Oh my God, I’m dancing on the Royal Opera House stage!

That’s all Ravi Cannonier-Watson wanted to shout during his first Royal Ballet performance last month.

But the 12-year-old couldn’t move a muscle.

“I’m a tall soldier in The Nutcracker, said Ravi, who joined the Royal Ballet School in London, England this year. “I can’t turn my head or move my eyes. The soldiers don’t come alive until later in the production.”

Performances of the annual Christmas show are regularly sold out, with audiences of more than 2,000.

Ravi describes dancing alongside idols such as Royal Ballet principals Alexander Campbell and Francesca Hayward as “the craziest thing”.

Roles are determined mostly by height and physique.

Being 5ft 7in made Ravi perfect for the tall soldier role.

“Being away from home has been the hardest thing,” he said. “I did it a bit during the summer when I did the Royal Ballet School’s summer school, but this is different because I am staying for the next five years, hopefully.”

The school’s rigorous schedule includes four hours of ballet a day in addition to academics. The latter has taken a back seat since The Nutcracker opened on November 23. “It is very busy,” said Ravi. “You don’t have much time to do your own thing. It takes an hour-and-a-half for us to get from school to the Royal Opera House. Often, by the time we get back to school, academics are over.”

The school has strict policies. Certain socks are used on certain days, with extra clean ones reserved in case VIPs show up for a class. There are also specific wash days for specific items of clothing.

“That was hard to get used to,” said Ravi. “But it is the Royal Ballet School and they always strive for perfection. If you don’t show up to a class with white socks then trouble happens.” Before he left for London, Ravi was a football-mad member of Devonshire Colts junior team. He’d hoped to indulge in his passion while in the UK, but it seems that will not happen.

“Football has been banned,” he said. “One day we were just playing around and a friend of mine tripped over the ball.

“He hurt his ankle and couldn’t walk. Now the football goalposts have been put near the dumpsters.

“Football is probably one of the worst things you can play if you dance as it’s an injury-prone sport. This is definitely what I want to do as a career but I’m still a diehard Chelsea fan.”

First he has to get through the school — not everybody makes it. As students grow older, some are asked to leave because they aren’t the right size or shape or can’t get their legs in the right positions.

Ravi had some advice for anyone who wanted to follow in his footsteps.

“Learn how to sew your ballet shoes,” he said.

“People outside ballet won’t really understand that, but it is a serious thing. Shoes come made but don’t come with the elastic in them. You have to sew the elastic in. The girls also embroider their pointe shoes.”

He has his British grandmother, Christine Watson, to thank for teaching him the skill.

He was also thankful for the sponsorship he received from “private donors” and the Peter Leitner Arts Scholarship, the Bermuda Arts Council and the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda.

“Without their help I wouldn’t be here,” he said.

The Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker runs until January 12.

Learn more here: www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-nutcracker-by-peter-wright.

•The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute will screen this year’s performance of The Nutcracker by the Royal Ballet on December 29 at 5pm. Ravi will do a Q&A before the showing. Admission is $20 for members, $25 for non-members and $10 for students. Tickets can be bought at the gift shop or on 294-0204.