As published in Bravo Magazine

I have been following the career of young Victor Caixeta with interest: he is today one of the most promising names in international ballet — and one of the few Brazilians to achieve stardom in the most prestigious companies in Europe. He is one of the most prominent names in the current season of the ballet Swan Lake in Rio de Janeiro, a production supported by Petrobras, which made it possible for him and Mayara Magri, principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, to also debut at the Municipal Ballet, to come.

Victor’s debut on the stage of the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro is something of a rite of passage — not only for the dancer, who has been performing among the most demanding companies in Europe for years, but also for Brazilian ballet itself. “I have always dreamed of dancing here. This is the center of classical ballet in the country. I am very excited, very happy to be here,” he told Bravo Magazine exclusively, in a quick chat between a class and a rehearsal, on the eve of the season’s opening.

At 24 years old, the Uberlândia native from Minas Gerais has already had experiences that many dancers don’t experience in their entire lives. He started late, at 12, in a social project called Pé de Moleque, where his first teacher, Guilmar Boaventura, identified his talent. “I did a lot of sports and didn’t like any of them. Ballet was the only thing I liked because it was very difficult. It challenged me. She continues to be my main teacher, the first person I turn to for everything,” he said.

His international career began early: at just 15 years old, he participated in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne, in Switzerland, where he won 18 scholarships. He chose to go to Berlin, and it was through the State School there that he participated in a competition in Moscow, where he received a contract with the legendary Mariinsky Theater — an unprecedented feat for a Brazilian. “I had already danced there as a guest, like Marcelo Gomes, but I was the first to be hired. And it was an honor,” he said.

In Russia, he lived an intense routine. “There are 30 ballet performances per month. Of course, we don’t dance all of them, because the company has over 200 dancers. But it was very demanding. We started classes at 11 in the morning and rehearsed until eight at night, with almost no days off.” He learned Russian by living the language: “When I was 17, 18, I was a sponge. My whole day was in Russian,” he laughed.

But the war in Ukraine changed the course of his life. When he was still 22, he decided to leave the country for ethical reasons. “It was difficult. Part of me really wanted to stay — there were ballets I hadn’t danced yet, ambitions I hadn’t fulfilled. But my heart told me to leave. And I knew that once I left, I wouldn’t come back,” he lamented.

He then found shelter at Het Nationale Ballet in the Netherlands, where he stayed for two and a half seasons. But the structure, although welcoming, didn’t satisfy his energy. “There were too many soloists for too few shows. I missed the intensity of Russia. I like the chaos, traveling, dancing, and coming back the next day. If I stay in one place, I feel stagnant,” he says.

He courageously decided to take a sabbatical year to tour as a guest artist in companies around the world — and it was in this context that he received an invitation from Alessandra Ferri, the new artistic director of the Vienna Ballet. “The connection with her was decisive. I felt the same care I found in Russia. The ideas are similar. I think it will be a success.” In Vienna, he will reunite with Marcelo Gomes, who will join the team as a teacher.

Back in Brazil to play Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, alongside Mayara Magri, Victor is also dealing with another challenge: the muscle memory of the five previous versions of his dance work. “I hear the music, and my body remembers something else. This is the sixth version. But we have the freedom to bring a Lake with our signature — that is very valuable,” he revealed.

Even though he has lived abroad since he was a teenager, Victor has never lost sight of his roots. “I am thrilled to be at the Municipal. This stage has history, and being part of it now is a dream.” The boy from Uberlândia who began ballet out of defiance and stubbornness has become one of the most promising talents in world dance — and, by all indications, he is just getting started.