Royal Ballet
Royal Ballet performance will have a dancer who uses a wheelchair
Exclusive: former ballet student Joe Powell-Main will take part in a duet at Greenwich + Docklands international festival
Kristen McNally and Joe Powell in the Royal Ballet’s Draft Works, with choreography by McNally. Photograph: Asya Verzhbinsky
Kristen McNally and Joe Powell in the Royal Ballet’s Draft Works, with choreography by McNally. Photograph: Asya Verzhbinsky
Dalya Alberge
Tue 23 Aug 2022 13.42 EDTLast modified on Wed 24 Aug 2022 05.18 EDT
The Royal Ballet is staging a performance in which one of its dancers performs a duet with a disabled dancer, recognising that being inclusive is “not just about diversity of race, but also about diversity of physical ability”.
Joe Powell-Main, who uses a wheelchair and crutches to perform and describes himself as a “differently abled dancer”, will appear with the Royal Ballet dancer Isabel Lubach in a lyrical piece created for the Greenwich + Docklands international festival next month.
His is a story about overcoming life’s obstacles to pursue a dream that he had had since he was five. Powell-Main is determined to “challenge perceptions, start conversations and open up opportunities for me and other differently abled dancers”.
Having [...]