New Danish ballet chief at home with heritage

By Karin Jensen

COPENHAGEN (Reuters Life!) - Nikolaj Hubbe knows he will inherit a jealously guarded legacy when he takes over as artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet in July.

The 39-year-old former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet is already back in his native Copenhagen and working as a first instructor in preparation for his new role.

Hubbe, who considers himself a traditionalist, knows that he must seek to preserve Danish Ballet's heritage, while keeping an open mind to new ways of exploiting a rich inheritance that stretches back to mid 19th century Ballet Master August Bournonville.

"I think that within modern dance, classical ballet, there are still rich, rich possibilities. Things we are not even aware of yet. But we have to take our tradition and know it well enough. Know enough about it. And really base us on that, cement us in it in order to move ahead," Hubbe said.

Bournonville, who was appointed Ballet Master in 1830, amassed a treasure trove of works loved by ballet fans around the world who could view efforts to bring a fresh approach as sacrilege.

But Hubbe rejects any suggestion that change means he will seek to remodel the Danish Royal Ballet in the image of the kind of dance that he enjoyed during his 15 years as principal dancer in New York.

"If everything looks the same culturally all over the world, and it is already on its way to do, then all we need is one ballet company. Then nothing matters a damn," Hubbe said.

He says he wants to remain faithful to the Danish tradition of storytelling, but also dreams of exploring collaborations with theatre directors like Britain's Peter Brook and choreographers like Germany's Pina Bausch or Sweden's Mats Ek.