Claire Robertson

Available to sponsor

 

1) Do you have a favourite web site?
I’ve only just recently got a lap-top, so haven’t used it much. I tend to only use it for emails at the moment.

 

2) What is your favourite ballet? Or role?
Out of the pieces I have performed in, I always try to find something out of them to make it my own. This means that no matter what I dance, I enjoy trying to bring something personal to the character. The first full-length role I danced with the Company was The Gypsy Girl in The Two Pigeons, which was a real highlight for me.

 

3) How do you relax away from the studio?
I like to relax by pampering myself; having a massage and going for a sauna. I also like having a nice meal and a glass of wine (or two!) with friends. I find that clubbing is a good way of letting myself go.

 

4) What was the last film you saw? Did you enjoy it?
The last film I saw was My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I really enjoyed it as it was so funny and easy to watch. It’s the kind of film that you can just stick on and have a really good laugh.

 

5) What is your favourite meal/type of food?
I eat anything from a good old Sunday roast to a spicy South American dish. I really like Thai Fountain and Cottiers.

 

6) Do you find it easy or difficult to get out of bed in the morning?
I find it very difficult to get out of bed, especially in the winter as it’s so cold in Glasgow.

 

7) What made you take up dance as a career?
I always wanted to be a dancer right from when I was a child. I used to dance about all the time to pop music when I was young and couldn’t wait to be able to go to full-time college to study dance. I was inspired by the films Fame and Flashdance and actually choreographed a routine to Flashdance whilst at the Brownies! I’m so pleased that I am able to do something that I love for my career.

 

8) Which is your favourite ballet company? – aside from Scottish Ballet of course!
I enjoy watching a wide selection of dance. I am very open-minded and feel that you can learn a lot from viewing different companies and observing each ones' own style.

 

9) What is or has been your favourite venue to perform in?
I like performing in Glasgow as it’s home, but the stage at Edinburgh Festival Theatre is fantastic to perform on because it is the biggest the Company tours to. I particularly remember performing in Sintra with Carmen as the stage was outside and you could see the mountains. Dancing under the stars was such a different experience. I really enjoyed the intimacy of Tramway as we were so close to the audience, which allowed you to enjoy the atmosphere.

 

10) What is your greatest extravagance?
Probably shopping!

 

11) What was it like working with the painter Peter Nardini?
I really liked the paintings he produced as they weren’t posed as he had music playing in the background and I improvised the movement as I wished. This meant that they weren’t static and captured the essence of dance. He was an easy person to work with and I’m looking forward to working with him again soon. He had an exhibition of the paintings on recently and he was really pleased with the outcome as it was a great success.

 

Biography

 

Born in London, Claire trained at the London Studio Centre, and joined Scottish Ballet in 1994. Since then she has danced in many of the Company’s productions including Page’s Cheating, Lying, Stealing, The Nutcracker (Marie), Cinderella (Cinderella), Soft Underbelly, Room Of Cooks,Walking In The Heat, Fearful Symmetries and The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora and Cinderella),Samsova’s Swan Lake (Cygnets), Darrell’s Tales of Hoffmann (pas de trois), Cinderella (Exotic Birds), Giselle, Five Rückert Songs (The Woman) and Othello (Desdemona), Fokine’s Les Sylphides (Waltz Girl), Prokovsky’s Vespri (pas de deux), Legats’ The Fairy Doll, MacMillan’s Diversions, Adam Cooper’s Just Scratchin’ the Surface (Bums), Tim Rushton’s Night Life, van Manen’s Sarcasms, Twilight and Two Pieces For Het, Ashton’s The Two Pigeons (The Gypsy Girl), Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner ofIsadora Duncan, and Façade, North’s The Snowman (Snowmaiden), Alston’s Dangerous Liaisons (which she also performed as part of the Dance Umbrella Gala), Balanchine's The Four Temperaments (Second Variation, Sanguinic, Choleric), Apollo, Episodes, Agon and Rubies, Forsythe’s Artifact Suite (Duet 1), Pastor’s In Light And Shadow (Aria duet) and Petronio’s Ride The Beast.      

 

Quotes

 

Page's The Sleeping Beauty (2007-2008)

 

 The Daily Telegraph, 13 December 2007 – …beautiful opening night performances from Soon Ja Lee, Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari in particular.

 

Scotland on Sunday, 16 December 2007 – Claire Robertson’s solo as the innocent, intense 16-year-old princess is the highlight

 

.Scotland on Sunday, 16 December 2007 – Some of the duets in the wedding scene, particularly the stylish, spiky pas de deux between Sophie Martin and her Prince and the pure romance of the ballet danced by principals Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari as Princess Aurora and the Prince, showcase Scottish Ballet’s talent at its best.

 

Northern Echo, 22 February 2008 – Claire Roberson’s Aurora is charmingly fresh and youthful and Erik Cavallari as the Prince is the epitome of the romantic hero.

 

EIF 2007
Page’s Fearful Symmetries
.The Herald, 21 August 2007 – Erik Cavallari is the wonderfully self-possessed Alpha Male, with three stunning ballerinas – Eve Mutso, Claire Robertson and Sophie Martin – servicing the different facets of his technique.

 

SPRING 07
Darrell’s Othello
.Sunday Herald, 15 April 2007 – Rising star Claire Robertson is typically engaging

 

CINDERELLA 2006/2007
.Sunday Herald, 17 Dec 2006 – Robertson and Cavallari makes a dreamy couple, near luminous in bright white… Their pas de deux at the ball has all the other-wordly beauty and purity of line you could hope for from a romantic duet.
 

.Ballet.co.uk, Jan 2007 – Claire Robertson danced bewitchingly as the heroine

 

.South Wales Echo, 26 Jan 2007 – Claire Robertson brought youth, vitality and a real athleticism to her role as Cinderella, dancing the first act in bare feet with grace and strength.

 

.South Wales Echo, 26 Jan 2007 –  Cinderella is well partnered by her dark and handsome prince Erik Cavallari and even their most intimate pas de deux is danced with vibrance, verve and youthful enthusiasm.

 

AUTUMN 2006
Forsythe's Artifact Suite
The Herald 5*, October 12 2006  - Claire Robertson and Patricia Hines carve geometrics in space with lethal pointe shoes.

 

EIF 2006
Balanchine’s Agon
.Sunday Herald, 03 Sept 2006 – The women, especially Eve Mutso, Sophie Martin and Claire Robertson, are ravishing.

 

SPRING 2006
Forsythe’s Suite from Artifact
.Sunday Express, 19 March 2006 – Robertson also dominates the first half of William Forsythe’s Suite from Artifact… Robertson is generous of movement, always cool but always at the limit, a fascinating combination of opposing qualities perfectly matching Forsythe’s spiky but romantic interpretation of Bach’s violin Chacone in D minore.

 

. The Herald, 31 March 2006 – Hines, who lasered through the whole programme with fierce finesse – and Lehmus, Mutso, Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari collected burnished honours in Forsythe’s Suite from Artifact, a tour de force that deserved the cheering ovation.

 

Balanchine’s Episodes
. The Scotsman, 1 April 2006 – When Ashley Page arrived at Scottish Ballet, one of his aims was to create “star” performers, much like Royal Ballet. In Patricia Hines, Claire Robertson, Paul Liburd and Sophie Martin, he’s got them.

 

CINDERELLA 2005-2006
Page’s Cinderella
. Herald, 14 December 2005 – Robertson is radiant, affecting and technically assured…

 

. Leopard Magazine, December 2005/January 2006 - Individual dancers like Claire Robertson, Patricia Hines, Diana Loosmore, Oliver Rydout and Jarkko Lehmus shone…

 

. The Times, 15 December 2005 – Claire Robertson, as the girl of the cinders, is sweetly vulnerable, but also plucky enough to grab her chances.

 

. The Independent, 16 December 2005 - Claire Robertson is a sweet Cinderella…

 

. Independent on Sunday, 18 December 2005 – There are three reasons to see this Cinderella…. Secondly, Claire Robertson’s titular heroine – appealingly vulnerable, technically assured and heroically tireless in a marathon of a role…

 

. Sunday Herald, 18 December 2005 - … a radiant Claire Robertson…

 

. Edinburghguide.com, 19 December 2005 – Claire Robertson and Cristo Vivancos make a beautiful young couple, touching, holding, smiling at each other as they dance closer and closer together through the night until the clock strikes midnight.

 

. The Stage, 31 December 2005 - … but ends up with a gloriously satisfying performance of the Grand Pas de Deux from CristoVivancos and Claire Robertson.

 

. Dance Europe, January 2006 - … Cinderella, delightfully danced by Claire Robertson…

 

. The Observer, 8 January – … Claire Robertson’s Cinderella comes across as a sweet, rather dreamy moth.

 

. The Skinny, 5 February 2006 – Claire Robertson as Cinders and Fairy Godmother Soon Ja Lee shine, their fine technique and luminosity grabbing the audience’s attention along with the lavish costumes they wear to the ball…

 

. Ballet.co.uk, March 2006 – Both (Erik Cavallari and Claire Robertson) are strong dancers and delivered their solos well.

 

. Sunday Express, 19 March 2006 - … but it is Claire Robertson’s ballet…. But partnered by Erik Cavallari, she brings a lyrical luminosity to some Page’s most beautiful steps in the ballroom love duets.

 

. The Daily Telegraph, 20 March 2006 – Claire Robertson was a prettily proportioned heroine…

 

AUTUMN 2005
Balanchine’s Apollo
. The Herald, 12 September 2005 – Eve Mutso, Soon Ja Lee and Claire Robertson are inspiring Muses.

 

EIF 2005
Balanchine’s Rubies
. The Herald, 27 August 2005 - … Miss Mutso in her element, as is Claire Robertson…

 

SPRING 2005
Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments
. The Herald, 14 April 2005 – Claire Robertson, in partnership with Cristo Vivancos, delivers a fizzy, vibrant Sanguinic.

 

. The Independent, 19 April 2005 – Claire Robertson leads the Coleric variation with furious sweep.

 

THE NUTCRACKER 2004 - 2005
Page’s The Nutcracker
. The Herald, 15 December 2004 – Claire Robertson and Tatiana Loginova both give an engagingly convincing reading of Marie – Roberton’s little girl has a nice hint of coltish adolescence that acquires a stately poise by the time she’s in the arms of Cristo Vivancos for the final Grand Pas de Deux.

 

AUTUMN 2004
. Scotland on Sunday, 12 September 2004 – She was a revelation – sex on legs.

 

Van Manen’s Two pieces for HET
. The Herald, 16 September 2004 - … in Two Pieces for HET with the wonderfully poised, mischievous Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari turning up the heat with every glance.

 

. The Scotsman, 17 September 2004 – Claire Robertson re-emerged as one of the Scottish Ballet brightest stars…

 

. The Times, 17 September 2004 – Erik Cavallari and Claire Robertson gave mature performances.

 

. Ballet.co.uk, 20 September 2004 – It is a rich concoction which was further enhanced by the elegant performances of Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari.

 

. The Sunday Times Culture, 26 September 2004 - … Claire Robertson and Erik Cavallari convoyed a potent electric charge in Two Pieces for HET.

 

Van Manen’s Twilight
. The Stage, 23 September 2004 - … Claire Robertson holds power over Adrian Cunescu, with her domineering white high heels bringing new meaning to the words “power walking”.

 

. Nairnshire Telegraph, 5 October 2004 – Claire Robertson danced the opening piece in stiletto shoes with all the sexual menace the choreographer intended…

 

SPRING 2004
Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments
. The Herald, 01 April 2004 – … real mettle in Claire Robertson’s Sanguinic.

 

. The Herald, 01 April 2004 – Lovely exactness, too, in the Choleric of Soon Ja Lee and real mettle in Claire Robertson’s Sanguinic.

 

. The Sunday Times, 11 April 2004 – Claire Robertson and Cristo Vivancos make an elegant couple in Sanguinic.

 

. Observer (Review), 18 April 2004 – Claire Robertson, incisive as Sanguinic, reveals her vulnerable side as the woman in Five Ruckert Song.

 

. Dance now, Summer 2004 – There were other exemplary performances: Claire Robertson (Sanguinic), Soon Ja Lee (Choleric).

 

AUTUMN 2003
Page’s Cheating, Lying, Stealing
. The Herald, 26 Sept 2003- Tatiana Loginova, Cristo Vivancos, Claire Robertson and Robin Bernadet served up Page’s sizzling, slithery moves with the kind of pzazz that augers well for the future.