Russian-born ballet dancer Daniil Simkin: ‘At some point I wanted to be a dentist’

Russian-born Daniil Simkin, 34, is renowned for his staggering “airtime” but he didn’t always want to be a professional ballet dancer.

Daniil Simkin as the Harlequin in Alexei Ratmansky’s Harlequinade. Photo: Doug Gifford.

Russian-born Daniil Simkin, 34, is renowned for getting ‘airtime’. The dancer with Staatsballett Berlin is in Melbourne to perform as guest soloist with the Australian Ballet.

Your parents, ballet dancers Dmitrij Simkin and Olga Aleksandrova, met while performing at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Was a career in dance inevitable for you?
It was definitely an option because I grew up backstage. Nevertheless, my parents insisted that I got a high school degree in order to go to university or college. At some point I wanted to be a dentist. At another point I thought about psychology, but in the end I think I love being on stage and performing. I’m very thankful and lucky to the parents that I have because they gave me the opportunity to decide, because they did not decide. In Soviet Russia you have a path written out for you. Around the age of 15 I decided to become a dancer. Until then it was just a hobby.

It’s amazing to see you fly through the air with such grace. We’ve enjoyed watching on your Instagram account (@daniil) the clip of you performing a 540, a manoeuvre derived from Korean martial arts. Will you be getting some “airtime” in the role of Harlequin you’ll be performing with the Australian Ballet?
I mean, I will try for that to be the case. We have quite a few jumps in there and I’ll try my best to stay in the air as much as possible.

What goes through your mind when you’re dancing a role that is so physical but also has character aspects as well?
Various things happen in my brain. On the one foot I’m trying to remember what I want to accomplish technically in the moment. At the same time, I’m also trying to live in the moment and be that character. I try to concentrate but at the same time have a certain lightness and ease. That’s why we rehearse, to have the leeway to be in the moment and be spontaneous despite having everything planned out and being on top of it technically and spiritually.

‘That moment when you come off stage is very difficult because it takes hours and hours for that adrenaline to flush out,’ says ballet dancer Daniil Simkin. Picture: Mariam Medvedeva

When you come off stage do you have any kind of ritual to transition back to normal life?
That moment is very difficult because it takes hours and hours for that adrenaline to flush out. It’s very hard to fall asleep and you’re still reliving the moments on stage because you’re trying to analyse. I mean, it helps if you have a video to actually see and have some sort of feedback loop. Because sometimes things feel worse than they look and sometimes they look worse than they feel. It’s always a difficult moment. I’m trying to have a beer or something, but it never helps. It’s always a long road until arriving back in reality.

What’s it like hopping off a plane and heading straight into rehearsal?
It’s a bit of a shock, but nevertheless I am prepared and I’m excited to be here. I’m looking forward to the shows.

You performed the role of Harlequin in Harlequinade’s world premiere season in 2018 with American Ballet Theatre. How would you describe your friend, Australian Ballet artistic director David Hallberg, whom you got to know during your time at ABT?
As a dancer he is the penultimate danseur noble. I would say he’s a prince in his demeanour as well as physically, spiritually and visually as well. And as an artistic director I think he has a great future ahead of him.

You have done a lot of work both digitally and on screen with dance, including the film Diorama (2020). Now that we are learning to live with the pandemic and live performance is possible, what role can digital play in the art form?
There is a great opportunity not only digitally but also for dance on film. I think there is ample opportunity for dance to grow up and to learn how to evolve with film. In the digital realm there is also more opportunity in virtual reality or other experiences because in the end dance is very primal. It will always be part of humanity. Online is just another medium.

Daniil Simkin performs on Saturday June 25 with the Australian Ballet at Arts Centre Melbourne.