Next Steps | Ballet Dancer Joel Burke makes his Film Debut

Joel wears the Alpha Legging in Midnight Blue from the Coda Collection.

You may recognise him as our 2019 Energetiks’ Model Search Winner, the 2019 Victorian Dance Festival Ambassador or most notably as the director of the esteemed Ballet International Gala (BIG), but these school holidays audiences are bound to be enthralled by Joel Burke’s character Ben in the latest Australian dance film ‘The Red Shoes: Next Step’. Having obtained several accolades as the recipient of the Francois Klaus and Robyn White Award while at the prestigious Queensland Ballet School in Brisbane, gaining two achievement awards at the Royal Ballet Summer School and competing at the Prix de Lausanne, it’s no wonder the professional dancer was successfully cast amongst fellow Australian dancers and actors. We were fortunate to have caught up with Joel to learn more about his experience working on The Red Shoes: Next Step film set.

After securing his role as Ben, the twenty-three year old explains that after his constant correspondence with one of ‘The Red Shoes: Next Step’ directors, Jesse Ahern, Ben’s self-assured yet sympathetic persona was uncovered, “We pretty much were on the phone at least once every three days for six months leading up to The Red Shoes, talking about the backstory of Ben and why he acts the way he does. We were able to have a bit more freedom than you usually would, so a lot of Ben’s backstory relates to what has happened to me in the industry. This meant I didn’t really have to prepare much, I almost unprepared myself in a way, and tried to be me rather than becoming a character. This made it easier and harder, because I wasn’t able to put on an act, I just had to take it away and behave.”. Having played a character with such similarities, we asked a little more about Ben and what Joel shares in common with him. WARNING: Spoilers ahead! “Ben is I suppose a bit of a rebel. Harlow has a soft spot for him as he’s a good person beneath that. From there, I think he obviously has a very close connection with Sam and they end up getting on quite well. I guess the similarities I find with Ben is he doesn’t really like the status quo and he really backs himself. If something is wrong, he will stand up for what is right. So, that’s how I resonated with him. Even though sometimes in the ballet industry you have to zip your lips and listen, he didn’t really do that. He was willing to risk it all, and I really like that about his character, so he was quite fun to play.”. 

The coming-of-age film ‘The Red Shoes: Next Step’ reveals the life of protagonist Sam played by American-Australian ballerina and dancer Juliet Doherty, and her unexpected journey causing her to steer clear of her dance endeavours. With Sam’s underlying passion, her dance school reintroduces her to her crush, the one and only, Ben. With honesty brought across in his tone, he delves into the dynamics of Sam and Ben. “Originally Ben was going to be a bit older than Sam. They kind of toyed around with the idea and I guess I look twelve years old, so it wasn’t going to be very realistic.”, he says with amusement. “With Sam going through a rough time, Ben was almost in her eyes older and more mature, wanting to take care of her. They form a close relationship that I think was always there. It goes from being a bit teasing because he fancies her a lot, to quite heated.”. 

An expert in the field of dance, tirelessly working as a proud director of the phenomenal BIG, which recently announced tickets to BIG IV this August 2023, Joel is a seasoned performer whose acquainted in the ballet industry. However, performing for screen had its challenges. “A lot of the pas de deux we pretty much had to do cold. When working in a normal dance setting, you would normally be warmed up, have done barre and go into dancing. Although with set, you have to make sure the camera is in focus, or that they’re happy with the angle. In a lot of the scenes, we were in basements or on stage in our costumes with air cons turned up high, so, we weren’t in warm clothing or warm up gear and would get really cold after two or three hours of doing that one scene. Although, Juliet is easy to partner and I’ve done partnering my whole life, so that was simple. Yet, trying to be on your leg in a pirouette or go straight into a lift was kind of a fun challenge as well as being filmed on particular angles. As a dancer, you’re always slightly self-conscious, so it was all about trusting the process.”. While both the dance space and self-belief can impact ones performance, at times pas de deux doesn’t go as planned, “There was a time where we were off set, and Lauren whose not a dancer wanted to be lifted. I did this sort of ‘Dirty Dancing’ lift with her, but she had the thickest Dr Martens on and I didn’t put that into the equation, so she just toppled literally over the top.”, he mentions jokingly. Much like dancers prefer certain dance choreography, costumes or even shoes, we were keen to know what working on a film set was like in comparison to performing on stage. You won’t be too surprised to hear what his preference was. “I much prefer stage.” Joel laughs. While the stage may appear the same on screen, the process behind it all is incredibly different. “With stage you can get in the mindset of, ‘I’m about to go onstage and I'm about to do this exact thing’. Film it will be like, ‘we need to get this lift and we want someone to be dropped’. There was one shot we did with Primrose where she falls from a big lift and she had quite a lot of tulle on her costume. I had no shirt on, so it was ripping across my body. We probably did that lift I would say at least fifty times, just up and down with reshoots. That aspect of also having to be in character mid-way through a pas de deux, rather than having the whole pas de deux to build from was interesting as well.”.

When watching a dance film, dancers naturally pay close attention to the choreography. Luckily for Joel, being alongside choreographer Daniel Gaudiello didn’t feel foreign, having worked with him before. This becomes beneficial for professional dancers as there is a sense of choreographic familiarity. “I already knew how he moved and worked, we’re both passionate about ballet in the same way too. He was actually the reason I found out about The Red Shoes prior to my audition. When it came to the rehearsal process, it was about experimenting. Dan would ask us ‘where do you want to go from here?’ and was in the position of knowing people have certain ways of moving. I have to take my hat off to him, he let us do what we felt comfortable with, but, also challenged us enough to get what he wanted out of it too. It was a fun process, he’s a good man.”. Hence, the on-screen chemistry was not only conveyed through the actors themselves, but was enhanced through the brilliant dance choreography.

As one known to keep his head held high paving the path for male dancers, Joel kindly shares some tips for young boys and men pursuing dance by offering some words of encouragement. “If you know what you want and push for it, no-one is going to get in your way. I've kept that mentality now inside the industry and it seems to be working. Just don’t take no for an answer, become obsessed. Watch as much ballet as possible. If you’re going to do something, do it 100%. Do not do anything 80%, do not do anything 70%. If you’re going to do something whether it be footy, maths, science, give it your all.”.

As a final question, we thought it would be rude not to ask what Joel classifies as his favourite dance film. Answer: ‘Center Stage’. “I just like the fact that for me it feels like the most realistic ballet movie out there. It showcases that company environment, and I also love that they bring different music like Red Hot Chili Peppers in, so it’s really awesome.”. Joel finishes off with some last words, “l’ll give a selfish little plug to Energetiks. You guys have been supporting me since I was seventeen, so it was really nice to be able to work together on the film. I'm very thankful for everything that has happened in my life in the past couple of years, and Energetiks has been there supporting me the whole time.”. 

Follow Joel’s dance journey here @joelburke_

View The Red Shoes: Next Step at a cinema near you https://screeninc.com.au/red-shoes/ 
The Red Shoes: Next Step is proudly sponsored by Energetiks.

Joel Burke wears Energetiks in The Red Shoes: Next Step

Images courtesy of The Red Shoes: Next Step and photography by Elly Ford

Article by Lara Divitcos

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