“So Swan Lake I guess.” BRICE ASNAR photographed by Sofia Zwokbenkel and interviewed by Uwe Buschmann

Dear Editor –

I am soloist at Ballett Am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Germany. Born in Marseille, France I started my ballet education at the École National Supérieure de Danse de Marseille to later train and finish my education at The Royal Ballet School in London. I’ve been a professional dancer for over 10 years and have been travelling the world ever since.

Yours sincerely,

Brice Asnar

What’s your first memory?

It was Christmas Eve ‘92. I remember waking up in the middle of the night, hearing noises and being super excited, thinking it was Santa… but oops it was just my family preparing everything for Christmas Day…

Boys don’t cry? (Song by The Cure)

Hell yes they do! Or at least they should! You avoid spending thousands of euros in therapy. So boys, let those tears out!!

What is the best thing about being you? What is the worst?

The worst thing about me is my impatience; I’m very impatient for most things. And I am a perfectionist. An unfavourable combination. The best thing about me is I’m a generous guy and a good friend I think.

What three superpowers do you wish you had?

1-Teleportation: it would be great to spontaneously decide to meet in New York or Tokyo.

2- Telekinesis: how awesome would it be to move things with your thoughts. You can throw them at annoying people. In a gentle way of course, you don’t wanna hurt them too much.

3- Mind-reading or being able even to change the minds of others: you apply for a job, the employer decides not to give it to you, then you suddenly look at him, focus on his mind and boom… the job is yours… It’s pretty much like the superpowers of the three Halliwell sisters in the American television series “Charmed”. Remember that one? If I watched it now I would probably think it’s shit. But at the time I secretly loved it.

Are we human? Or are we dancer? (Song by The Killers)

Yes, we are! I certainly am! Anyone can dance; a little practice and you might become a great dancer. The same holds true for the human side, a little education and you might be a good and kind person.

What is your favourite car?

I don’t really care for cars. As long as they get me where I wanna go that’s good enough for me.

Live fast die young?

Nah! Enjoy life! Take your time, experience it as much as you can, savour every moment and live a long and healthy life. And do things that make you smile.

How far is a light year?

It’s about 9 trillion km (6 trillion miles). Okay, I am not gonna lie… I googled it…

The stage is the world?

I don’t know if the stage is THE WORLD… but it is mine for sure!

What do you love about leaving people messages?

Overrated! I don’t like texting, if you wanna talk to me then call me or send me a voice message. Nothing better than having a proper conversation.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink?

Nice metaphor! Yes… you can lead people to certain paths but it’s up to them to choose what they will do with it.

What can you do about hunger?

Well for a start, eat something if you can, you should feel better afterwards…

What are you really fed up with?

Rude people! I cannot stand this… Be nice to one another for f*%k sake… oh and Trump!

What goes against every rule?

Vegemite! I’ve recently tried it again from my Australian friend… and it’s just wrong. The taste, the texture… everything about it makes me gag.

Swan Lake or Nutcracker?

Hmmmm… None of my favourites but I would say the music in Swan Lake is just stunning. So Swan Lake I guess.

Nureyev or Baryshnikov?

Baryshnikov.

Dancing in the dark? (Song by Bruce Springsteen)

I mean you can but you might end up hurting yourself, as you won’t see anything. But sure, do whatever makes you happy.

Break a leg? (Idiom)

I would use “Merde” as we say in French, instead of “break a leg”. You don’t want to jinx your performance.

_Uwe Buschmann ( Copy editing Silvia Strauch )