Jonathan Byrne Ollivier Principal Artist

Jonathan joined Northern Ballet Theatre in 1999 and is now recognised as one of the country’s leading male dancers. This season Jonathan will dance the role of Athos in The Three Musketeers.

“Ollivier is a strong partner, fine actor and a dancer of extraordinary
physical and emotional intensity.” National Dance Awards 2004

Born: Northampton,England.
Trained: Rambert Dance School
Previous companies: Cape Town City Ballet
Favourite roles: Tybalt and Romeo in Romeo & Juliet. Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Jose in Carmen. Crassus in Spartacus. Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire. Armand in La Traviata.
Career highlights: National Dance Award nominations consecutively in 2003 and 2004.
Guest performances: Nutcracker in Columbus Ohio. Gala in Cape Town, South Africa
Personal: Married to fellow dancer Desiré Samaai. This Summer was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from Northampton University.

Q&A:

What hobbies do you have outside of work?
Free time is very limited so I enjoy catching up with friends and watching movies
Which dancers/people did you admire growing up?
Baryshnikov, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, my Mum and Nan
If you weren't a ballet dancer what would you be?
A Racing Driver or a Boxer
What 3 items do you always take on tour with you?
My CD's (all of them!), my car, and my wife!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
On a beach, being a father with lots of kids and my wife
What 1 thing couldn't you live without?
Water
What's your favourite food/meal?
Sunday Roast with my Mum's Roast Potatoes and Gravy
What's your drink of choice?
Beer, especially foreign or new ones
What's your favourite album?
Ready to Die - Notorious BIG
What's your favourite movie?
The Godfather Trilogy and Scarface
And finally, what's the best thing about being a ballet dancer?!
It keeps you fit, you get to dance with lots of girls, and you get to perform for people