Nikolay Tsiskaridze is a ballet dancer with a capital B - classical, flawless and inimitable. For this astonishing artiste no level of art is inaccessible, and there’s no role he couldn’t perform on stage.

Culture was the medium in which his parents lived, in which he was born, grew up and developed as an individual. He’s a fascinating person to talk to – self-deprecating and with a great sense of humour. He knows he is unique, of course, but he is relaxed about it. To him, it’s no big deal. Behind his art lies an awful lot of hard work. I know this from my own experience, because each sporting day in rhythmic gymnastics begins with ballet. Gymnastics can’t exist without ballet in the same way that human beings can’t exist without oxygen.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze has a strong character and, at the same time, an astonishingly keen sense of proportion in what he says and what he does, and in his attitudes towards friends and foes, towards himself and the world around him. And he also believes in fate…Who knows – perhaps all these things together are the secret behind this great artiste’s success?

You can try to answer this question yourself by watching “Steps towards Success” on REN TV at 1130 on Sunday 8 November. The programme will be repeated on 9 November at 0015 in the evening.