Viv Hardwick learns Birmingham Royal Ballet principal dancer Joseph Caley is finding life as Prince Charming just a tad testing, but still...

WHILE Cinderella was famously late for the ball, Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Joseph Caley found success early in his career and arrives on Wearside next week with important royal duties.

“The prince is a very difficult role stamina-wise, even though I’m not involved in the first act. In the second, as soon as I’m out on stage it’s full throttle and you don’t get much time off stage at all. We do solos first rather than the par de terres and the pace is quite tiring,” says Caley.

“There’s a lot of heavy lifting (in terms of work) and some challenging things put in by David Bintley (BRB’s artistic director), because he never likes to make things too easy. It can look like it’s effortless, but the prince has a more prominent role than in the more traditional productions,” adds Caley.

The Hull-born dancer joined BRB in 2005 from the Royal Ballet School and had a fairytale start as a 19-year-old when company injuries saw him promoted to lead roles. “A lot of opportunities can come about with timing. When I first joined the company there were suddenly six principals who had to leave and made BRB light at the top. I was so young and felt I had a lot to learn, but I was thrown in and did the best I could. But if I’d taken on these roles and failed then I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he says.

Bintley has particularly paid tribute to Caley’s debut as Albrecht in Giselle. “I guess it’s normally a mature role and not normally entrusted to a young dancer. I loved it and one of those special moments in my career. I’m just glad that David saw the potential in me,” Caley says.

“I was in the company when David Bintley first created Cinderella as one of the Prince’s friends and it’s a really well put together production. I managed to watch a performance a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it,” says Caley, who dubs the colourful ballet a real crowd-pleaser.

“This is the perfect work for all audiences because it has a lot of comedy in it involving the ugly sisters and then you have the classical par de terre side and a very classical role for Cinderella (Momoko Hirata). We’ve danced together a lot over the years as we came up through the ranks. I think we strike a good partnership... although she makes it look so comfortable that she could probably do the whole thing on her own,” jokes Caley.

He feels that the route through to a dancing career is just a little easier for young males because there is always so much competition for female places. “Every year it’s harder and harder to get back into things and I can’t take five weeks off now. I’m working out a lot more than I used to and trying to stay injury-free. You can’t just go out and try to play a bit of football at the weekend, but you do want a normal life,” says Caley, who is currently using climbing walls as his hobby of choice.

“To make it to the top as a dancer you have got to have some potential or drive. I went to local ballet school and junior associates in Leeds and was told I ought to audition for the Royal Ballet School. I admit I rather went through the motions. I was coasting and didn’t get cast in any end-of-year ballets at first. Then, at about 15, I saw I could do it and from them on I got better and gained my chance.”

  • BRB’s Cinderella runs at Sunderland Empire, Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18. Box Office: 0844-871-3022 or atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire
  • BRB’s triple bill will visit Durham Gala Theatre on May 9 and 10 and York Theatre Royal on May 12 and 13