Young dancer learned new culture
Ballet dancer Daichi Ikarashi practices at an outdoor venue. • Photos courtesy of The Royal Ballet and submitted
By Tom Victoria
Daichi Ikarashi uses dance to express himself. The 19-year-old Japanese native is an Aud Jebsen Young Dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.
“Ballet means a form of dance that I can express myself without using my word,” Daichi said. “Without ballet, I am definitely not the same person. My thought, my motivation would be completely different.”
A major facet of performing for Daichi is expressing the emotions of the character.
“I think the easiest way to understand is to be the character,” he said. “Recently, I had a chance to dance the role of Mercutio in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ It has a flight scene where I lose and die. I really enjoyed the experience as I got into the fight so much that I forgot I was on stage.”
While Daichi loses himself in a role, he trains hard to not forget the dance movements required for the performance. Ballet dancers must practice the next show while still performing the current one to save time.
“Once we start performing it, we no longer rehearse it,” Daichi said. “We start rehearsing something else.”
He said training kicks in for each performance despite the rehearsals being for the next show.
“Our bodies remember when the music plays,” Daichi said.
Daichi soars in the air during rehearsal. • Photo by Andrej Uspenski.
His journey to becoming a dancer began as a youth in Japan. When he was 4, his mother tried to get him interested in an activity.
“My mother said ‘Let’s start something,’” Daichi recalled. “I cried in hip hop class. I cried at soccer. I didn’t cry in ballet class.”
His mother subsequently decided ballet must be the activity for her son. Daichi stuck with it until he had an opportunity to attend ballet boarding school at 13. Despite the trepidation of leaving home, he seized the chance.
Upon relocating to England, Daichi took a crash course in speaking a new language.
“I was thrown in a normal English class,” he said. “I sat there not understanding anything. I started picking up some words.”
Above, Daichi and dancer Marianna Tsembenhoi perform a routine for the ROH Insights Meet the Young Dancers. • Photos by Andrej Uspenski.
Daichi displays his athleticism and grace.
Already familiar with writing in English, Daichi learned the slightly different spellings in the British version.
He also adjusted to a different cuisine than he was accustomed to in Asia, including developing a fondness for the fish and chips fare of London.
As a ballet dancer, practice makes nearly perfect. Mistakes do happen. Daichi said the dancer must respond appropriately by adapting to the situation.
“We always try and rehearse a lot to avoid that from happening,” he said. “Unfortunately, we cannot do anything to avoid an accident that happens during the show. We do more than 100 shows every year and it is very difficult to not make any mistakes. The key is how to pretend like nothing happened and try to not show it to the audience. You need to stay calm and try to not panic, listen to the music and see where you can catch up.”
Daichi defies gravity.
Daichi currently prefers classical ballet to other types.
“The main reason that I prefer classical ballet is I can dance better compared to contemporary dance,” he said. “Obviously, people are tempted to like what they can do better. But I want to try more contemporary dance as I barely had any chance to dance contemporary dance, so it might change.”
What won’t change for Daichi is the sensation of performing in front of a live crowd.
“I feel like I can connect with an audience,” he said.
Daichi particularly favors shows at outdoor venues.
“You can actually see the audience’s faces,” he explained.
In addition to rehearsals, ballet dancers engage in exercise as a routine. Daichi explained male dancers must do weight training to increase their upper body strength as they’re required to lift female dancers during performances. He also does Pilates and gyrotonics. Daichi said a dancer must have flexibility and strength in addition to good technique.
“That’s the aim for the dancer,” he said.
Daichi looks within and to others for motivation.
“It can be tough sometimes,” he said. “But I always think I am doing what I want to do. I watch other people dance. Luckily, I have so many dancers who are extremely talented. Those people motivate me a lot.”
Daichi offered advice to beginners or those wishing to become ballet dancers.
“My advice is have a great connection with others,” he said. “Lots of professionals say about practicing and the technical side of it. For me, that’s very important, too. But for me, I find my career was carried by many other people who I met. First, definitely my family. I am here because of them. My family’s huge support and advice carried through to me. Then, my teachers, friends, ballet agencies, any of them are so important to me. My advice is keep a strong connection with other people. You cannot do anything by yourself.”
Daichi doesn’t regret taking the monumental step of relocating as a teen.
“I’m so grateful to be able to experience a different culture,” he said. “Being able to speak English helped me so much. I feel my world has got a lot bigger than what it would have been if I didn’t dance. I can proudly say England is my second home. But I am keen to visit many more places in the future.”
The link to Daichi's Instagram is: https://www.instagram.com/daichi_ikarashi/