Ihsan Rustem

Tell me more about Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen.

It was a gigantic project, and I believe it was one of the last projects Leonard Cohen gave his permission for before he died. He passed away not long before we started the creation, so it suddenly took on this whole new dimension of importance. 

Having the three choreographers, who are all very different, was an interesting avenue. We weave different parts together to create an evening of dance set to Cohen’s songs. The dancers are amazingly talented – it is a vibrant, electric company. Their athleticism is otherworldly, and I am really excited for the UK to see this Canadian company.

You joined [choreographer] Matthew Bourne’s company very young, tell me about how they came about.

When I was 16 and in my first year at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, London, I went to a Matthew Bourne open dance call to get experience – never in a million years did I expect anything to happen.

After the audition, the company manager came to the dressing room and said Matt would like to speak to you. He was very sweet and said there was "something interesting" about me, but I was a bit too young. I stayed in touch and did company classes with him, and then a year later, in the middle of my second year, I got a job offer with Swan Lake. However, not long before starting, I was told there was a place for me in the creation process for Matthew’s new show, The Car Man. 

I remember at the time, some of the teachers [at Rambert] said: "Don’t go, you haven’t finished your education." But I was very stubborn. I loved the process and learned so much – it was just fantastic. I loved the first part of touring and then realised that eight performances a week didn’t work out for me, so I left after the first tour and went back to school.

Then in my third year [at Rambert], someone on tour got injured, and I jumped into the European tour. After graduating and touring, I moved to Munich for a job I already had lined up.

What advice would you give to an aspiring dancer?

If you love it, then live and breathe it. It was my life. I saw as much as I could. I was fortunate to be in London as so much dance would come there, but now there is so much you can see online. I immersed myself in dance and tried to understand what was going on in the dance world outside of my little circle.

It’s hard, hard work and there is a highly competitive nature [to dancers], so just give yourself the best possible chance, arming yourself with all the tools you possibly can within your reach. 

CV Ihsan Rustem

Title: Choreographer
Where did you train: Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance (1998- 2001); BTEC National Diploma Dance - Ballet and Contemporary [Now a BA Hons course]
First professional job: Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man, 1999/2000
Agent: Assis Carreiro

Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen at Sadler’s Wells, February 7-11