In the spotlight: KCB’s Brazilian Cavalier
Lamin Pereira dos Santos made his Cavalier debut in The Nutcracker with the Kansas City Ballet in 2014, his first season with the ballet company. That year, he performed lead roles in every production, including Albrecht in Giselle, one of the two “most challenging, demanding” roles of his career “physically, technically and artistically.”
Until he was 10 years old, Lamin wanted to dance hip-hop, influenced by a famous dancer on TV in Brazil. Then, touring the Centro de Dança ballet school, he experienced a life-changing introduction to ballet.
“Hearing the piano music and seeing dancers move in incredible ways I had never seen before, it really inspired me,” he says.
In 2007, he performed as a soloist in Dalal Achcar’s production of The Nutcracker at the Ballet of Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro. The next year, Lamin won a full scholarship to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. The native of Rio de Janeiro has danced with the Washington Ballet Studio Company and the Orlando Ballet, where he performed leading roles.
Lamin, who is 26, has an older brother, Tendo Pereira dos Santos; he dances with the Charlotte Ballet. This is his second season. The siblings haven’t danced the ballet together professionally, but they performed together in Carnival in Brazil, and they’ve performed some of the same roles with their respective ballet companies.
Lamin has this message for Kansas City audiences. “Come to The Nutcracker at the Kauffman Center. It’s worth it to give that kind of support to the artists … the ballet dancers, musicians, singers. Kansas City is very lucky to have a very amazing (ballet) company. Follow us online, share our stuff on social media; get to know us. We are here to make this a better city and bring love and peace and happiness to the audience. That’s why people go to the theater, to watch something they don’t get to see in normal life, something that makes them feel different in a good way.”
Lamin will perform in The Nutcracker on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 8, Dec. 14, Dec. 18, Dec. 22 at 7:30 p.m. & Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credits: LaminPereiradosSantos and Tempe Ostergren-Nut15-1.jpg
KCB Dancers: Tempe Ostergren and Lamin Pereira dos Santos
Photography: Elizabeth Stehling
Photo Credits: LaminPereiradosSantos and Tempe Ostergren-Nut15.jpg
KCB Dancers: Tempe Ostergren and Lamin Pereira dos Santos
Photography: Rosalie O’Connor
