Dancer Jonathan Ollivier killed in motorcycle crash

He was on his way to the final performance of The Car Man at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, England. But he never made it. Yesterday, dancer Jonathan Ollivier was killed while driving to the show. His motorcycle was involved in an accident with a Mercedes and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Jonathan Ollivier was 38.

Ollivier was best known for his work with British choreographer Matthew Bourne, including his famous role as the Swan in Swan Lake. But from 2007-2009, Ollivier was a principal dancer with Alberta Ballet.

Jean Grand-Maître is the Artistic Director of Alberta Ballet. He tells As it Happens guest-host, Peter Armstrong, what a huge loss Ollivier's death is to the dance community.

"It's a very tragic personal loss because we get very close in the dance world. We're like family. We spend all our days together. But at the same time, we are amazed by how much the whole world is talking about Jonathan. So it's extraordinary to see that, as someone who worked so hard to become a great dancer, he did achieve such fame and that he did touch so many people in so many different countries," says Grand-Maître.

He describes how Ollivier stood out as a dancer because he was charismatic, he was very tall, very handsome and he was very masculine, yet also fragile. He also says Ollivier was a great actor.

"He could do anything. You could give him the Prince in Nutcracker, you could give him contemporary roles, he was one of the best acting dancers. I always called him my Marlon Brando in tights."

Ollivier grew up in Northampton, England with his mother and three older sisters.

"His life was not unlike Billy Elliot's. He came from a small town, and against all odds he became a ballet dancer in this town where he was bullied by his friends at school. It was a very special ambition for him. And what a coincidence that the role he was most known for, which is the male swan in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, was the role the young boy in the film Billy Elliot plays at the end of the film, one of the great male roles of the century."

On Monday, the dancers at Alberta Ballet dedicated the day to Ollivier. They'll hold a memorial for him this weekend.