Step into the world of ballet beyond the spotlight with our exclusive feature! Each edition offers a glimpse into the off-stage lives of your favorite dancers, showcasing their unique hobbies and passions. Discover the surprising and delightful activities that make these artists’ lives as captivating as their performances.
JOHN-PAUL SIMOENS
Oregon Ballet Theatre
Principal Dancer
@Jpsimoens
Essential item in your dance bag?
I must have a book on hand at all times. Having the ability to jump out of your own head and into someone else’s story is a beautiful thing. Dissociating can be good sometimes.
Movie you can re-watch till the end of time?
Not a movie, but I can rewatch the cartoon Over The Garden Wall endlessly. It’s perfect in my opinion.
Dancer who’s inspired you?
I’ve been inspired by so many different dancers in my career. As a kid it was dancers like José Manuel Carreño, Carlos Acosta, and Marcelo Gomes. In my time at San Francisco Ballet, I never got tired of seeing dancers like Sofianne Sylve or Davit Karapetyan perform.
Here at OBT, it might sound cliché, but I’m honestly inspired by all of the dancers around me. There is such a strong work ethic that seems inherent to the culture of OBT that makes me want to push my own boundaries.
Song/artist/playlist you’ve been playing on repeat?
I tend to hyperfixate and become obsessive about the music I listen to. I’ll find one song or an album and listen to it until I’m in the top .5% of listeners on my Spotify Wrapped. Recently, I’ve been listening to Tyler, the Creator and Kendrick’s new albums A LOT.
Least favorite dance step?
En dehors pirouettes in attitude. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
How do you like to spend your time outside of dance?
I love to spend time at the park with my dog, Eloise. We play basketball together, and she locks it down on defense. I also enjoy painting when I have energy left after rehearsals, although I wish I made it into the art studio more often than I do.
Best place to hang out in your company’s home city?
I play a lot of disc golf in my free time and Portland has a plethora of great courses. Two notable ones I spend a lot of time at are Pier Park and Milo McIver State Park.
Dream role?
A dream role of mine would have to be Eugene Onegin in John Cranko’s Onegin. I have such fond memories of standing in the wings at SFB, watching some incredible performances of the final pas de deux. Every night, the whole cast would crowd into the wings to see that pas—it was one of those moments where no one in the opera house could look away. The intensity and emotion of it really stuck with me.
Go-to coffee shop order?
I love a cortado.
Essential post-show ritual?
When we finish a run of shows, I like to contrast my body by spending a couple of hours at a sauna/cold plunge spa. This helps me feel rejuvenated after the exhaustion of a weekend of performances.
ABOUT JOHN-PAUL
Joined OBT in 2023
John-Paul Simoens began his dance training at age seven under Diane Lauridsen in Los Angeles, California. In 2012 he was a semi-finalist in the Prix de Lausanne competition in Switzerland where he received a scholarship to attend the San Francisco Ballet School. In 2014 he was named an apprentice with the company.
John-Paul has enjoyed nine years with the San Francisco Ballet during which time he has been privileged enough to perform principal roles in many ballets including Helgi Tomasson’s Don Quixote, Concerto Grosso, and The Fifth Season; Jerome Robbin’s Fancy Free and The Cage; Val Caniparoli’s Ibsen’s House; Benjamin Millipied’s The Chairman Dances; Arthur Pita’s Bjork Ballet; Yuka Oishi’s Bolero; Liam Scarlett’s Fearful Symmetries and many other featured roles.
John-Paul has also been involved in the process of creating new works with many renowned choreographers including Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, Cathy Marston, Justin Peck, David Dawson, Danielle Rowe, Yuri Possokhov, Robert Garland, and Myles Thatcher among others.
All Images: Courtesy of John-Paul Simoens.
