The Workout: Dancing in ‘The Nutcracker’

Video

A Dancer’s Workout

Robert Fairchild, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, talks about his workout and his role in "The Nutcracker."

By Natalia V. Osipova on Publish Date December 11, 2013.
The Workout

An inside look at fitness routines, by Anahad O’Connor.

Ballet looks elegant and effortless, but it is by far one of the most physically demanding professions. While all ballet dancers require flexibility, strength and stamina, male dancers also need tremendous core strength and stability to safely lift, carry and hold ballerinas in awkward positions.

To find out more about how ballet dancers attain their high level of fitness, we asked Robert Fairchild, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, to describe his exercise routine.

Mr. Fairchild has been with the company for eight years, and he is well known for his acclaimed performances, including a starring role last year in George Balanchine’s “Apollo.” He currently has a leading role in the New York City Ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker,” which is also choreographed by Mr. Balanchine and runs through Jan. 4 at Lincoln Center.

We caught up with Mr. Fairchild to talk about his workout, the exercises that strengthen his core and why ballet dancers don’t grunt like other athletes. Here’s an edited version of our conversation.

Q.

How old were you when you started ballet and what got you into it?

A.

I started dancing when I was 4. It was tap. I think for little kids, having something on the bottom of your feet that makes noise, and getting to dance to something that’s not necessarily classical music, is a really great introduction. You learn your musicality, and you learn your rhythm. I also loved Gene Kelly videos. Watching him dance on screen was a huge inspiration for me.

Q.

Your sister is also a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Did you follow in her footsteps?

A.

I did. She’s been in the company three years longer than I have, and I would say she was my biggest inspiration. Whatever she did, I did. She played the violin, so I played the violin. She went to dance, so I went to dance.

She ended up going to the School of American Ballet, which is the school that feeds into the New York City Ballet. I did jazz competitions. But she saw a competition video of mine and said it would be a good idea for me to do a ballet summer course because ballet is the basis for all dance forms. When I came here I was nervous because I was a jazz dancer at a ballet school. But ever since that point, it’s been all ballet. I just fell in love with it.

Q.

Can you tell us about the physical aspects of ballet?

A.

Ballet is an art form, but it also is incredibly athletic. The thing about sports is that you can push yourself to your limits, but you can grunt, you can scream and you can yell to get yourself fired up. We have to go out there and do the same amount of physical activity while thinking about a pleasant demeanor. It has to look like it’s the easiest thing you’ve ever done, just pure enjoyment. You have this fire, but you also have to mask it with ease and poise.

Q.

Does it require the use of certain muscles more than others?

A.

Yes. The work is so intense in the legs, and in the feet and the calves, that it’s not until I get to do partnering where I feel like I’m using the same amount of effort in my upper body. It requires a lot of core strength, because you’ve got your limbs twisting and moving around, and often times for the guys, you’re holding a girl in those positions. So you need the range of motion to go there with your partner, and the core strength to hold yourself in those positions.

Q.

Can you describe a typical workout?

A.

I start in the morning with opening up my lower back, because there’s so much in dance where you’re holding your stomach in as much as you can when you’re lifting a girl above your head. In order for her to get there, she has to go above your head, so your upper back is moving backward, and your back is getting tight. In order to keep it open, there’s a lot of ball work that we do, a lot of rolling out.

Q.

What are some exercises that you do?

A.

I like to do gentle stretching and moving. I do what’s called a downward dog in yoga, but I do a variation that I’ve been working on with my Pilates instructor. Another exercise I do involves inflating a ball – called an “overball” – putting it behind the back and working the abs in different areas. This way I can really pinpoint which parts of my core to work on, because the general sit-up or crunch is not as specific as I need it to be. I also work on shoulder stability, doing variations of a push-up to warm up my upper body.

Q.

So you focus on stretching and warming the muscles a lot?

A.

I think the average person who goes to a gym works their muscles and strengthens them, and then stretches at the end. But for ballet dancers, in order to do the positions, we have to roll out our muscles, we have to stretch them out in order to start using them and firing them. Otherwise, if you can’t get to the positions that you need to get to, what’s the point in strengthening the muscles?

Q.

Are injuries a concern?

A.

Yes. In ballet, especially for guys, your lower back takes a lot of abuse, whether your leg is up at 90 degrees, or you’re jumping, but especially when you’re lifting a girl. She has to go right above your head, because you just don’t have the strength to go straight above. So no matter how much you’re holding your stomach, you are going to go back with her. It’s complicated, but you practice and you do it over and over again and learn what your body can handle and what you need to do to maintain it.

Q.

Do you adhere to a special diet?

A.

Most of the time, I eat pretty healthy. But I really just have to eat. My metabolism is so fast that I have to snack throughout the day, otherwise I start to look depleted and pale and really skinny. We work from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.. You’re not doing an exercise every second of the day, but you can imagine burning that many calories. So I have to make sure I eat – a lot.

Q.

Are there specific foods you like to eat before or after you train?

A.

I used to have a superstitious meal before a show. I would have a Greek yogurt, a Vitamin Water, a banana and a Clif Bar. That was to make sure I had some fuel to burn without feeling heavy. I used to have shakes before a show, but then I would have to go to the bathroom right before my entrance and that didn’t make sense. I realized I was taking in too much liquid and had to find a proper routine that can make you as efficient as possible.

Q.

Can you tell us about “The Nutcracker” and your role in it?

A.

“The Nutcracker” is our six-week run every holiday season, and it’s a great opportunity for all the kids in the School of American Ballet to dance with the company. There are probably as many kids in the production as there are company members. My role is the cavalier. I present the sugar plum fairy to the audience and I dance with her, and it’s our presentation to Marie and the prince.

Q.


What is it like working with your fiancée, Tiler Peck?

A.

Our lives have followed the same track. We both got into the company. We both got promoted to principal at the same time, and in the same studio. To share being on stage with someone that you love so much is a huge opportunity. You work your whole life for this moment to show 2,500 people what you’ve been up to, what you feel like your gift is. And to get to share that on stage with someone that you share your life with, and your love with, is pretty cool.