Life on pointe
Lincolnshire ballet dancer Ella Slingsby reflects on living the dream and performing in leading productions all over the world. Interview by Kate Chapman.
She was just 10 years old when she dreamt of becoming a professional ballet dancer and now having fulfilled her ambition, Ella Slingsby is performing all over the world and loving every minute of being on the stage.
The 24-year-old, who grew up in Lincoln, is currently working in America, where she is coming to the end of a seven-month tour across 30 states with company International Ballet Stars.
Ella says it has been a wonderful opportunity to see so much of the country and one she has thoroughly enjoyed while taking on the role of the Queen in productions of Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, and Clara’s mother in The Nutcracker.
“It’s been really exciting, playing the role of the Queen. The tour started back in November, so it’s been quite lengthy and quite tough at times, but we’ve been able to see so much of America,” says Ella.
“I’m currently in Georgia and then we’re moving on to Florida next, when my parents are coming out to watch me perform.
“It’s been really great, as on this particular tour I’ve been given the opportunity to be ballet master for our children’s programme too, so I’ve been taking rehearsals for the children in the show. It’s something new for me, and later on, down the line, teaching may be an option I consider, so it’s been a good opportunity.”
Early talent
Ella was only four years old when she took her first ballet class at Sandy Gray School of Dance and Theatre, in Lincoln.
“I had one lesson a week. My mum took me, I’m not really sure why, probably because some of my friends were doing it,” she recalls.
“I did a weekly class for a couple of years, and then my teachers saw my potential, even at that early age, and said I needed more lessons in the week, and it gradually grew to be more and more.
“When I was 10, I was taking part in competitions and won my ballet solo – that moment always stood out. It was from that point that I knew my dream was to be a professional ballet dancer.”
By the time she was 13, Ella was dancing Monday to Friday, two to four hours most nights. Her next step was to audition for the Northern Ballet Associate Programme, in Leeds, for which she was accepted and spent four years training half a day a week in Leeds.
“It involved more training and rehearsals, so my parents, Paul and Jane, drove me up to Leeds every Saturday at 6am,” she explains. “They say those days are among their greatest memories, but if it hadn’t been for them taking me to all these places, and paying for me to go, I wouldn’t be here doing what I am.”
When she turned 15, Ella had already decided she wanted to go to professional ballet school and the following year she auditioned for several, as well as others specialising in musical theatre.
She was accepted into her dream school, the Central School of Ballet, in London, and moved to the capital for three years when she was just 16.
“Looking back, it’s crazy, I was still a child, although I didn’t think so at the time,” she says with a smile. “‘I stayed in student accommodation next to Tower Bridge and had an amazing three years.”
Moving on up
The end of Ella’s course coincided with lockdown, but she managed to audition for work and secured her first contract with the National Theatre of Romania, at the Oleg Danovski Theatre, in Constanța, along with her boyfriend David Wall, who is also a ballet dancer.
The pair moved to Romania when Ella was 19 and performed two shows a month for a year-and-a-half.
“It really was a dream come true,” says Ella. “We did a number of productions, including Don Quioxte, The Prince and the Pauper, Beauty and the Beast, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, as well as some of the director’s own works. He was really good at choreography and choreographed some of his own productions, which was amazing.”
Ella returned to the UK and joined another production of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, in Torquay, before moving out to America, where she joined a company called Atlantic City Ballet, taking part in productions of Dracula and The Nutcracker.
For the next step in her career, Ella joined various touring companies around the world as she wanted to travel. She has performed in Egypt, Germany, Finland, France, Sweden, Japan and Norway, among others.
Life on tour
When she is on tour, Ella’s working day starts at around 2pm, when she arrives at the theatre for ballet class, followed by rehearsals, which can go on until 6pm.
She then gets ready for her performance, which usually finishes at around 9.30pm. She leaves the theatre after 10pm and then it’s time to move on to the next venue.
Once her current tour ends, Ella hopes to take a well-deserved break from the gruelling demands of performing and travelling.
At the time of our interview, she is undecided as to what will come next, but says there are opportunities to tour further as well as positions which allow her to stay in one place.
“Honestly, I still love this so much, I still want to keep performing. I just love that feeling of pure joy when I’m on the stage,” she says.
“The moment that stands out for me is at the end of a performance, the curtain call, seeing everyone clapping and happy in the audience. When you get a standing ovation, that feeling is the best – I just love making someone else’s day a little bit better.
“My repertoire includes classical ballets and more narrative productions. I’m known for my elegant style, and I’m especially drawn to classical roles that focus on musicality and storytelling – I do love Swan Lake.
“I’ve been a professional ballet dancer for five years now, some professional dancers continue past the age of 40, while others retire earlier, it depends on lots of things, including injuries, of which I’ve had my share.
“To be a professional dancer is my dream and I’m so happy to have achieved that – anything else that happens now is just a wonderful bonus.”
Follow Ella’s journey on Instagram: instagram.com/ella.slingsby
Photographs: Stuart Ridgley / Michael Art / Richard Spurdens/ International Ballet Stars
Main Photography: Richard Spurdens
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