ARGENTINA: Eighteen-year-old Argentine ballet dancer makes unlikely rise from humble roots to legendary Buenos Aires theatre

Record ID: 446689

  • Title: ARGENTINA: Eighteen-year-old Argentine ballet dancer makes unlikely rise from humble roots to legendary Buenos Aires theatre
  • Date: 9th November 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF REHEARSAL VARIOUS OF BOCCARDO REHEARSING WITH OTHERS BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (NOVEMBER 7, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BOCCARDO DANCING AT END OF YEAR DANCE RECITAL
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Argentina, Argentina
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Arts,People
  • Reuters ID: LVABP4PKU3709UMW8MSI7XPCFKYG
  • Story Text: Young Argentine Guillermo Boccardo has danced his way from humble roots to a legendary Buenos Aires theatre, where he dreams of one day being the principal dancer.
    Five days a week, Boccardo comes to train at the majestic Colon theatre, where he was chosen to perform in two productions this year.
    Local newspaper Clarin likened Boccardo to Billy Eliot -- the fictional film that follows a young dancer from a coal mining town to London's Royal Ballet School -- and there are some similarities.
    Boccardo, who moved to Buenos Aires by himself at 12, says it hasn't been easy, but, unlike Elliot's character, he's always had his parents' support.
    "My mom and dad don't have stable jobs. They do whatever they can to support the entire family. To get me here was a great effort. My dad had to sell his car. My sold pastries and I collected cardboard and bottles, any little thing to help," he said.
    Like most kids in soccer-mad Argentina, Boccardo began playing with a local club in his native Santa Fe at six years old.
    He also started taking dance lessons, and little by little dance won over.
    At eleven, he got a try-out to enter the dance school at the legendary Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires, where his predecessors include the likes of iconic Julio Bocca and Hernan Cornejo, now lead dancer at the American Ballet Theatre.
    Boccardo glows when he talks about the Colon.
    "It was like magic. It fascinated me, really. I fell in love with the Colon Theatre, charmed. I can't find the words to describe the magic of this place. It's a singular sensation, like the moment you set foot here you already want to dance, you want to start warming up, practising and rehearsing. The ambiance, the energy, they call you to dance," he said.
    Meanwhile, he trains. Waking up at 6 every morning, Boccardo does four-hour morning sessions, eats lunch, and tries to relax a bit before heading back to the Colon for another strenuous three-hour session in the evening.
    It's not the typical life for an 18-year-old, but Boccardo wouldn't have it any other way, and he hopes one day his efforts will take him to the top.
    "I want to be first dancer. It's more a dream, a goal I have, and according to how one goes about things, one can get there. And if it doesn't happen, well, dancing in itself is my passion. If I can make a living dancing, I don't ask for anything more from life," the dancer said.
    It's a competitive atmosphere at the Colon school, and neither Boccardo nor his teachers are willing to say where he stands amongst peers, but the young dancer is focused on making it to the top.
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