Can you introduce yourself and your role in the company and tell us a little about your background.
My name is actually Sofia Liñares Vazquez (in the BRB programme the Vazquez has been dropped). I started training at the age of five in a local school in Spain and when I was 14, I joined White Lodge, so I trained at the Royal Ballet School for five years. I got into Birmingham Royal Ballet straight after graduating from the school. I was promoted to soloist last season and I’m in my sixth season with the company. I can’t believe it’s gone so fast.
Why do you think The Nutcracker is such a good introduction to ballet?
First of all, I think Nutcracker is just such a ‘happy’ ballet for anybody to come and see for the first time. They don’t need to understand anything about ballet. You can come and watch the whole thing and the story is easy to follow. It’s so light hearted, you don’t need to understand the technicalities of it. It’s pure fun. As well as following the story, in Act 2 you get to see more of the tricky dances, it’s more of a show off act, but still in a really fun way. So I think Nutcracker is fine for anybody come and see.
Also, Sir Peter Wright’s production is just incredible. Personally, I think it’s the best in the world. It’s magical. Our set is absolutely beautiful. John McFarlane is supreme at what he does. We were so lucky that it was redone in 2022. Being on stage, especially in the Party Scene is a wondrous experience! I remember coming on stage for the first rehearsal in 2022 and seeing the whole set – all the details were breathtaking.
I think Nutcracker just commemorates Christmas and for us, it’s so nice to be able to bring Christmas to the audiences. It really puts us all in the spirit. It’s uplifting to see all the little children coming in and they’re so excited – it sets you up to have a really good Christmas season.
What is it about Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score that makes it so enjoyable to dance and to listen to?
I think it’s phenomenal and I never get tired of it. You always get to the Act 2 pas de deux and although now I don’t sit on the side of the stage so much as a Flower or a Mirliton, but I still get goosebumps every time. To be sitting on stage listening to our orchestra playing it so beautifully, it makes you feel emotional. It doesn’t matter if it’s the 30th show, it feels as if it’s the first time you’ve ever heard it. It’s timeless and you can really feel the Christmas spirit in the music. And I think that relates directly to why it is such a good ballet to come and see as an introduction because many people will be unwittingly familiar with it, from hearing it in a shopping mall to hearing it in a TV advert.
For example, I love the Snow Scene so much especially when it’s almost a little bit too fast for the dancers. Not everybody is going to agree, but I like it when it’s fast so you can just really enjoy the crispness of the music, it gets really punchy at points.
Starting with perhaps Snowflakes and Waltz of the Flowers, what are the most challenging things about dancing in the corps de ballet for these dances?
First, the challenge is because every year we have new people joining the company. I remember clearly the first time I did it and you need to get used to each other. That tends to be the big challenge, to learn to breathe together to be able to look as if we are dancing together. I find the first couple shows, it’s not there yet. And then as we get into the swing of things, we learn to dance in unison. It can be demanding at points, but we also rehearse a great deal for those reasons. It does get better. I think when you’re fresh out of school, sometimes you want to do so much. But in a corps de ballet, sometimes it’s more important to do less, but be very precise.
Sometimes when you’re at the front, you don’t understand that the people behind you might be struggling. So it’s just coordination and precision.
I love to do it, with all the girls. Everybody is in it together. It’s like team work, being a part of a whole.
If you could pick out some highlights/favourites for audiences in Sir Peter Wright’s production, what would they be and why?
Jack in the Box in the Prologue. It’s really funny to watch, especially up close. There’s somebody in the box who’s about to burst out suddenly and fly around the stage. But the Battle Scene is my favourite. I always want to be a rat. If I could, if they needed somebody to do it, I would definitely raise my hand. To me it’s the music in the Battle Scene. It gets super exciting and it just looks so much fun. And you know, the girls never really get to be part of it, unless you’re Clara, but even then, you don't really do loads in it. You just run around and hide. Yes, you hit The Rat King on the head with a pointe shoe at the end. But that’s after you’ve come out of the fireplace and, you know, all the carnage has unfolded by then!
What about in Act 2?
I feel like the audience is always so impressed by the goose which takes us flying over landscapes. I’m so scared of heights, so I’m holding on to the goose like crazy. I love doing the Spanish dance, because I guess it feels like home, but it's also really fun.
And what makes the Sugar Plum Fairy such a coveted role (every little girl’s dream!)?
People always ask you when you say you’re a ballet dancer if you’ve done The Nutcracker. Everybody knows a bit about the Sugar Plum Fairy. And I think the music just makes you feel like a fairy. It really sets the scene. From the moment you step on stage it’s just you and your partner and you have a duty to make it sparkle. I think it’s everybody’s dream to be able to do it on stage, but I was just going say, it can also be terrifying.
In Sir Peter Wright’s version, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince have to wait until the end of Act 2 to do the pas de deux. What is that like in terms of nerves and stamina?
To be completely honest, it’s hard. I find it hard, and especially because I'm starting to transition from doing a lot of corps de ballet work, to doing more soloist and principal work. Getting used to – and it’s not like this for every role – but particularly in Nutcracker, being by yourself and doing things on your own, can be really scary. I never realised how scary until I started to do more things and it’s been a journey to learn how to cope with performance anxiety, because I get really nervous. I’ve learned that it’s good to be a little nervous. It’s good because you’re excited and you want to give it your all.
With Sugar Plum, everybody is on stage from Act 1 and you’re waiting to the end of Act 2 – it is a very long wait. So I warm up during Act 1. I am not listening to the music, so I can just be in the zone and do what I need to do for myself at that moment. And then during Act 2, I like to come backstage and see people and feel the music, try to distract myself as much as I can, because sometimes it can feel lonely when you’re just waiting. I get really, really nervous to the point that I don’t even know if I can go on, but once I’m on stage, I love it.
And Clara?
I love doing Clara because you’re on stage the whole time and you carry the story all the way through. Even if you’re nervous, you’re on, you warm up to the audience and you get used to it. I feel like I can be myself and be the character I want to be.
And I think it might be a secret, but as the show goes on, because it’s such a long run, in the Party Scene at the beginning, the crew set sweets on trays on the table at the back of the stage. It’s fun because when we get a brief break, everybody goes to the back and fights to get their favourite sweets! It’s silly, but it keeps us happy!
Birmingham Royal Ballet perform Sir Peter Wright’s Nutcracker from 21st November–13th December at Birmingham Hippodrome, and 29th–31st December at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
See upcoming performances by Birmingham Royal Ballet.
This article was sponsored by Birmingham Royal Ballet.
