Marcelino Sambé

Marcelino Sambé
Sambé in 2010
Born (1994-04-29) 29 April 1994 (age 30)[1][2]
Lisbon, Portugal
EducationThe Royal Ballet School
Occupationballet dancer
Career
Current groupThe Royal Ballet

Marcelino Sambé (born 29 April 1994) is a Portuguese ballet dancer. He is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in London.

Early life

Sambé was born on International Dance Day 1994 to a Guinean father and Portuguese mother in an immigrant community at the outskirt of Lisbon.[1] His father worked in construction. Sambé attended African dance classes at a local community centre despite being the only boy in the troupe. When he was 8, the community centre's psychologist encouraged Sambé to audition for National Conservatory of Lisbon to train ballet, even though he did not know what ballet was. He ended up improvising an African dance routine for the panel, and was accepted to the Conservatory. Soon, he started training in the Vaganova method. Sambé's father died shortly afterwards, as Sambé's mother could not take care of both Sambé and his sister, so he was fostered by a family whose daughter was also training at the Conservatory, and later became a dancer at the National Ballet of Portugal.

After winning a scholarship at the Prix de Lausanne, he moved The Royal Ballet School in London at age 16.[2][3][4][5][6]

Career

Sambé joined The Royal Ballet in 2012, a year ahead of his scheduled graduation. He was made First Artist in 2014, Soloist in 2015 and First Soloist in 2017.[6][7]

In 2019, he was promoted to Principal Dancer, making him the second black male dancer, after Carlos Acosta, to reach this rank in the company. His promotion came after his debuts as Basilio in Don Quixote, for which he was coached by Acosta, and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.[3][8] Sambé' has also originated roles in works by choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter and Cathy Marston.[4][9] His frequent partners on stage include Francesca Hayward, Yasmine Naghdi and Anna Rose O'Sullivan.[2][5] As a choreographer himself, Sambé has choreographed for The Royal Ballet School's annual matinee and The Royal Ballet’s Draft Works.[7]

In 2020, he was featured in the BBC documentary, Men at the Barre. That year, his debut as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Sambé performed at the Coronation Concert in 2023, to mark the coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[10][11]

Selected repertoire

Sambé's repertoire with The Royal Ballet includes:[7]

Created roles

Awards

Awards:[7]

  • 2008: Moscow International Ballet Competition - silver prize
  • 2009: Youth America Grand Prix - first prize
  • 2010: USA International Ballet Competition - gold medal and special award
  • 2011: Ursula Morton Choreographic Awards - second prize
  • 2012: Youth Dance England - UK’s emerging choreographers
  • 2017: Critics' Circle National Dance Awards - Outstanding Male Classical Performance
  • 2019: Outstanding Male Classical Performance - Best Male Dancer
  • 2023: Outstanding Male Classical Performance

Personal life

Sambé is openly gay. He and his partner live in North London.[3]

Sambé took up photography when he was recovering from an injury, and has an Instagram account dedicated to his photographs of other Royal Ballet dancers.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Ganhão, Mafalda (8 June 2019). "Marcelino Sambé. O percurso de um bailarino português "extraordinário"". Jornal Expresso (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Marcelino Sambé: The Royal Ballet's Princely Powerhouse". Pointe Magazine. 28 March 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Marcelino Sambé: 'Ballet should not be just for elite kids'". The Guardian. 5 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Marcelino Sambé interview: the Royal Ballet star on training in lockdown, overcoming hardship and helping kids to dance". The Times. 26 April 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Marcelino Sambé interview: 'I've got a life outside ballet — you can't be a fully rounded artist if you are halfway living'". Evening Standard. 11 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b "In Conversation: Royal Ballet first soloist Marcelino Sambé chats with Gerard Davis". Dance International. 16 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d "Marcelino Sambé". Royal Opera House. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020.
  8. ^ "The Royal Ballet's Marcelino Sambé promoted to Principal dancer". Royal Opera House. 7 June 2019. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
  9. ^ a b "The week in dance: The Cellist/Dances at a Gathering; Message in a Bottle – review". The Guardian. 23 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Details of staging released ahead of Coronation Concert". BBC. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  11. ^ "The Royal Opera House celebrates the Coronation of King Charles III". Royal Opera House. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  12. ^ Parry, Jann (18 March 2018). "Royal Ballet – Bernstein Centenary: Yugen, The Age of Anxiety, Corybantic Games – London". DanceTabs.
  13. ^ "Like Water for Chocolate". American Ballet Theatre. Retrieved 25 June 2024.