‘Bad ballerina’ Pietra Mello-Pittman: ‘I’ll miss the Royal Ballet, but I won’t miss the shoes’

Mello-Pittman quit the company in April after 13 years to produce Inala, a “creative mash-up” of ballet, contemporary and Zulu dance
Exciting times: Pietra Mello-Pittman is bringing Inala, which features Ladysmith Black Mambazo, back to Sadler’s Wells. (Picture: Nigel Norrington)
NIGEL NORRINGTON

The Royal Ballet’s former first artist has revealed why she swapped dancing for producing, how she doesn’t miss the “pointed shoes” — and why she calls herself the “Bad Ballerina”.

Pietra Mello-Pittman quit the company in April after 13 years to produce Inala, a “creative mash-up” of ballet, contemporary and Zulu dance featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

She said that, at 32, she had been looking for a new direction for a while as she knew she would have only five years left as a dancer — but she would “of course” miss the Royal Ballet.

She added: “I was there for a long time and achieved a lot but it is time to move on now. It will be strange at Christmas. While it will be nice to have a life, I can’t imagine not doing the Nutcracker and instead being at home. And I will miss the people. But I won’t miss the pointed shoes.”

Mello-Pittman, who lives in Balham and calls herself as the “Bad Ballerina” because she “likes a drink with dinner” and “enjoys a good Caipirinha”, had the idea for the show in 2009.

Inala, which means “abundance of goodwill” in Zulu, is choreographed by Rambert artistic director Mark Baldwin, and involves current and former Royal Ballet and Rambert dancers. They are joined on stage by nine-piece South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

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It had sell-out runs at the Edinburgh International Festival and London’s Sadler’s Wells last year, and this month returns to Sadler’s Wells in a rebooted version. Of its success, Mello-Pittman said: “Inala just grew really big and needed a lot of time and effort to look after — it has just kind of snowballed.

“Also dancers know they have relatively short careers. I’m 32 now, I could have maybe continued dancing for another five years as I look young, but this opportunity presented itself and I took it. I think when a new career presents itself to you, you have to take it and run with it. It’s very exciting.”

Inala with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and dancers from The Royal Ballet and Rambert is at Sadler’s Wells from July 7 to 11. sadlerswells.com

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