It’s hard to imagine that things could work without him at first. Shale Wagman is the epicenter of the “Hamlet” elegy in Alexei Ratmansky’s “Tchaikovsky Overtures”, which are now back on the Bavarian State Ballet’s program. A part that was written specifically for the great dancer. But currently, which is also part of everyday ballet life, the soloist has to recover from an injury. Bitter, because he won’t be able to dance “Onegin”, the dream part of all ballerinos. But the good news: Wagman, born in 2000, is training again. Maybe it will still work with the Tchaikovsky overtures, at the end of January, but certainly in February. And he also gets his debut chance in “Onegin” this season, as Lenski, which is something we can only look forward to. Meanwhile, the likeable Canadian, who wanted to be a ballet dancer as a child, has a little more time than usual to drink tea, meditate and learn German.
Monday: Rehearse and meditate
Shale Wagman is back training to get back into shape after being injured for several weeks.
(Photo: Katja Lotter)
Every morning starts the same for me: after getting up, I don’t answer my cell phone for the first thirty minutes. In general, I try to spend as little time as possible on the internet. Last year I deleted all of my social media apps. This way I feel less like I have to emulate someone. Instead, I meditate, take a cold shower, and drink a cup of tea. Then I drive to the ballet rehearsal house for my daily training and rehearsals.
Tuesday: Chatting in the teahouse
The Laifufu tea salon specializes in the Taiwanese tea tradition.
(Photo: Laifufu)
Today I spend my break between rehearsals in the Laifufu tea room, where I order a cup of Shu Puerh. Drinking tea gets my circulation going and grounds me mentally; this is a kind of lifestyle for me. I also appreciate the company in the tea room. Many different people come together here: scientists, visual artists, musicians, students – and me. During the conversations I have here, I often have the feeling that time stands still. If the weather permits, I’ll take a little walk along the Eisbach in the English Garden.
Wednesday: To the café with the teacher
The “Marais” in Munich’s Westend was once a textile goods store. Not only can guests have a good breakfast here, but there is also a lot to see and buy.
(Photo: Catherina Hess)
When I recently couldn’t work for a few weeks due to an injury, I completed an intensive German course. Today I’m meeting my teacher after the last ballet rehearsal. We go to Café Marais near Schwanthalerhöhe. We speak – in German! – about everything possible: about what’s going on with us at the moment, about psychology, about languages or about classical music. Not only can I exchange ideas with a good friend, but I can also continue to practice the language. And if I’m really motivated, I’ll listen to another episode of that afterwards Podcasts Easy German.
Thursday: Learning for Onegin
Scene from the ballet “Onegin” by John Cranko, which can currently be seen at the Munich National Theater.
(Photo: Nicholas MacKay)
After the daily training and two rehearsals, I go to the canteen of the Bavarian State Opera with a few colleagues. I use the break in the afternoon to finish reading the verse novel for the ballet “Onegin,” which we are currently performing. I always try to understand the characters so I can tell the story authentically. In the evening I have my weekly appointment with physiotherapy. Here I get a so-called Rolfing massage to relieve the tension in my body. I can also highly recommend the method to non-athletes!
Friday: Curtain up!
This afternoon I’m treating myself to lunch at my favorite restaurant, Osteria Mugolone, on Maillingerstrasse. Around 5 p.m. I ride my bike to the National Theater, where the “Tchaikovsky Overtures” are on the program, which I hope I can dance. The hours before the performance I usually concentrate entirely on myself, don’t talk to anyone except my makeup artist and listen to 430 megahertz frequencies that I have on my cell phone. They sound a bit like singing bowls. I meditate alone on stage for a few minutes and pray. And then the curtain goes up on me and my role, which was created especially for me. This is something very special for a dancer.
Saturday: Youth of a rebel
If anyone represents punk and poetry at the same time, it’s Patti Smith, singer, writer and tireless traveler. Here is a photo from 1979.
(Photo: imago/Leemage)
Since we also train and rehearse on Saturdays, I’ll spend the evening at the end of this week comfortably at home. I’m a huge reality TV fan. I especially enjoy watching “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” But I also really enjoy reading. My absolute favorite book is “Just Kids. The Story of a Friendship”, the autobiography of Patty Smith. She is a great musician and also an author. I’m currently reading her book “The year of the monkey”.
Sunday: Relax in the sauna
The Art Nouveau building “Müller’sches Volksbad” opened in 1901. With its architecture and interior design, the bath is one of the most beautiful bathhouses in Europe. The picture shows the corridor to the relaxation cabins.
(Photo: Alessandra Schellnegger)
I want to enjoy Sunday, my day off – in the Müller’schen Volksbad at Rosenheimer Platz. I like to swim and go to the sauna here. I love German saunas! It’s a good place for me to switch off and recharge my batteries for the week ahead. Afterwards I meet a few friends in the “One Nation” restaurant on Lenbachplatz. The salmon there is excellent and I also like the special atmosphere.
Shale Wagman is from Canada. He was educated in Toronto, Monte Carlo and Monaco. Wagman was the youngest guest ever to appear in a leading role at the Mariinsky. He has received numerous awards. His first engagement was with the English National Ballet in London. He danced in “Hungarian Dance No. 1, which Marco Goecke created especially for him”, Russell Maliphant’s “Second Breath” and Christopher Wheeldon’s “Cinderella”. Wagman has also been choreographing for ballet companies in Monaco and Mexico since 2015. He has been with the ballet houses in Monaco and Mexico for almost three years Bavarian State Ballet, he was promoted to soloist for the 2022/23 season.
Canadian dancer Shale Wagman.
(Photo: Nicholas Mackay)