KEY POINTS:
Isamudin Radzhabov, assistant choreographer and dancer with the Russian National Dance Company's Flying Tzars, who tour New Zealand next month. Watch out, because they like throwing daggers, fighting with swords and leaping into the air.
How do you become a Flying Tzar?
Most start training at our dance school when 3 or 5 years old and train six days a week. At 18 they audition for the main company.
What backgrounds do the dancers coming from?
All must be students of our dance school. No outside dancers can join.
Not just anyone can dance like this. So, what sort of physique do you need?
For the men, two types of dancers are chosen. One type need strong dancing and good expressions. They must also be able to do comedy, incredible acrobatics and dance on their toes. The second group comprises the male dancers who have been taught specifically to do the incredible and unique tricks, as well as the six-foot (1.8m) pirouettes.
We hear the women in the dance company are beautiful.
If they are not beautiful they cannot be chosen. But they must perfect all the routines, so in many ways it can be more difficult to find good female dancers than it is male dancers.
Which routines are the most dangerous?
The first are the many leaps and spins we do in the air. These are normally 5 to 6 feet above the stage. And then we have 20 men with swords and shields who dance and spin while fighting with real swords. Some dancers have been injured in the past. We also do a dance with daggers which we throw at each other while we are jumping and spinning. If our timing is bad it is possible to badly injure someone.
What are the origins of the dances?
The dances date back more than 100 years and all carry a message. But to keep up with the modern world, the music has been updated to maximise visual impact and to cater for audiences in the new millennium and to appeal to both men and women. The core routine is based on Russian life. So, for this tour there's a humorous bear for the children, an amazing funny acrobatic routine, and a tightrope act that portrays how the men in the mountains crossed the ravines on wire cables. Our show also contains an exciting drum routine with 20 men dancing on the drums, spinning the drums on their finger and playing them.
How do you celebrate at the end of the show? There must be some vodka?
We have a big dinner. No member of the ensemble drinks alcohol but we do like going to disco dance all night.
* The Flying Tzars perform at the Aotea Centre, Auckland on May 12. For nationwide dates and tickets go to ticketek.co.nz
