With technical perfection she performs even the most difficult dance movement. He seems not to follow the law of gravity, like an aerialist and with skill he «flies» every part of his body, harmoniously follows the music and performs pirouettes, grand plié and grand jeté. His sister's ballet lessons and a video with Steven Macray, first dancer at the Royal Opera House, were the beginning of his enviable and successful career in classical dance.
The 17 year old, excellent ballet dancer Nikolas Sotiriou has been living abroad since he was 14 years old, as he attends classes at the leading Balletschule Theater Basel. «It all started when I was four years old and attending my sister's ballet classes. I asked my mother to join the classes and that's how my great journey began,» Nikolas explains to the Athens/Macedonian News Agency and adds: «my decision to become a dancer came later, when I was seven years old, when I first saw Steven Macray, first dancer at the Royal Opera House, dancing on video. I was impressed and fell in love with classical dance.».
«For me, dance is freedom, emotion, joy, a way of expression, but the most important thing is that it is a soul deposit. When I dance I forget everything. The movements are the words that make up the emotions I feel,» he says excitedly.
As he confides, this journey, despite his love and dedication to dance, was accompanied by many difficulties and many reactions, as in our country. As he points out, ballet, even today, is considered a «woman's business».
My classmates thought that ballet was not for men
«Unfortunately I had negative criticism from a very young age. My classmates thought that ballet was not an activity for men and some of my teachers thought that a dancer's degree was worthless. Of course I could not accept all this behaviour because of my young age and at first I argued with them. But as I grew older, with the help of my family, I learned to not pay attention and not to have to apologize to anyone for what I love,’ she underlines.
Nicholas grew up in an artistic family. His mother is a dance teacher and his father was a musician. He grew up surrounded by dance halls, performances and concerts. It was inevitable, says his mother Katerina Tsiara, that he would pick up the «bug» of dance.
From the age of seven with a suitcase in his hand
«She started when she was four years old and hasn't stopped dancing since then. The journey is difficult but at the same time magical,» the 17-year-old dancer's mother says, noting: «I remember since he was seven years old, we were with a suitcase in hand and we traveled to Greece and abroad, to do seminars, to participate in competitions. Each competition opened a new door for us, until he was chosen to audition for the Basel Opera, where he was accepted.».
The 17-year-old, referring to his mother, says he is very proud of her. ’She was one of my first teachers. She was the one who first believed in me. She is the one who introduced me to the world of dance, made me love it and want to be a dancer. She took me to competitions and seminars to gain experience and introduce me to a new world. Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today,« she emphasizes.
Dancing in memory of his father
The most moving moment he has experienced to date, he says, «was when I danced the role of Fritz the first year I came to Basel, because 20 days before the show I lost my dad. I danced that role in his memory. It's a role I will always remember.».
Nicolas Sotiriou's distinctions are countless, even though he is only 17 years old. From an early age he has excelled in dance competitions in Greece and abroad. He has been selected twice for the Summer School of the Paris Opera and once for the Summer School of the Royal Opera in London. She was a member of the ACB company in Athens, where she danced in three productions with choreographers from abroad. However, his greatest achievement is that he managed to be admitted to the Basel Opera.
Top dancer without a high school diploma
This year his beautiful journey to the Kingdom comes to an end, he says, as he gets his degree. The next destination is the Palluca Dance University in Dresden where he will study for a year. Unfortunately, however, as his mother points out, he may not have a high school diploma.
«A very important issue that we faced and we will definitely face it in the future, is that Nikos has a high school diploma, but not a high school diploma. There he attends the art school which includes the theoretical courses that are part of his degree, but not the general high school. This is an issue that the Greek state has not provided for, for children with this talent. Since there is no dance academy in Greece and children are forced to leave, it should be foreseen what will happen with the school,» he stresses.
The journey to the world of classical dance continues for Nicolas Sotiriou. His studies in Basel may be coming to an end, as this year he will receive his degree, but as the young dancer himself confides, the only guide in his life is his love for dance, which he is sure will lead him on another wonderful path.
Alexandra Hatzigeorgiou
* Photo by Carlos Quezada
