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In most respects Fairwind Truscott is like any normal teenager. The 17 year- old Cree enjoys staying up late playing video games, eating more junk food then he should and hanging out with his friends. But that’s where similarities between him and his friends end and dedication begins for the seventeen year-old. Truscott spends countless hours honing his skills as a male ballet dancer in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s professional program. He’s already been at it for eleven years, moving from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s recreational program to the more challenging professional division last year. Truscott says he’s focused and has been for quite some time. “I’ve long since gotten over being self-conscious about being a male ballet dancer,” laughs Truscott. “I’m doing something I want to do and am improving at it.” Fairwind trains six days a week on a split schedule, with both morning and afternoon sessions at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. “At times it does seem a bit much but that’s what it takes to become a professional ballet dancer,” says Truscott. “We are pushed to the max physically and we need to do that to be successful.” A typical morning class consists of strength training, with both push ups and sit ups to strengthen the abdominal muscles. “There’s no doubt that we need it all to be successful,” referring to strength, flexibility and cardio pulmonary strength and stamina. “I think pound for pound ballet dancers are the strongest athletes in the world,” he added. Truscott says though the training is demanding, ballet has changed in North America over the years, with less emphasis on one’s body weight. “That’s a welcome change for sure. It used to be a major tragedy if you gained a couple of pounds but thankfully that isn’t the case anymore. I like to eat just like anyone else but sometimes I can overdo it and then I have to work it off in class. That’s not fun.” Truscott is a balanced young man, trains six days a week and maintains an 86% average in high school and will graduate this June. “I’m really looking forward to that. It’s a milestone for sure but what it will really do is free up more time for me to focus on my goal of becoming a professional dancer.” He says his goal is to dance professionally for the Kirov Ballet in Russia. “They revolutionized ballet and are generally considered to be one of the finest companies in the world,” said Truscott. “I really think I may have a shot at dancing there because I haven’t suffered any major injuries which is something they would take into consideration if I were to apply there.” Though most of Truscott’s time is spoken for he has found time for other recreational activities. Skydiving was something he wanted to try and he did it. “It was just something I wanted to do. The ultimate rush and I did it. Believe it or not my mother actually supported me when I told her I wanted to go skydiving,” said Truscott. “In the end I think if anyone applies themselves they can do whatever they want. You just have to focus and sacrifice things in order to achieve what you want out of life.” For Truscott the sky’s the limit.
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