“We are so lucky to have Fernanda among us”, says Artistic Director Aaron S. Watkin. “She is an inspiration to everyone she works with, and over the years she has moved thousands and thousands of audience members in countless performances. We all want to congratulate Fernanda on this incredible milestone.”
Fernanda grew up in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, and began taking dance lessons to be with her friends, and so that she wouldn’t have to do swimming with her brother. Her teachers immediately noticed her potential and there was no looking back. While Fernanda was a teenager, the celebrated Brazilian dancer Cecilia Kerche and her husband Pedro Kraszczuk took her under their wings. “She was extremely focused and dedicated in class” says Kraszczuk who, all those years later, is not surprised by his protégé’s career: “she’s always had a very gifted physique with many possibilities to be a standout dancer in any company”. Kerche remembers that “watching her perform adagios was sublime”.
Her first professional job was with the Ballet Nacional de Santiago de Chile, but Fernanda really wanted to go to London. She left Latin America to join the third year of Royal Ballet School, with the hope of joining a UK company afterwards. At the end of her studies, she received a contract with us. “I’m so impressed by her courage and journey: leaving her family behind at a young age, crossing an ocean to chase her dream. That bravery has stayed with her every step of the way,” says her husband, fellow dancer Fabian Reimair.
When Fernanda joined ENB, the Company was under the direction of Derek Deane. “I noticed her natural ability immediately,” he tells us. “It was wonderful in the early days, seeing her work so diligently to gain strength and to improve the speed and lightness of her dancing… A soft, easy, languid physique comes with its own problems and she worked in such an intelligent way to overcome those obstacles!”
Her work ethic continues to this day. For First Artist Eireen Evrard, “Fernanda is a brilliant, strong and humble ballerina. Even though she is incredibly talented, she’s always working hard in the studio or in the gym, making her an example and a symbol of ENB.”
“Fernanda’s quiet drive is incredibly inspiring” says James Forbat, former First Soloist with ENB, who often partnered Fernanda. “She is the consummate professional – an example to all those who work with her. Principal roles definitely do not happen by accident! To take on those demands and the responsibility that goes with them, for so many years, is a huge achievement.”
Michael Raynaud, who danced with her for several years, also describes Fernanda as “the definition of a true professional: no nonsense, honest, and full of integrity”.
“I absolutely adore how Fernanda always make things look natural on stage, and it takes a lot of work, a lot of thinking and a high attention to details for achieving it like she does!” says Evrard.
Reimair describes her as “laser-focused – whether she’s performing Swan Lake or beating a level on Candy Crush!”.
“Although she can seem intimidating at first (with those blessed hyper extensions in her legs and an often serious concentrated expression), you quickly find out how fun, generous, caring and thoughtful Fernanda truly is!” says First Artist Isabelle Brouwers.
“I am honoured to have been barre buddies with Fernanda for the past 6 years” says First Artist Chloe Keneally, “and in that time there have been many morning conversations and catch ups, gossips, laughs, snacks, doing my nails in her dressing room, corrections, advice, her annual hay-fever battles, and mostly just her being my daily inspiration. It just is sometimes hard to do adage everyday behind her!”
First Soloist Junor Souza, who is Brazilian like Fernanda, cherishes his connection with her. “I have known her for nearly 20 years now. Sometimes when I am in the studio and I need home, I just look at her and I am reminded of all the feelings that we Brazilians have.” He remembers a moment in rehearsals “where I was quite stressed by something personal, and Fernanda just put the palm of her hand on my chest and told me ‘things are going to be okay’. She just knew how to calm me down.”
“No matter how busy life gets for both of us, there’s always that random message—’Hi my Mika…’—that pops up just when you didn’t know you needed it. That’s Fernanda. She just knows”, says long-time friend Raynaud.
Evrard is also grateful for Fernanda’s support. She got to know her better when they were together in a bubble during Covid (“Everyday she would coach me during and after class and when we were done we would sit and talk… a lot!”). Since then Fernanda helps her: “when I get some opportunities and when she can, she comes very discreetly in the studio and watches my rehearsals and then gives me feedback. My favourite feedback was one for Myrtha (a very demanding role in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle): ‘Have you considered doing cardio?’ she asked me. We laughed about it together and then she gave me her programme, and even came to the gym with me so we could do cardio together! I don’t know many mentors with schedules like Fernanda’s who would do the same!”
Keneally shared a similar story: “She is always so generous, sharing her time and knowledge coaching me and teaching me roles that are now second nature to her in lunch breaks. She is the most breathtaking dancer with her quality and lines, and such artistry in her interpretations that leave you so touched. And she is also the most beautiful person, friend, and big sister to me, I will be forever so grateful to her.”
“From the very beginning one could see that she would go far and grow into a luminous ballerina” says Deane, who gave Fernanda her first principal role in Swan Lake. “Her dancing is so fluid and so precise. She is beautiful in the classics but also in contemporary work having the ability to change styles so easily”.
Cecilia Kerche, who watched her career blossom from afar, agrees: “Fernanda is characterized by fluid dance, with technical and artistic quality, a physique that transforms even the most difficult roles into a vehicle for communicating with the public.”
Over the years she has performed many roles – Manon, La Sylphide, Odette/Odile, Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy, Juliet, Cinderella, Medora, Raymonda – and in works by many of the greats, such as Jyri Kylian, William Forsythe, Ben Stevenson, Russell Maliphant, Liam Scarlett, Akram Khan, Hans van Manen and many more.
“It’s been an inspiration to watch Fernanda over the years” says Brouwers, “and notice her dedication and passion for the art form, attentiveness to detail and generosity and commitment to artistry, to finding meaning, depth and narrative behind every movement.”
“Fernanda is a true ballerina, from her impeccable hair and makeup to her athletic yet tiny frame which is capable of making some of the most beautiful shapes you have ever seen! Her dancing and personality come together to create a wonderful package of technique, artistry and fun times during the rehearsal process – ENB and all of her partners have been lucky to have her” adds James Forbat.
“Fernanda was probably one of the most important partners in my career”, says Yosvani Ramos, who danced with her for many years during his time at ENB. “I did a lots of my debuts in ballets like Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote together with her. We also created the leads in Michael Corder’s three-act ballet The Snow Queen. Partnerships in a dancer’s career are very important: you share with your partner important moments on stage and off stage that shape you and make you grow as dancers and people. Fernanda and I in my opinion had something special when we danced together: when I think of some of my favourite most memorable moments on stage, they are with Fernanda.”
During her time with ENB, Fernanda had two beautiful children with Fabian Reimair. Returning to dancing after maternity leave, and then juggling busy schedules of rehearsals and performances, is no mean feat, but has been incredibly rewarding.
“Seeing her step into motherhood and be the incredible mum she is has been a privilege to witness” says Raynaud, while Evrard highlights that “Fernanda keeps the same high standards for all the shows she performs, and she’s always so focused on stage – even when her children are in the wings!” Forbat sums it up: “What an achievement – a stellar dance career alongside being a dedicated mother.”
We will leave the final words to our First Soloist, Fabian Reimair, her husband:
“25 years with English National Ballet — and yet, Fernanda somehow still looks 25 herself. She has shone in all the great classics, her natural beauty complemented by those unmistakable feet, legs, and lines. But she has also shown incredible versatility in a wide range of productions — always committed, always bringing everything she has.
Some of my favourite moments on stage were spent partnering her — feeling the energy and trust in those moments was a privilege I’ll always treasure. But what amazes me even more is the superwoman offstage: the one who overcame serious injuries with resilience, who balances motherhood, coaching, teaching, and performing with quiet strength.
She’s a true inspiration to working mothers everywhere — and to anyone who’s ever been fortunate enough to know her.
ENB has been her home for 25 years, and in that time, she has become part of its very soul. Whatever the next 25 years may bring, I’ll always be there, proudly cheering her on.”
