Sir Jon Trimmer isn't your average 69-year-old.
Not many people four years past retirement age are preparing to star in a full-length ballet.
Sir Jon was offered the lead role of "the Don" in the Royal New Zealand Ballet's latest production, Don Quixote, as a tribute to his 50th year with the RNZB.
The ballet reaches the Regent Theatre this weekend.
"I feel very honoured and rather humbled. These things don't often happen. I'm very lucky," he chuckles.
Sir Jon laughs a lot.
You suspect he is rather enjoying his status as the senior statesman in the Royal New Zealand Ballet.
"It's really rather nice, I must say, and they're all lovely to me. They seem to think I'm an inspiration, although whether that's in a good way or not, I don't know. Maybe I'm inspiring them to think they should get out before it's too late," he says.
"But, at nearly 70, I don't want to be throwing myself around in the air, so I've branched out into character work more; old men, old ladies and witches," he cackles.
"I shall be with the company next year, but I'm taking every year as it comes. We'll just see what happens. But, if I suddenly won Lotto, I definitely would not be retiring. I enjoy it. If you don't enjoy something, that's when you retire."
It is the first time Sir Jon has played the Don, although he danced the pas de deux and variations from Don Quixote as concert pieces in his youth.
"I feel it's tailor-made for me, really. He's a loveable character, who's a bit dotty and eccentric. He has these little adventures, mostly in his head, and every so often he wanders off into another world," he says.
"It's been a lot of fun to do. At the moment, I'm enjoying the Don so much it might be my all-time favourite role. It's a good, all-round family show. It's very bright and colourful, with lovely costumes, great scenery and wonderful danceable music."
The ballet tells the tale of an ageing Don Quixote, who is prompted into a final adventure by his impetuous young nephew, Sancho, as they fight gypsies, battle storms and tilt at windmills.
Sir Jon started training at his eldest sister Pam's ballet school in Petone when he was 12.
"I was very lucky. She gave me a wonderful gift. I got good training and I've got a good body for classical dance."
He joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 1958, aged 18.
"There were only nine dancers when I joined. Now we have 30-something dancers and stage crew. For the first seven or eight years, all the dancers had to do the stage work and wardrobe themselves. There was no money to pay for anything, but that was a very good theatre education."
Sir Jon has had a glittering career, performing with some of the greatest dancers at Sadler's Wells in London, the Australian Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet.
"Margot Fonteyn was wonderful to work with. She was absolutely delightful. A gorgeous lady with a wonderful sense of humour. She embraced everything.
"Rudolf Nureyev, although he was a wonderful performer, was very difficult to work with, really. If he saw someone with talent who didn't work he went off his head. He was very unforgiving," he says.
Sir Jon has also been a long-standing favourite of the Royal Family, dancing for Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.
He was awarded an MBE in 1974 for his services to ballet and was knighted in 1999.
"Ballet has gone from strength to strength during my career. Solo dancing has become very acrobatic. It looks more circus than ballet. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but the public seems to like it," he muses.
"We have to still keep the old traditions of classical ballet, but also still evolving and moving and keeping abreast of the times. We're very lucky here in New Zealand, because our company does everything from the classical and comedy to drama."
However, it is a gruelling schedule, with rehearsals starting up to two months before productions go on stage.
"The dancers have class at 9.30am and then, at 11am, start rehearsals which go until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, until the week of opening when it's weekends as well. It's pretty full on," Sir Jon says.
"I am careful with what I eat. I eat a little bit of meat but not a lot. It's basically about everything else in moderation. And for exercise, I do my own yoga stretches every day.
"For performances and rehearsals I do a combination of ballet barre exercises and yoga exercises. I do stretching and yoga breathing every day before rehearsal."
He has also been exploring other art forms from his Paekakariki home on the Kapiti Coast.
"I love painting faces. Whenever I have time off I like to sit in my little studio and paint frantically all day. And, sometimes, I'll play round with clay, too. I stopped potting with a wheel a few years ago and now I do freehand bowls and figurines. They sell, which I'm pleased about."
