Angelina ballerina marco

- Nacho himself often says that he is already practically Russian. And there is something in this, because, of course, he is a man of inspiration. Sometimes it’s hard for him to live within the framework of schedules, reports and strict rules, and this, you see, is quite Russian. ( Laughs - author's note )

Seriously, we have established a good creative contact, I participated, probably, in all of his productions that are going on here. In addition, now he is staging not only modern ballet, but also making new editions of the classical one - for example, Swan Lake and La Bayadère, to the classical versions of which Duato approached very carefully, shortening only some lengths. nine0005

Although he had never done en pointe before and worked with such a large troupe. In Madrid, for example, there were a maximum of twenty people in his performances. And here, in St. Petersburg, the troupe, of course, is very large and the possibilities are completely different!

- Did you and Nacho Duato work together in Berlin?

- Yes, I danced Sleeping Beauty at the Berlin Opera House.

There is a very professional troupe, a high class of artists and teachers, a wonderful stage. And everyone is very punctual and disciplined. For example, if an hour and a half of rehearsals are written out, then an hour and a half should be rehearsed. nine0005

It was hard for Nacho Duato, because sometimes he gets inspired and can rehearse much longer, or, accordingly, much less if inspiration does not come.

By the way, I'm closer to the Germans here in terms of mentality and I find many advantages in this discipline. It’s easier for me when everything is scheduled by the minute; I believe that a ballet dancer gives the best results only when everything is on schedule - rehearsals, rehearsals, and performances. nine0005

There are huge rehearsal rooms in Berlin and there are all conditions for the restoration of artists: gyms, medical rooms - all this is located right in the theater.

- Did you have experience of working with another European director - Luigi Bonino, an Italian who today directs Roland Petit's ballet. You presented the ballet Notre Dame Cathedral at the Novosibirsk Theatre.

- I'm so glad I was able to sing this part, because it's a completely different style. In this performance, which was once staged by Roland Petit himself, nothing has been added or subtracted to this day. nine0005

Imagine, sketches for the costumes of the "Cathedral" were created personally by Yves Saint Laurent in 1965!

Of course, later, when the ballet is staged in different countries, costumes are made for each performer. But, when they were sewn on me, I saw those same sketches, I saw Saint Laurent's signature!

Once upon a time this production was still in the Bolshoi in Moscow…

- Yes, almost twenty years ago…

- Then Petit himself was still alive and staged it. And Luigi Bonino is his student, dancer, director, and now he is in charge of all Petya's performances. nine0005

What struck me is that Bonino controls everything: and the choreography, in which he is a professional among professionals; and costumes - he was with me twice for fitting, which is not often the case if this is a director with such experience.

But he doesn't let anything take its course. He even personally checked whether I darkened my hair before the premiere at his insistence, I was worried - after all, Esmeralda was a burning brunette. The details are very important to him. In addition, Bonino gave me a lot in terms of choreography.

In general, Petya's choreography for a woman is very specific, you have to get used to it, you have to get into it. My body ached differently after rehearsals, other muscles were busy. nine0005

Russian choreography is built more on soft poses, soft hands, on such melodiousness, cantileverness, and this sits deep in Russian dancers.

It was all the more interesting to plunge into another plastic, more rigid, if I may say so.

In the music of the "Cathedral" there are syncopations, you have to count to yourself all the time. In Russian performances, in Petipa's classics, we almost never count, but Bonino always had to. In short, it's a great stage experience! nine0005

- How do you feel about modern choreography, non-classical productions?

- Now the ballet dancer should be a versatile dancer. The more versatile you are, the more opportunities you will have. At the Mikhailovsky Theater I danced a very contemporary ballet. Again, it was Nacho Duato, "White Darkness". This is a complex production, exactly the modern choreography that the audience is used to seeing. I also had experience at the Bolshoi, I danced Jiri Kilian ...

What can I say?

When I rehearse modern ballet, I get a much greater return than when I dance it afterwards. And with the classics, it’s the other way around: you rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, a lot of technique, it’s exhausting, but during the performance the return is colossal.

So in modern productions I like the process of rehearsals more, and in the classics - performances, something like this (Smiling - author's note) .

And when I came to Mikhailovsky, I wanted to dance more modern, and then something changed in me, and I wanted more classical. Maybe I just got older, and the age of a classical dancer is short, but you can dance modern at any age. So for the time being I would not want to go in the direction of contemporary music. nine0005

In addition, in the last twenty years we have been flooded with a stream of modern choreography. There have been plenty of them in the West for a long time. And ten years ago we had a huge interest in it, but, unfortunately, many low-quality performances appeared, and this interest slowly faded away.

Today, viewers want to see some beautiful fairy tale, where there are costumes, where there is absolute skill. So now all over the world there is a trend towards classical productions, a renaissance of such ballet.

nine0022

For example, Alexei Ratmansky, who used to stage only modern choreography, now makes interpretations of classical ballets - Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, because they are in demand. Although they are much more expensive than modern productions, where 10-20 people are employed.

Photo Charles Thompson

- It seemed to me that among your premieres of recent years you somehow single out La Bayadère. In posts and interviews, you noted that this role is very important for you...

- "La Bayadère", "Swan Lake" and probably also "Giselle" - three performances that are especially important for every ballerina, because they contain the quintessence of technical perfection and dramatic skill.

And when an edition of a classical ballet is made especially for you, it's an absolutely amazing feeling. You understand that every movement is staged in such a way that your plasticity, your artistry “sounds” brighter, this is very valuable.

Besides, for the Mikhailovsky Theatre, La Bayadère and Duato's The Lake were just that new look at the classics, which has always distinguished our theater from the Mariinsky. nine0005

- On the Swan Lake poster, you are standing in pointe shoes right in the water, and the metaphor about the lake comes to life, if I may say so. But in this, it seemed to me, there is another meaning - what sacrifices the beauty sometimes requires, which the viewer will see on stage. These shootings were probably not very comfortable...

- It wasn't daunting, but I couldn't even imagine that I would have to stand in the water - I thought that the lake would be completed after all. In fact, it was originally planned that way. But it turned out that for the perfect picture, you have to sacrifice a pair of pointe shoes. Fortunately, they give us enough in the theater. nine0005

Photo by Sergei Shcherbakov

For you to understand, of course, as soon as they get wet, they immediately change, it becomes impossible to stand in them, and you have to get a good shot in just a few minutes.

The inside of a pointe shoe can have different materials depending on the brand. I dance in American ones, and there, along with soft layers of fabric, there is plastic (mostly, in pointe shoes, soaked wood under the fabric). But in any case, fabric fillers, of course, immediately get wet. nine0005

So yes - on that poster I really stand in the water, this is not photoshop.

- This ballet still has amazing costumes, for the first time there are no feathers on the tutu, but how magical it looks ...

- It's true. An artist from Serbia, Angelina Atlagic, always works with Nacho Duato on his ballets, and she sees the performance amazingly.

This is both a ballet and a fashion show at the same time, so to speak. Because both fabrics and drawings are all so beautiful and elegant, up close they are just works of art. nine0005

Although ballet costumes often look advantageous only from the audience. But Atlagich's suits look great from any distance.

And this idea that there are no feathers on the pack as such, and all feathers are solved by means of fabric - it's so unusual.

Photos Svetlana Tarlova

- Last year you worked with Alena Akhmadullina - did she also make the costumes you were wearing?

- Oh yes! With Akhmadullina there was a shooting for the ballet "The Little Humpbacked Horse". At Mikhailovsky, they always strive to show that classical ballet can look modern and fashionable. And since the Russian folklore theme is one of the main ones in the work of Alena Akhmadullina, we decided to use her dresses during the shooting. But these were not stage costumes, but outfits for photography. nine0005

- By the way, do you like working as a model?

- Very! Especially, you know, if shooting without pointe shoes! (Laughs - author's note)

Not every photographer knows how to shoot ballet, believe me.

For us, the angle is of great importance if we do some kind of ballet poses, and photographers often look at facial expressions and choose shots according to this principle. For ballet, it is much more important what position the legs are in at this moment.

Or else, it happens that they ask to jump in order to capture in a jump. And here you are jumping for the tenth time, and the photographer still does not have time to take a picture - this, to put it mildly, can be exhausting. Even on the set, there is often no proper coverage, and a lot depends on this too.

So a photo session without pointe shoes, but just in a beautiful image, in a beautiful dress and shoes is a double happiness.

Photo Sergei Shcherbakov

- Last year you went on tour in Japan. What impression did the local public make on you? nine0013

- The Japanese appreciate ballet, especially classical performances, and look forward to it. And I love Japan too! Although everything is unusual for us there, they are completely different. But I like the Japanese mentality, maybe I don't know much about it, but what I come across impresses me. They are polite, punctual, everything is clearly planned. And I love the local food too! So I'm glad that the tour took place.

We danced in Tokyo, and all the spectators, of course, were wearing masks, and besides, they were forbidden to even shout “bravo!”, Apparently, so that they would not open their mouths once again and the virus would not spread. And so, I saw only their eyes full of delight over these masks, but it was priceless! nine0005

- Could you at least clap?

- Yes, you can. But a photo shoot with fans this time, of course, was banned. Usually the Japanese ask to be photographed for memory, and when they come up, they give some nice gifts.

Last time I was given face masks, bath salts and warming socks - everything to make me dance better! (Laughs - author's note) It's so touching!

- Angelina, you've toured in China too. Chinese artists are now showing incredible success in classical music, singing, choreography ...

- They are really progressing in ballet now. It seems to me that part of the reason is that they teach children and work according to our Russian teaching system.

The Russian system is still unique: we have been taught for eight or nine years, we are taught both historical and everyday dance and folk stage dance - in a word, we are given a comprehensive education.

The Chinese took this as a basis, and knowing how hardworking and diligent they are, I think it is worth waiting for the take-off of Chinese ballet in the near future. nine0005

- Do you think they will be able to compete with the Russians?

- I don't think so. Still, our, Russian, Slavic body was very generously endowed by nature - we have soft ligaments, smooth lines, many beautiful ballerinas - the whole world knows about it. And this baggage allows you to keep the brand.

Photo Charles Thompson

Irina Alexandrovna Viner said about this - the same thing happens in gymnastics.

Russians are very hard to beat! So it should be appreciated and developed. nine0005

- By the way, do you follow rhythmic gymnastics as a fan now?

- Mandatory. Of course, I don’t understand it so well anymore, because the rules are constantly changing there. But as a spectator, as a connoisseur, I definitely watch it.

- It is believed that sports should be out of politics. But rhythmic gymnastics is not very successful: indeed, the rules change all the time, there are constant disputes about refereeing ... Do you think ballet manages to stay away from such intrigues today? nine0013

- Fortunately, I don't feel anything like that. It’s another matter, of course, we don’t tour very much now, but this is purely because of the pandemic - there are few invitations, and any one entails a huge number of organizational moments.

As always, all the major Russian theaters constantly toured all over the world, and it was wonderful!

- But you must have heard how the Nutcracker was canceled in Berlin because of allegedly politically incorrect Chinese and Oriental dances. What did you think when you read this news? nine0013

- It seems to me that the performance should be perceived purely as a theatrical performance, this is not real life. This is a fairytale. Obviously, not a single director wanted to prick and offend anyone. Ballet is not about that at all.

- Yes, people in the comments even write that now all pseudo-folk Indian dances in La Bayadère also need to be removed ...

Unfortunately, if the new ethics touches art so tightly, I don't know what will remain of the world classics. nine0005

Therefore, it seems a little strange to me to break down ballets into such minute details, and I really hope that this will not progress.

Fortunately, we don't have anything like that at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. Many foreigners work for us, by the way - Americans, Germans, and Spaniards. And no one infringes on anyone either by skin color or by nationality.

For example, we have an American dancer Adrian Mitchell - he plays character roles superbly. Bright unusual appearance is considered a plus in the theater. In general, it seems to me that Mikhailovsky is some kind of island of justice and goodness! nine0005

Photos Sergey Shcherbakov

- Angelina, before the interview, I looked at many of your pictures and noticed that almost everywhere you smile. How do you do it? After all, only a person who is very far from ballet does not understand how much work, effort and time is behind this lightness?

- I think everything should be approached with a smile. Under this condition, even what at first seems heavy and unbearable, then bears great fruit.

Yes, there is a moment of overcoming, but it exists in many spheres of life. nine0005

And I can't say that I'm an open person - I'm not ready to talk about many things in public, but I try to remain friendly towards the world and it seems to reciprocate.

(At this moment, a snow-white dog named Zephyr gets into Angelina's arms - ed. note)

- How do you recover after loads? On Instagram, you often show your Pilates classes. What got you into this sport so much? nine0013

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, lying on the couch will not recover.

And Pilates just became a way for me to recover through the load. It includes muscles that are not used in ballet, and on the contrary, it unloads the feet, legs and knees, and it turns out such, perhaps, decompensation. I've been doing it for almost five years and I'm very excited.

I used to run on the treadmill (I know that many artists do this to "switch" the muscles), worked out with a trainer in the gym (this is also very popular now), but neither one nor the other gave me the result that gives Pilates. nine0005

In Europe and America, this direction is much more common than in Russia. But I am actively promoting this sport with the help of Instagram, and many young ballerinas are also starting to practice.

- Speaking of Instagram. People there often ask you what it's like to spin a fouette in a kokoshnik or what brand of pointe shoes you wear... Doesn't such a mundane look at great art irritate you?

- Not at all. I understand that it is these details, this specificity that opens up my profession to a large number of people. nine0005

Seeing my profile, perhaps someone will be interested, buy a ticket and come to the theater. The Bolshoi Ballet is something worth seeing at least once in a lifetime.

And I will be incredibly happy if our interview with you also becomes a reason for someone to decide on this. No need to be afraid, you need to choose a good theater, a good production - and come!

Interviewed by: Daria Kirillova

Photos from the archive of Anzhelina Vorontsova
___________

Interested in the material?

Subscribe to the weekly Telegram newsletter with promotions and gifts!

E-mail is more convenient? Subscribe to monthly e-mail newsletter

Coloring Angelina Ballerina - MoreStyle

Templates, presentations, coloring

Filters

CMS

• • HTML

  Nothing found for these search criteria

PHP version

• • php7.

    ---

    Learn more

    • 
      Homer fun facts
    • 
      Fun reading activities for first grade
    • 
      Examples of words with double consonants
    • 
      Social skills activities elementary
    • 
      Sesame street learn through music
    • 
      Teach your kid to read
    • 
      Kindness activities kindergarten
    • 
      History of hickory dickory dock
    • 
      When i was a dinosaur
    • 
      Kids sight words game
    • 
      Technique for teaching reading