UK Edition
Royal Ballet soloist wore make-up to lighten his skin to try to 'blend in'
A Royal Ballet soloist has told how he felt he needed to wear make-up to lighten his skin in order to be selected for major roles.
Fernando Montano, who has performed privately for Prince Charles, said he used cosmetics during his early years at Britain's largest ballet company as he was one of only three black dancers.
While Montano, 33, felt his skin colour placed him at a disadvantage when auditioning for roles, he said he never believed he was discriminated against, adding that his use of make-up instead reflected his inner insecurities.
Born in the Colombian department of Valle del Cauca, Montano's dancing talents allowed him an escape route from the poverty and drug violence which plagued his district.
He joined the Royal Ballet in 2006, but admitted he struggled to adjust to life at the Royal Opera House, partly because of fears his race could count against him when competing with white performers.
Montano told The Sunday Telegraph: “When I joined the company there was only Carlos [Acosta] and another black American ballerina.
“I was feeling like there was no one like me and then of course I was trying to fit in, and so I used to put on light make-up on my hands and my face so I could look like the others and blend in with the rest of the company.”
Dancers are often required to wear over the top make up and wigs on stage and Montano says it would take him up to 45 minutes to remove his make-up after shows such as Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.
Montano said he is “extremely grateful” for the opportunity given to him by the Royal Ballet, claiming other black artists do not chose the performance dance because of its perceived “elitism”.
“You do not see many black classical ballet dancers, most of them are more contemporary, maybe because ballet can be very elitist - they do not even try out for other roles because they don’t have many role models to look up to.”
He added: “I remember I met Prince Charles and I did not know how to address him properly.
“I was so nervous when I was in his summer house, and I had to watch what the other people in the company did and try to copy what they were saying and what they were doing.”
His comments come at a time when the lack of diversity among some sections of the profession is being highlighted.
Last month, Freed of London, Britain’s oldest manufacturer of ballet kit, made brown ballet shoes available to dancers from minority ethnic backgrounds for the first time in the UK.
Dancers not catered for by standard-issue pink shoes have previously had to rely on “pancaking” - the application of foundation or powder make-up to their shoes to make them match their skin colour.
After joining the prestigious National Ballet School of Cuba at aged 14, Montano went on to perform in Italy where he was spotted by the Director of the English Ballet School who invited him to the UK.
He became the first Colombian to dance with the Royal Ballet with a series of energetic performances soon earning himself the nickname the “Colombian Billy Elliot”.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were left enthralled during a private performance of the Dying Swan from The Carnival of the Animals during a state visit in Colombia in 2014.
Since the tragic passing of his mother when he was only 21, Montano has continued to financially support his loved ones back home with his earnings.
At the beginning of 2016, Fernando returned to his homeland where he became a judge on the first ever Colombian series of Dancing with the Stars and continued his work as a patron of Children Change Colombia, a charity that tackles child poverty and violence.
Earlier this year, he left the Royal Ballet to go on a year-long sabbatical and is currently performing in Cuba.
He said he hopes to rejoin the company when he returns to Britain and finish his autobiography due to be published in spring.
A Royal Opera House spokesperson said: “The Royal Ballet is proud to foster an inclusive Company and is committed to making ballet accessible to all. Our dancers come from many different backgrounds and cultures from around the world.
“The question of colour in ballet is a global issue and is something that the global ballet community is actively addressing.”