Summer 2025: On this night—twenty-one days before the end of his career—tea no longer helps. It is past midnight when David Valencia takes the open bottle of rosé out of the fridge. He finishes the wine and gets back into bed. But sleep eludes him. David is in a panic. The next morning, he is due to rehearse the final solo of his ballet career. He has been dancing for thirty years, yet he is nervous; for this solo is not merely an endpoint, but the crowning finale of his life as a dancer. The choreographer is a living legend, the piece of music is world-famous. These superlatives, David says, make this final dance his most important one. He falls asleep shortly before daybreak.
David Valencia gave his all for dance. Now, at 38, he is retiring. The time is right. He is the oldest dancer in ...
