Principal Artist Yosvani has danced with both Jeune Ballet de France and Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris, but found much to enjoy in The Australian Ballet’s French-inspired double bill Paris Match. It was a performance made all the more special because his mum was in the audience from Cuba.

Well, opening night of Paris Match has finally happened. We did it!

With Stanton Welch’s Divergence, you’ve got to be very precise and in sync, so everybody – well, I speak for myself – was worried they would have a blank in the middle of the stage. In this ballet you have to do all the turns and tours to the right, and I’m the only dancer in the whole company that turns to the left. I’m also at the front of the line, so even more pressure! Thankfully I didn’t end up in the orchestra pit … ha ha.

Suite en blanc, the first ballet of this double bill, also went well. I love Suite and danced it eleven years ago in France. On opening night this week, I performed the Mazurka. I had such a good time out there, despite being a bit tired after two rehearsals the previous day. The rest of the cast was fantastic – no reason to envy the Paris Opera Ballet. Australian ballet dancers rock!

Paris Match runs until 4 July in Melbourne

Yosvani Ramos in Stanton Welch’s Divergence. Photography Jim Mcfarlane

Principal Artist Yosvani Ramos talks about the particular pleasures of Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker – The Story of Clara

Being with English National Ballet for nine years, I did The Nutcracker every Christmas for almost a decade. It’s a big tradition in England, and even though I did two different productions in the course of those nine years, they were both pretty traditional. That’s why I’m so excited about performing in Graeme Murphy’s version. It’s completely different to any of the Nutcrackers I’ve danced before. Instead of dancing the standard Sugar Plum Prince, in this version I’m taking on the role of the Doctor/Solider/Lover. It’s fantastic, because the doctor is a very normal person, very human, but then you become the Soldier/Lover, which is much more balletic. There’s such a contrast.

Janet [Vernon] and Graeme really want the doctor to walk and act like a normal person. Funnily enough, I find this really hard because I’m used to walking on stage like a dancer – I will get it before the show!

The other thing that I love about Graeme’s production is the Australian flavour and of course the beautiful pas de deuxs. I’m suffering a bit at the moment because there’s some really tricky lifts, but rehearsals with Graeme and Janet have been great. They know what they want, and they know how to get it from you, but always in the nicest way so you want to give them your best. I’m really looking forward to the shows next week. It’s been hard rehearsing Nutcracker during the day and performing Firebird and other legends at night, but now Firebird has closed, I say bring on Nuts!

Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker – The Story of Clara opens in Sydney on 28 April and plays at the Opera House until 18 May. It then goes to Melbourne from 5-18 June