This time last year Adam Elmes and Lilla Harvey were Corps de Ballet dancers with the Australian Ballet who had been nominated alongside three of their peers for the 2023 Telstra Ballet Dancer Award. Lilla went on to receive the Telstra Rising Star Award in May 2023.
Just one year later Adam and Lilla have both been promoted up a rank – from Corps de Ballet to Coryphee, and excitingly they are now both taking the lead in the principal roles of Carmen (Lilla Harvey) and Don Jose (Adam Elmes) in the Australian Ballet’s production of Johan Inger’s Carmen at the Sydney Opera House. In the lead up to this season Lilla and Adam also spent time in London rehearsing Carmen in ENB’s studios alongside fellow AB artists Marcus Morelli, Dimity Azoury, Callum Linnane and Jill Ogai.
So, what’s it like for a Coryphee to step into a leading role and to be paired up with a more experienced Principal dancer? What was their experience of working on these roles in the studio and what do they hope audiences will take away from their respective performances in Carmen? Do they have any advice for young aspiring dancers who dream of joining a company and taking on leading roles one day?
Read on and find out in Lilla Harvey’s and Adam Elmes’ answers below.
Lilla Harvey. Photo credit The Australian Ballet.
LILLA HARVEY
What does stepping into a leading role in Johan Inger's Carmen mean to you?
When I first found out we would be performing this work I gasped. Having previously danced Johan Inger’s I New Then I had some context of his style. The charisma and realness of his choreography I adored both to dance and witness. Something made even more rewarding when it provokes an audible response from the audience. Carmen has always been a coveted role of mine, a character of absolute magnetism. She is a survivor she is fearless and also incredibly relevant holding up the mirror to violence against women. I feel truly honoured to be performing this role.
What was your experience of working on Carmen in ENB's London studios? And with Johan Inger when he came to Australia?
The most valuable thing about our time in London was the chance to be able to focus solely on one production. Back home we work on anywhere from one to five different works at a time, however with ENB we could completely immerse ourselves in Carmen. We worked with Johan’s associate dramaturg Gregor Acuña-Pohl to depict each scene, in detail creating a dialogue between the characters. As ballet dancers, acting nuance is usually a skill developed on the job, Gregor was invaluable giving us more resource to draw from. With Johan in the room the energy is focussed and inspired, Johan’s infectious laugh and sense of humour commands instant respect amongst us Aussies. Developing Carmen and my other role ‘the Boy’ with Johan has been a process of careful understanding of the responsibilities and impact of his artistic intention. Each artist feels seen and important.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your performance in Carmen?
This particular set, lighting and costume design, paired with Johan’s unique choreographic voice will lure in and excite the audience without a doubt. Not to mention the Bizet inspired score. I hope for my performance of Carmen to inspire the possibility of assured feminine self-expression and unapologetic existence. When I play ‘the Boy’ I hope to make the audience feel the need to protect vulnerable minds and realise the fact that misogyny and discrimination is taught and learned. Gendered violence is happening whether exposed in our newspapers or not. This story has no protagonist however its message is clear.
As a coryphée, what has it been like to be paired up with a more experienced Principal dancer?
I’ve had the pleasure of working and sharing this experience with Principal dancer Marcus Morelli. It was wonderful be paired with someone who not only has a wealth of experience in partnering, but also bringing emotional depth when taking on a role. Despite me being a lower rank, Marcus never treated me as anything less than equal. It was a collaborative process with both of us being curious about where we could take the expansion of movement and the narrative between us, something that will be on going even through shows. Characters such as Carmen and Don Jose require the people playing them to have a great deal of trust, which I feel lucky to have with Marcus.
Lilla Harvey with Marcus Morelli in rehearsal. Credit Brodie James.
Do you have any advice for young dancers who dream of joining a company and taking on leading roles like you one day?
Watch and absorb as much art and live performance as you can, find out what inspires you and why. Bring that why into what you’re doing now and don’t waste energy or time wishing you were somebody else.
Carmen and Don Jose are often seen as passionate, dramatic roles. How are you similar to and/or different from the character you play in Carmen?
There are parts of Carmen which I can identify within myself then work on magnifying them. Carmen is an overtly confident and sexual figure, tapping into my own femininity has come fairly naturally to me. The superficial side of Carmen in which she is promiscuous and manipulative I don’t identify with. The time and environment she lives in means she has to mask any vulnerability and that is how she survives. I think I feel things very deeply and intensely but can often seem quite stoic on the outside to cope, so I do feel a familiarity there with my own assumption of the character. Finding or creating connections to my own reality has been a great tool for embodying a role in my experience.
Adam Elmes. Photo credit The Australian Ballet.
ADAM ELMES
What does stepping into a leading role in Johan Inger's Carmen mean to you?
The role of Don José feels unlike anything else I’ve performed before in my career - it demands an enormous amount physically but even more so emotionally. It is truly an opportunity of a lifetime to be trusted with portraying this complex leading man and it feels like such an avenue of growth for me. Johan Inger’s work is some of my favourite in the world so to be chosen for something like this is beyond special.
What was your experience of working on Carmen in ENB's London studios? And with Johan Inger when he came to Australia?
Travelling overseas and learning Carmen in ENB’s beautiful building was so many things. I immediately recognised it as something that doesn’t happen very often for any dancer, travelling without the pressure of performing is rare. Johan’s movement is so fluid and human, it’s always a treat to get to dance his creations and I had an incredible time doing it with some of my wonderful Aus Ballet peers. I also got to see London in a new light and can absolutely understand why so many people choose to call it home.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your performance in Carmen?
I hope my performance inspires the audience to see the good and bad in Don José, to consider how much of him is a good man led astray and how much is a violent person unravelled by his untapped emotional self. I always want to prompt reflection from the audience & for them to see something new, whether that’s in themselves or their world.
As a coryphee, what has it been like to be paired up with a more experienced Principal dancer?
Dancing with Dimity (Azoury) has been such a gift and I have learned so much just from being beside her in this journey. Performing as a principal can be incredibly anxiety-inducing, it’s easy to feel the pressure that such a role entails but Dim has been so grounding and has kept me feeling emotionally solid all throughout the last few weeks. I think both her interpretation of Carmen allows for my interpretation of Don José to exist and I couldn’t be more thankful to debut in this ballet together.
Adam Elmes and Dimity Azoury in rehearsal. Credit Brodie James.
Do you have any advice for young dancers who dream of joining a company and taking on leading roles like you one day?
Every time you perform you will learn and grow so much - every drama class, jazz eisteddfod and boogie at home in the bathroom mirror has made me the artist I am today so don’t be afraid to try new things. Also, very important - listen to your heart and embrace the things that make you different. It’s too hard to try and be someone else so don’t waste your time.
Carmen and Don Jose are often seen as passionate, dramatic roles. How are you similar to and/or different from the character you play in Carmen?
Dancing Don José was a challenge at first because I felt so different to him and struggled to find the places where I could connect to his story. However, the joy of playing a complex character is that you can always find areas to lend your personal experience to. I found that my more sensitive nature can shine through in the moments when he is falling in love with Carmen, and you see his heart open for what seems like the first time. Don José and I both have the capacity for deep emotion however my character expresses himself in very stunted, maladaptive, and violent ways whereas I would consider myself more of a gentle spirit.
The Australian Ballet’s exclusive Sydney season of Johan Inger’s Carmen closes on Saturday 27th April.
You can buy tickets at https://australianballet.com.au/performances/carmen
Read Geraldine Higginson’s review of the opening night cast of Carmen (featuring Jill Ogai and Callum Linnane) here.