform, but our mental preparation is just as important if we are to give our best.”
“Men tend to bottle things up and not do anything about. Sometimes taking those small steps can transform into a giant leap.”
Laurynas has seen this first hand as he has grown his career internationally. Born in Lithuania, schooled in Japan and trained with the Royal Ballet in London, he has performed with the RNZB since joining ther company in 2018.
MHW director Mark Sainsbury says the RNZB getting in behind Men’s Health Week is a huge boost for the campaign. “Those male dancers are exceptional athletes, but talking to Laurynas along with his colleagues Angus O’Connell and Callahan Laird it was clear they all face the same demons and pressures as many of us. And they really get the “Shoulder to Shoulder” message”.
And if you have ever wondered about the physicality or strength required to be a top ballet performer, check out some of the moves of the guys from the RNZB in action below.
