Jack Thorpe Baker: “Ballet is not a skill but a way of being—one the body never renounces”

If I were directing a film about Jack Thorpe Baker, I would probably call it something like "Jack: Dancing on the Edge of the Unknown" or "Jack: Dancing Between Worlds." And there would be not a hint of exaggeration in that because his biography defies convention. Let’s start with the fact that, at the height of the war, Jack became a dancer with Jerusalem Ballet. At the same time, many of his foreign colleagues dancing in other Israeli companies were hastily leaving the country. Now, let’s rewind and see that Jack Thorpe Baker’s entire journey has been full of unexpected turns. He even has a hidden side, concealed behind numerous roles and transitions—almost like in Nadya Timofeyeva’s ballet "Houdini: The Other Side," in which Jack recently began dancing the role of the Father.

                                          Photo by Nivi Barkai

Born into a prominent British arts family, Jack began his classical ballet training at the Linda Young School of Ballet and by the Royal Ballet School’s Mid and Senior Associate programs, before joining Elmhurst Ballet School in its pivotal year of attachment to Birmingham Royal Ballet, where his teachers included Alfreda Thorogood, Mary Goodhew, Andre de Villiers, Misha Tchoupakov, and Patrick Hinson. Thereafter, Jack trained at the English National Ballet School in London, where he was taught by such respected dance educators as Antony Dowson and Anya Evans. Jack took part in several Royal Ballet Summer Schools, and was offered a scholarship by Daria Klimentova to attend the International Ballet Masterclasses in Prague.

While a student, Jack performed the featured role of a Russian ballet star in the BBC film adaptation of Noel Streatfield’s Ballet Shoes, starring alongside Emma Watson and Victoria Wood. He went on to dance with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and Brno National Theatre Ballet in the Czech Republic before joining the Slovakian National Ballet, where he performed leading roles in works by Petipa, Ivanov, Balanchine, Kylián, and others. Later, he was invited to Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, where he shone in productions by Balanchine, Robbins, Jooss, Nijinsky, and McGregor. His portrayal of Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker and the lead role in Night by Julia Adam received glowing reviews from critics. By the way, do you know what Night is? A truly fascinating ballet—a modern odyssey into the world of nocturnal dreams, inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall.

And now—prepare to be surprised. At a young age, Jack abruptly ended his dance career… and switched to theatre directing. At first, he worked as a resident director at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre on the anniversary adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, marking the 200th anniversary of the novel’s publication. Later, he made his professional directorial debut with a successful production of Noël Coward’s musical Ace of Clubs at the Union Theatre. He went on to direct a number of plays at Park Theatre and worked on choreographic projects for the BBC and the Royal Opera House. Then he stepped beyond the realm of the arts altogether—spending several years working public affairs as a lobbyist, while simultaneously exploring his Jewish identity. And then—would you believe it?—he became the producer of British television star Gok Wan. But that wasn’t the end of it: in 2021, Jack founded Victory Studios, a new media production and distribution company in London.

On October 7, 2023, Jack Thorpe Baker was in Be’er Sheva—he had come to Israel to work with the Jewish National Fund and cultural organizations in the Negev. During the early days of the war Jack led fundraising campaigns for Israel’s Kaplan Medical Center as well as for displaced families in the South, and co-ordinated international media campaigns to bring stories from Israel to the world, including with GB News, BBC, CNN, The Times of London, Fox News, the Daily Mail, and others. Last year, while already in Israel, Jack Thorpe Baker made aliyah and accepted an invitation from Nadya Timofeyeva and Martin Schönberg to restart his dance career with the Jerusalem Ballet.

And so, he found himself at Jerusalem Ballet—a dancer once again. Believe it or not, but better yet, see it for yourself by attending a performance featuring him. One way or another, this turn of events seems like the natural conclusion to everything that had led up to it.

Jack Thorpe Baker is, in many ways, a figure who stands slightly apart from what we might call an “ordinary” biography. Certain moments of his life could easily stretch into volumes, weaving together circumstances that range from ballet schools and theater stages to television roles, directing, and lobbying. But that would be a story where every step feels more like a game. And we, after all, live in reality. So, we decided to sit down and talk with Jack.

                                  Photo by Nadya Tmofeyeva

How does it feel to return to the stage after an eleven-year break?

Exciting, because I am finding that the intervening eleven years have given me all sorts of life experience that is influencing my work as a dancer. It's also totally fascinating to learn that my body has remembered so much of the technique and artistry of my training and professional experience. The initial weeks were quite a shock to my joints and muscles (!), but after a couple of months I've found that my body is not only accepting the return of this demanding ritual, but is actually eager for it. After all, ballet is not just a skill but a way of being—one the body never renounces.

Did you ever think you would dance again? What influenced your decision to come back?

Never! I've spent the past eleven years telling the world that I used to be a dancer, and now I am meeting myself of eleven years ago once again, with the life experience and lessons I have gained over that long period. It is both humbling and inspiring. As for what influenced my return to dancing, I'll name three things: 1) Israeli society's incredible openness and enthusiasm for everything life-affirming and inspiring, which just gets under your skin as soon as you live here; 2) Nadya and Martin's commitment to ballet and to growing the company into a jewel in Jerusalem's cultural crown; and 3) my profound love of ballet, which is just as strong today, even after everything else I've done, as it was when I stopped eleven years ago.

What role does Jerusalem play in your life and artistic journey?

That's a beautiful question! I visited Jerusalem many times and I always admired and adored it, but it was only late last year, when a friend took me on a tour of his favourite sites, that I began to see it for the mysterious, fascinating, utterly captivating place that it is. I believe very strongly that a cultural spirit and a unique character is present here, not limited only to the magnificent Old City, but capable of being sensed and experienced everywhere. The King David Hotel; the Jerusalem Theatre; Shoshan Street with its atmospheric bars where the Bezalel students drape themselves over the chairs and walls like crows or moss: there is a gothic mystery and secret consciousness in Jerusalem that one can only find in other great global cities, and being able to dance here, inspired by this ever-unfolding mystery, is probably the fourth main reason that I joined Jerusalem Ballet.

What does the Jerusalem Ballet mean to you, and how do you see yourself as part of it?

I admire what the leadership of Jerusalem Ballet has built so much. It has a clear identity and an agenda for the future which, returning as I am to ballet after believing that my time in that world had ended, is exactly the sort of reassuring perspective that can make it possible to perform such an unusual act of resurrection. The company's repertoire, combining classical ballet with strong, dramatic storytelling, fits my experience and style ideally, and I hope I can contribute some exciting roles to the company's repertoire, as well as bringing my own diverse and extensive experience of ballet, culture, and creativity into the group's identity.

How do you find yourself in the role of Houdini’s father, a religious rabbi? What emotions and ideas do you want to convey through this character?

Before moving to Israel I spent five years doing teshuva at a kiruv organisation in London. The sum of my Jewish learning led me here to Israel (I actually arrived just six days before the 7th October 2023), and these days I'm more interested in contributing meaningfully towards the country's future than in pure Orthodox religious traditions alone. But it is wonderful to portray the role of a sincere, piously religious man. That mindset, of doing what one believes is right, even if it is more challenging and may invite opposition or resistance from outside, still lives within me, and is probably why I have remained here and become an Israeli through the challenges of the last year and a half. I think the same can be said of everyone else who lives here as well: it's a choice, made mostly by true believers. We could all live elsewhere, and probably enjoy a much easier life, but this is a society of people who would rather live a challenging life that they are proud of than drift through an easy life that they don't care about. At this point in my life it's obvious which option is the better decision. Houdini didn't follow his father's path, but he must have taken forward his father's immense strength of will and devotion to his chosen way of life. I definitely hope to portray that weight and sincerity, as well as humility and faith in the face of mortality, since this is a very sombre ballet which looks at life and death from many angles.

Why does such a successful young man decide to make Aliyah to Israel and start his life anew?

I'll let other people decide how successful and young I am! But I have certainly gained a very wide and deep wealth of life experience already, having danced professionally on two continents and in several major companies, as well as working in theatre and TV as a director and producer, and in the world of politics and public affairs.
Israel's future is very bright and exciting, and in some ways is only just about to reach early maturity (perhaps at the same time I am). So much will happen here in the years ahead, whether geopolitically, economically, demographically, or otherwise, and Israel's cultural world will likewise develop and grow just as much. In that light, I would never forgive myself if I missed out on the chance to be a part of that amazing era of change and development. I want to invest many years here, and bring here what I have learned elsewhere to enrich and develop our lives and society, just as everyone else here—Nadya and Martin being perfect examples—has done for generations already.

Jack would like to thank his grandparents Gillian Freeman and Edward Thorpe; his father Howard Baker; and, most of all, his mother the renowned British actress Harriet Thorpe, for all they have done to allow him to reach where he is today, and his boyfriend Guy Alon for his incomparable, lifechanging support in recent weeks and months.