jump* dancer's lifestyle magazine n° 1

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*The »ART of« Magazine - JUNE 2014

DANCE MAGAZINE biannual publication FREEn° 1

Jump*NetworkDance

the ballet facebook

the next step

Costin Raduparis opera ballet behind the camera

Warm’updancer’s city essentials

fART

STATE BALLET SCHOOLBERLIN

www.ballettschule-berlin.de

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STATE BALLET SCHOOLBERLIN

www.ballettschule-berlin.de

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Jump* International Dance Magazine

Founded in 2014

[email protected]

A bi-annual worldwide free publicationenglish digital version available at www.jump-magazine.net

Writers, especially former or current professional dancers are welcome to present their freelance contributions.

Every candidate writer is kindly asked to submit a short article or review of a dance performance together with a CV.

Pictures should be sent to us in 300 dpi and should be clearly captionned in a Photoshop file.

Copying and posting content of Jump* Magazine is strictly forbidden and constitutes a breach of the international copyright laws and other intellectual property laws.

© Jump* Magazine 2014

I am very excited to be launching the first edition of Jump*, the Dancer’s Lifestyle Magazine.

Why Dancer’s Lifestyle Magazine? Because at »ART of« we did not want to create just another dance magazine filled with reviews of performances. We wanted to give you a companion in which you will not only find great career advise but also in depth conversations with leading dancers, health tips, city trips with local dancers, the new hot dance products and much more.Our magazine is made with the same values we are proud of at »ART of«. We want to create relevant material and events for the dancer of today. This is why the »ART of« Ballet Summer Course BERLIN has been such a success over the past few years. Our goal is to help dancers further their career helping them to find jobs and becoming more versatile dancers, a quality every company of today is looking for.In our first issue we chose to feature Natalia Sologub, Dresden Semperoper Ballet’s prima ballerina. She gave her farewell performance in David Dawson’s Giselle in April 2014. We met up with her and in an in depth conversation she not only told us about her past career, but also about the next chapter in her life. Our City-Trip destination of this issue takes you to Berlin. It is the fastest evolving city in Europe and above all a real Art hub. Staatsballett Berlin dancer Mari Kawanishi shows us around and shares her best addresses with us.»Network Dance« pushed the dance world in to the modern media age becoming the premier dance social media website connecting dancers, companies, schools and dance enthusiasts all over the world. The two men behind this website told us all about their web-adventure.In »Checking in with« we will be talking with Elizabeth Mateer and Boris Richir, two young dancers with great upcoming roles we met in Berlin during the »ART of« Ballet Summer Course BERLIN. These are just a few examples of the exciting content of Jump* Magazine.

I wish you a great read and I hope you will enjoy Jump* Magazine as much as I do.

Sincerely,

Oleg Klymyuk

Oleg Klymyuk - founder & chief editor

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CONENT

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THE NEXT STEP 16

WEEKEND TRIP 06

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Articles09 Mari’s BERLIN

10 »ART of« 2014

12 Actually, it was not so hard

Lifestyle12 Dancer’s Bag

18 Sleep & Health

32 Warm Up Essentials

Interviews & profiles21 Beatrice Martel

paris opera ballet

24 Costin Radubehind the camera

33 NetworkDanceballet facebook

35 Checking in with Sugar Plum

& Rothbart

Photos: Costin Radu

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W E E K E N D T R I P B E R L I N

W E E K E N D T R I P B E R L I N

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B erlin is now the fastest growing, and most dynamic city, in

occidental Europe. With it’s rich past reflecting the world’s History, it is certainly one of the most interesting and diverse cities you will ever visit! A global epicentre for culture, politics, media, science and leisure.Berlin is the home of many world-renowned cultural institutions. Just think of the Neues Museum containing one of the most complete Egyptian Art collections, or of the many dance companies which nest within Berlin’s historical streets. With over 420 art galleries, Berlin is not only a mecca for the arts, but a cradle for new designers and artists. The place to be for the artistic-minded of today!

With it’s many clubs, restaurants, cafe’s and shops, all reveling in originality and trendiness, Berlin is the perfect place to take a well-needed break from the stress of everyday life and become a part of this buzzing metropolis that never ceases to amaze!

1989 On November 9, opens the Wall in Berlin and along the German-German border.

1990 The first and only free elections to the East German parliament are held on March 18, followed in May by the first free elections to the East Berlin city assembly since 1946.

1991 On January 11, the House of Representatives elects the first Senate responsible for governing all of Berlin.

1995 Berlin’s constitution is approved with 75.1 percent of the votes cast in a referendum held on October 22.

1999/2000 The German Bundestag holds its first session in the newly

redesigned Reichstag building on April 19.

2002 On October 3, the newly restored Brandenburg Gate is the scene of the national festivities celebrating the Day of German Unity.

2003 From May 28 to June 1, around 500,000 people celebrate the first Ecumenical Church Congress.

2004 Opening of the Olympic Stadium after four years of renovation.

2007 The Humboldt University’s Museum of Natural History reopens on June 13 after two years of renovation work.

2010 Berlin celebrates a “Science Year” to mark major anniversaries of the State Library (350th), the Charité and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (300th), Humboldt University (200th), and the Max Planck Society (100th).

2012 Berlin celebrates its 775th anniversary.

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Pro Danse is Berlin’s top dance store. From a professional pointe shoe fitting to the latest dance wear models of virtually every dance brand, Pro Danse caters to your every need.Pro Danse Alte Schönhauser Straße 16, 10119 Berlin

The institution in leotards and dance wear, Yumiko has recently opened a new shop in Berlin. In a gallery like space you will be able to shop for your favorite »Yumi« with the help of their expert sales people.Yumiko Berlin Boutique Schwedter Straße 40, 10435 Berlin

Looking for a dance class? Marameo offers daily courses you can join for only 6Euro per class. Do not be scared off by their dated accommodation as they have good teachers.Tanzprobebühne MARAMEO Wallstrasse 32, 10179 Berlin

Looking for the latest Addidas or Nike sweat pants? Karstadt Sports is the place to go! 5900 sq meters of sports heaven representing all big sport brands in the center of Berlin.Karstadt Sports Joachimstaler Str. 5-6, 10623 Berlin

»ART of« offers a two week summer course in the new buildings of the State Ballet School Berlin. This course offers not only classical training but also William Forsythe repertoire and Improvisation Technologies as well as workshops with leading choreographers. »ART of« [email protected] | www.art-of.net

You love the Falke sports shirts as much as we do? Visit their Berlin Flagship Store.FALKE Flagship-Store Berlin Kurfürstendamm 36, 10719 Berlin

Ready for a break? LIQUIDROM is a spa like no other. Relax and listen to the above and under water music of their live DJ in exceptional architectural surroundings.LIQUIDROM Möckernstraße 10, 10963 Berlin

Looking for a place to stay? Our pied à terre of choice is in the Circus! With three different locations and concepts, the Circus Hotel is the way to go. For all budgets and styles, you will definitely find your match. CIRCUSWeinbergsweg 1a, 10119 Berlin

WEEKEND TRIP BERLIN? D A N C E R S T Y L E !

A R T I C L E S

CharlottenburgSETs Schlüterstr. 36, 10629 Berlin - It’s a deli / café / brunch or simply a healthy dinner place I love going near where I work. My favourite is their chicken salad with chili mango

dressing! They offer a yummy frozen yoghurt in Summer time too.

Monkey Bar Budapesterstr. 40, 10787 Berlin -It’s the newest bar in Berlin everyone is talking about! Located on the top floor of the 25hours Hotel, you have a panoramic view of Berlin from the terrace where you can also see the sunset. The drinks, of course are delicious.

KreuzbergSanta Maria Oranienstr. 170, 10999 Berlin - My favourite Mexican restaurant in Berlin! I always order guacamole to share, Chicken Quesadillas and Mango Margarita! You won’t regret it.Würgeengel Dresdenerstr. 122, 10999 Berlin - They offer the best cocktails in Berlin. Nothing more to say.

MitteTransit Rosenthalerstr. 68, 10119 Berlin - The best way to explain is to say, an »Asian Tapas« Restaurant. If you’re a big group, reservation is recommended because they are always filled with people! Mein Haus am See Brunnenstr. 197-198, 10119 Berlin - One of the few bars in Berlin where they have a separate smoking room. The first thing you see is a huge seating stairs through a top-to-bottom window. They are open 24hours.

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Photos: Mari Kawanishi

22 year old Berlin Staatsballett Ballerina, Mari Kawanishi, shares her best Berlin addresses

with us. The best places to eat, drink and party! »When I first came to Berlin, I fell in love with the city. It’s a city that offers a lot of nature - I especially love Berlin in Summer (and so does every single person who lives in Berlin!) for the warm nights that last forever, to bike around the city all day, or to go swim in the lakes. The city is easy to get around, yet there are always new places to discover everyday. As the Germans say, »Berlin is not Germany« - the city is very international, and each part of the city has a completely different character. Even the way people dress up! It’s a friendly city that never stops growing.

Berlin has a lot of Arts and Cultural events/performances to offer. There is always something happening at the opera house every night, and we ourselves perform in three different theatres. Luckily, the transportation in Berlin is very reliable and quite punctual, and the city is quite safe even when you have to go home alone after a show at night. The city is also big on the music front; from the famous Berlin philharmonic Orchestra to Open Airs with electro music! A few places I love going in my free time….« Mari Kawanishi

MARI’S BERLIN

Born in Tokyo in 1991, Mari Kawanishi started ballet training

at the age of seven at the Tachibana Ballet School in Japan. When she was twelve, she was accepted to the Elmhurst School for Dance in England and studied there for four years. In 2006, she received a scholarship to the John Cranko School in Germany from the Youth America Grand Prix New York Finals. She then joined the Royal Ballet School in London in 2007, where she performed with the Royal Ballet in their Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella. She graduated from the school in 2010 and joined the Dresden Semperoper Ballett where she performed pieces by William Forsythe, George Balanchine, David Dawson and Johan Inger. She is now a corps de ballet member with the Staatsballett Berlin since August 2011.

A R T I C L E S

www.art-of.net

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At »ART of« we want to be a stepping stone towards the start of the professional career of our participants, which is why we have invited many different directors to come and search for new talent for their company during our Summer Program.

The »ART of« Ballet Summer Course was created to fill the gap noticed in the dance education of young dancers. With the expanding repertoire of today’s ballet companies, directors are looking for versatile dancers able to perform as well in a classical, neoclassical and contemporary repertoire.

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Photos: Costin Radu

We try to make arrangements, which advance

each dancer’s skills to fit into the individual

aims of the interested

company or school.

The idea behind »ART of«, is to convey to the participants the direct connection between classical and modern DANCE.

Kathryn Bennetts & student

A R T I C L E S Q U O T E S

A R T I C L E S

David Dawson

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Q U O T E S

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POINTE SHOES create an illusion of lightness and give the sense that

the Ballerina is floating on air. They make ballet dancing look magical and even daring. What happens during the process from finding and producing the ballet shoe until the use of them? What happens in this process, connected to utmost effort and involving many steps to allow the dancer to have the most comfortable and supportive shoe?As dance progressed, the emphasis on technical skill increased, as well as the desire to dance en pointe. The birth of the modern pointe shoe is often attributed to the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who had particularly high, arched insteps, which left her vulnerable to injury while dancing en pointe. Also having slender, tapered feet, which resulted in excessive pressure on her big toes, she inserted leather soles into her shoes for extra support and hardened the toe area to form a box.George Balanchine once said: »The pointes for girls have to be, I always say, like an elephant’s trunk; strong and yet flexible and soft«, but finding the perfect pair of shoes, that seemto be like an elephant’s trunk, is a long journey through a lot of trials made by different makers and with different attributes, as every dancer has unique feet with variations, including toe length, shape, arch flexibility and mechanical strength.Because of the fact that the fitting of the shoe influences the risk of injuries, most of the dancers in companies get custom fitted shoes. They decide on the width, the shank, the vamp and even the drawstring. To a layman, a ballerina seems incomprehensibly fussy about her shoes, but the pointe shoe is more than just a tool of the trade or a tradition, it is an essential »equipment« that makes her dancing possible. Once the perfect pointe shoe is

found, a company orders 30 to 90 pairs for the next couple of months. Depending on the position of the ballerina and the repertoire, she uses 5 to 15 pairs a month, which costs the company about 25 000 Euros and around 300 000 Euros per season. Ordering a few months ahead is important, as it takes 3 to 6 months for them to arrive. One maker can make about 40 pairs per day and was chosen by 60 or 70 ballerinas. Every maker has his own way to produce shoes and every change is noticeable for the dancer, which causes problems if, for example, one of the makers leaves the shoe factory. The whole process has to start from the beginning.The constant change of feet also causes problems in organization. Throughout the years the feet lengthen or widen, so the shoe does not fit anymore. It often happens that ballerinas

can’t use their shoes anymore and many pairs stay in the shoe room without ever getting used. New trials have to be ordered and to bridge the time of waiting, shoes from other people of the company should be found. Most of the companies donate the leftover shoes to ballet schools or sell them as a souvenir. The use of pointe shoes in ballet is a logistical challenge but pointe dancing is more than a technical achievement, more than just a virtuose trick. In many ballets it is a crucial dramatic element, essential to the story.

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The »ART of« Summer course is the only course to invite many

different Ballet and School directors to their course. This way, directors receive the opportunity

to discover new talent for their institutions. This is a part of ART of ’s will to be a stepping stone for young dancers

to further and even start their career. One of those dancers is Laura Busquets. Laura studied in Spain before spending a year with the Semperoper

Ballett as an apprentice. After her year in Dresden she struggles to find a job going from temporary contract to temporary contract with the Landestheater Eisenach and Corella Ballet in Spain.

Photo: Costin Radu

A R T I C L E S B A L L E T L E G E N D S

Actually,

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She t o o k

part in the first edition of

the »ART of« Ballet Summer course BERLIN in

2012 having heard that directors will be observing classes. One of those

directors was the visionary director of Ballett Mainz, Pascal Touseau. He spent three days in

Berlin observing classes. This is where he noticed Laura Busquets. They connected and he invited Laura to come and take classes with his company in Mainz. He then offered her a full contract. She has been working with Ballett Mainz since where she is very happy. Laura Busquets about »ART of«: »It was a really nice atmosphere, many dancers of different levels, schools, ages, countries as well as professionals wanting to keep in shape during Summer.During the »ART of« Ballet Summer Course I met different directors, I always wanted to work with the company in Ballettmainz with Pascal Touzeau but I never managed to audition for them. Pascal Touzeau saw me during the Summer course. I didn’t get a contract straight away, but he offered me to spend two weeks in his company. During these weeks I was working as a normal company member and when some dancers got injured, I suddenly got to jump in a performance. Then I signed my contract with Ballettmainz. I would advise dancers who are looking to audition through »ART of« to have a look at the list of directors auditioning and to inform themselves about their companies. You will then be able to know which companies are interesting for you. If you like a company, do not be afraid to go and talk to the director in question, he might also be interested in you«.Laura Busquets’ story is just one of the many examples of dancers finding a job or a place in a school through

»ART of«.

A R T I C L E SGeorge Balanchine

was one of the 20th century’s most prolific and famous choreographers. Styled as the father of American ballet, he took the standards and technique from his education at the Imperial Ballet School and fused it with other schools of movement that he had adopted during his tenure as a guest choreographer on Broadway and in Hollywood, creating his signature “neoclassical style”.

William Forsythe

represents Evolution in the dance world like no other choreographer. His oeuvre spans a development process, based on classical movement carried through to his »Improvisation Technologies« - Principals of the dance language, where within the logical system of ballet, there is the freedom and possibility to explore anew.

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Google research

POINTE SHOES The Repetto pointe shoe, the iconic product of the »Maison«, has always met dancers requirements. The Bloch satin ballet pointe shoes have been hand made for ballet and dance professionals since 1932. Their pointe shoes balance strong construction with comfort. Freed pointe shoes were the first to work on the theory that the shoes should fit and suit the foot, at a time when shoes were usually made in only one fitting and strength.At Capezio they believe their success is dependent upon the individual commitment of their customers.With their unique material, made exclusively of natural products, the Karl-Heinz Martin pointe shoes offer dancers the greatest possible comfort.Sansha now manufactures an extensive range of dancewear and dance shoes, and has become a leading global brand present in the dance capitals of the world. A number of worldwide top dancers and artists have passed along their passion, knowledge, and love to Chacott.

B A L L E T L E G E N D S

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Photo: Costin Radu

The admired principal of the Semperoper Ballett Dresden Natalia Sologub gave her farewell

performance in David Dawson’s Giselle on April 17, 2014. The night ended in a standing ovation from the audience who came to admire the prima ballerina for a last time. She decided to leave the stage in Giselle as this is one of her favorite roles.36 year old Natalia Sologub was born in the city of Sterlitamak in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia. She grew up with her older sister and her younger brother (who also became a ballet dancer), her mother, a school teacher and her father, a factory worker.She started to do gymnastics at the age of four. Her teacher, who noticed her exceptional talent and artistic

skills, told her mother she should become a ballerina. Her mother listened carefully and enrolled her daughter in the Ballet School of Ufa today called the Rudolf Nureyev Choreographic School. Natalia Sologub joined the school at an old age for a ballet student. She was already 12 while other new students were 9. Her obvious talent and dedication made the principal of the school decide to put her directly in the third year of school.Her Ballet teacher was Leonora Kuvatova, people’s artist of the RSFSR and the BASSR, she trained at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy of St Petersburg.When studying at school she realized that ballet was her passion and her life. Once in a company preparing and performing major roles, her relationship to ballet became

The Sleeping BeautyNatalia Sologub in a ballet of Aaron S. Watkin

now she has decided to retire from the stage

of the Semperoper

T H E N E X T S T E P

T H E N E X T S T E P

Photo: Costin Radu

more serious, honest and deep.After graduating she worked two years in the Ballet Company of UFA. In 1998 she joined the famous Kirov Ballet. This was one of the happiest moments of her life. Her horizon opened to new choreographers and ballets, ranging from K. Simonov, D. Dawson, A. Ratmansky, J. Neumeier, W. Forsythe and many more. The young dancers of her generation were in the middle of the creative center of the Kirov Ballet.Elena Evteeva became her personal Ballet Master, working with her taught Natalia Sologub a lot and helped her build towards the person she is today. The Ballet Master who was once her mentor is now a close friend.In 2006 Aaron S. Watkin offered her the position of Principal in his company, the Semperoper Ballett Dresden which she accepted.Her regular partner in Dresden was Jiri Bubenicek. »He is very professional, a good partner. He is an emotional and very energetic dancer« she says about Mr. Bubenicek. »Our performances together are among the best performances of my career«.Throughout her career many people influenced her, when we ask her to name the most important people, she says it is a difficult question to answer as her family, her colleagues, her friends and the many ballet masters and choreographers she crossed all influenced or inspired her in a certain way.For Natalia Sologub every moment on stage is a special one as different as they all are. She deems herself to be very lucky and fortunate to be working with many talented and amazing choreographers and people who inspired her. »I will not be original with my answer, I will answer like every ballerina. I cannot pick out a particular role. Every role I have danced became a part of me and is my favorite role«. Is the answer she gives when questioned about her most memorable role.

Natalia Sologub is famous for her dramatic interpretation and impressive stage presence.Her working process begins with learning the choreography, then she adds nuance and color to the role followed by her personal emotion and vision. »Every day, every rehearsal, you find new angles and emotions which will help you to make the role more realistic and complex. From the first to the last performance my interpretation evolves, I continue to discover new aspects of a character and immerse myself more and more in the role I am dancing« she says. Her only regret is to never have danced The Legend of Love from Yuri Grigorovich a three act ballet filled with emotion and drama. Ending her career to start a new chapter in her life was a very hard decision she did not take lightly: »If leaving the Kirov Ballet to join the Semperoper Ballett Dresden was an important decision, leaving the Semperoper Ballett Dresden was an even more important one« she says.When asked if she will appear on stage again, she answers: »You never know what the future will bring, in my opinion a decision is rarely final and can still change. For the moment my career as a ballerina has come to an end. For the moment…«.Her plan for the future is to enjoy her life and to spend time with her family and children. She plans to focus her energy on teaching as she recently obtained her diploma from the Vaganova Ballet Academy to become a ballet teacher. To young dancers, her main advise is to love your Art and never lose your passion.

Natalia Sologub in a ballet of David Dawson

SUPER

FOO

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A nap between rehearsals or before a performance can do wonders. This is of course if you

time your nap well. Did you know that a long nap might make you feel worse than no nap at all? THE 10 TO 20 MINUTES NAP:This is perfect for your quick at work nap, it will give you a boost of energy and alertness. You will wake up before getting in to the deeper stages of your sleep making it easier to get started quickly. Some people recommend to have your coffee before your nap as the caffeine will start to have it’s effect right when you wake up doubling your amount of energy.THE 30 MINUTES NAP:Sleeping 30 minutes will make you feel groggy and hung over when you wake up. This will last up to 30 minutes! On top of this you will feel like you need more sleep and your body is not ready to move. If you nap this long you should be ready to lose another 30 minutes before your body feels regenerated and ready to go.THE 60 MINUTES NAP:This nap includes the slow-wave sleep, which is the deepest type of sleep. Ideal for remembering facts and intellectual information but you will feel groggy when waking up.THE 90 MINUTES NAP:This Nap covers all the stages of your sleep cycle. You will wake up feeling rested and energized. The 90 minutes nap will on top of energizing you, also improve your emotional and procedural memory as well as boosting your creativity. The procedural memory is the memory of movements, perfect for remembering choreography. As this nap includes all stages of the

sleep cycle, you will not feel groggy when waking up.OUR CHOICE:Feeling tired during the day and in need of an energy boost before rehearsal or a performance? The 10 to 20 minute nap coupled with a pre-nap coffee is the way to go!90 minutes of sleep will boost your creativity and increase your »muscle memory«. Perfect before or after learning new choreography. On top of this, you will wake up feeling ready to continue your day!IS IT TIM

E FOR

A NAP?

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L I F E S T Y L E

Photo: tortik-annuchka.com

Super food, myth or reality?Over the past years we have all

heard of the term Super Food. Food that is supposed to go beyond it’s nutritional values and help us prevent and even cure diseases or improve some aspects of our body (sight, IQ,…). Can food really do that? Is it a fact or yet another way of selling products?The name Super Food appears on exotic nuts, uncommon types of vegetables and fruits and spices guarantying all types of different benefits. Since the 1st of July 2007, marketing a product with the term Super Food without being accompanied by a specific medical claim supported by credible scientific research is illegal in the European Union.

S U P E R F O O D

L I F E S T Y L E S U P E R F O O D

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Super Food is a term only used by media and product marketing, it is not used by dieticians and health professionals. According to Cancer Research UK, the term Super Food is just a marketing tool with little scientific bases. Can a sweet potato

really cure cancer? It can’t. Instead of focusing on eating just a few ingredients labeled super with supposed super health benefits, you should focus on eating a healthy balanced and varied diet. Whenever a product is marketed as a Super Food, sales rise and a fairly unknown product becomes

all the rage. Instead of spending your money on expensive Super Food, spend it on a Super Diet!Catherin Collins, chief dietician at St Georges Hospital in London said to the Observer: »The term Super Food is at best meaningless

and at worst harmful [...]. There are so many wrong ideas about super foods that I do not know where to begin to dismantle the whole concept«.Does this mean that no food goes beyond its nutritional values? Of course not. Most products do more than just feeding you. They

bring you the right vitamins and components necessary for a healthy body. Otherwise this would mean that you could only feed yourself on candy and you would still be healthy. This is obviously not the case.

Some ingredients will benefit your body more than others, these foods can be called functional foods (a term that originated in Japan). A functional food is a food that goes beyond it’s nutritional effect in a way that is relevant to improve your state of health and well being as well as the reduction of decease.

Apples: Filled with antioxidants, especially vitamin C. Great for healthy skin and gums. It gives you a fourth of your daily

vitamin C requirements.

Bananas: Filled with vitamins and nutrients they will give you an energy kick and protect you

against muscle cramps.

Oats: Helps lower your blood pressure.

Tea: Can boost exercise endurance. Scientist have found that the antioxidants in green tea extract increase the body’s ability to burn fat as fuel, which accounts for improved

muscle endurance.

Nuts: May reduce the risk of heart decease

Forget eating a bag of expensive and exotic super nuts. To stay healthy, keep a varied diet including all food groups. Do not skip a meal and do not over consume one particular type of food. And do not forget, there is a reason why some products are more known and eaten than others, it is because they have already proven their benefits. »An apple a day keeps the

doctor away«!

THE WORKOUT TAILOR MADE FOR DANCERS

Pilates, Yoga, functional Training and hours spent are the gym are just a few examples of additional training you can do to supplement your dancer training. However there is one type of training method especially created for dancers, by a dancer.

Invented by former dancer Julio Horvath, GYROTONIC® has a story worthy of a book of tales.While with the Houston Ballet, Juliu ruptured his Achilles tendon, bringing his dancing career to a sudden halt. After this injury, Juliu moved back to New York City for a short time, where he began a regular yoga practice. As he got deeper into his movement and meditation practices, he began having profound energetic experiences. In an effort to learn more about these experiences, he moved to the island of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands in 1977. There he built a small, one-room hut in the mountains and spent the next six years studying yoga and meditation. During this time he gained new insights into movement and healing, and from these insights he began to create his own unique exercise method. Juliu returned to New York City after his stay on St. Thomas, and in the early 1980’s he began teaching a new movement system that was based on what he had learned in St. Thomas. He called this system »Yoga for Dancers«.

Initially »Yoga for Dancers« was taught at Steps on Broadway and at Juliu’s own location- White Cloud Studio. In the beginning, most of Juliu’s students were professional dancers. As demand for his classes grew, and the diversity of his clientele increased, Juliu refined Yoga for Dancers, creating a class format that almost any person could

perform, regardless of age or state of health. He named this refined version of Yoga for Dancers »the GYROKINESIS® Method«. The original »Yoga for Dancers« movements are still taught as part of the Gyrokinesis Level 2 Program.At White Cloud Studio, Juliu continued to develop and refine the method he created on St. Thomas. It was here where he began to develop the GYROTONIC® Method, and his world-renowned Gyrotonic equipment. The Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis Methods quickly gained an international following, becoming popular in Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as in the USA. The Gyrotonic Expansion System has now grown to encompass over 7800 Trainers in 52 countries.

Juliu continues to create new programming for the Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis methods. He also conducts teacher training courses internationally and continues to develop new Gyrotonic equipment, and refine existing equipment designs. He is always developing a more common sense approach to health and wellbeing, as he puts it, in a »seriously un-serious way«.Gyrotonic exercises are performed on custom-designed Gyrotonic equipment, whereas Gyrokinesis exercises are performed on a mat and chair. Both Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis exercise sequences are composed of spiraling, circular movements, which flow together seamlessly in rhythmic repetitions, with corresponding breath. Each movement flows into the next, allowing the joints to move through a natural

range of motion without jarring or compression. These carefully crafted sequences create balance, efficiency, strength and flexibility.

Since the thirty plus years since Horvath began developing the Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis methods, the Gyrotonic Expansion System has grown to include a global community of over 7,800 Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis Trainers teaching in 52 countries, check their website for an instructor near you on w w w . g y r o t o n i c . c o m

Dancers all over the world in companies ranging from the Paris Opera to the Forsythe Company turn to Gyrotonic to prevent and cure injuries as well as just keeping in shape. Arika Togawa, first soloist of the Semperoper Ballett Dresden says that she never believed in methods such as yoga to enhance her dance technique until she took a Gyrotonic class. »It improved my core work and my en dehors as well as balance and body control« she says.

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H E A L T H

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éatrice Martel is the latest ballet master to join the artistic team of

the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet. She gives us a view behind the heavy curtain of France’s oldest and most respected institution, discusses her career and her view on dance.

Jump*: You joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 1986, can you describe your evolution and career in this company?Béatrice Martel (B.M.): »I joined Paris Opera when Rudolf Nureyev was still directing the company. It was very inspiring to be working under his direction. In 1988 I was promoted to Coryphée. I very quickly danced demi-soloist and soloist roles, which were above my rank. At the age of 26, in 1996, I was promoted to Sujet (demi-soloist). During this time Rudolf Nureyev asked me to be a part of his touring company, »Nureyev and Friends«. This was of course very exciting! One of the great advantages to be working at the Paris Opera is that the company has an extremely varied repertoire. During my career I had the chance to dance in both classical and contemporary styles, usually going from one to the other and back again«.

Jump*: What were the highlights of your career as a dancer?B.M.: »This is a hard question to answer as I have been very lucky throughout my career and have had many amazing moments on stage. When I first joined the company, we were doing the classical version of Giselle (in which I later danced the role of Myrtha, queen of the Willis)as well as the contemporary version of Mats Ek at the same time. I was cast in both versions, one night I would be in pointe shoes and, the other bare feet in the grounded choreography of Mats Ek. It was amazing and enriching to be dancing two totally different interpretations of this great ballet.When Sujet, I danced the Queen of the Dryads as well as the Two Friends in Rudolf Noureyev’s version of Don Quichotte. Rudolf Noureyev’s choreography is very hard and demanding, I have never been in such great shape! Dancing Lady Capulet in Rudolf Noureyev’s Romeo and Juliet

was also a memorable moment in my career. The role was really interesting and I shared the stage with exceptional dancers such as Sylvie Guillem who danced Juliette. The ballets of Rudolf Noureyev are very special to me as he was my director when joining the company and influenced me greatly.I was cast as the Italian and American dancer of Maurice Bejart’s very funny ballet Le Concours. Both of these roles were talking roles in italian

and english. I really enjoyed using text on stage as it is something I never had the opportunity to do before.In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated choreographed by William Forsythe was a great ballet to dance. I really enjoy dancing his pieces.When I danced the Comtesse in Proust, ou les Intermitances du Coeur, Roland Petit, the choreographer of this ballet came to rehearse us. Working with him was a wonderful experience«.

Jump*: You have also choreographed many ballets, is this something you are continuing to do?B.M.: »Actually, the last piece I

choreographed was a month ago on the demand of Brigette Lefèvre director of the Paris Opera Ballet. It was challenging as Brigitte Lefèvre chose the music herself and because it is was the first ballet I choreographed since I became a ballet master. I did not know how it was going to be to choreograph not being in the same shape I was when I was still dancing but the piece was a success and I really enjoyed the process. I really like choreographing, I love the intellectual aspect of it«.

Jump*: How would you describe your own choreographic style?B.M.: »I always have a clear storyline in my ballets with defined and complex characters. I like when characters have different layers and sides to them in a way similar to characters in theatre. Even if some of the topics of my ballets are very serious I like to have a touch of irony and an absurd ambience, punctuated with a bit of humor. My choreographic language is mostly contemporary. I get inspiration from many different places, I try to create bridges between different forms of art such as the cinema and theatre«.

Jump*: You are now a Ballet Master for the Paris Opera Ballet, did you always want to become a Ballet Master after your career as a dancer?B.M.: »I do not like to restrain myself and I like to do and try many different things. I have always liked to observe rehearsals, the way different ballet masters work and the way a choreography is built. I did not necessarily want to become a ballet master. I had many ideas for my reconversion, I obtained the French state diploma to become a ballet teacher recently, so teaching was an option. I was more attracted by theatre (I took theatre classes for over I year), staging or even opening a café in Paris than by teaching.Three years ago a fellow dancer told me that two ballet masters were sick and that they were in need of help setting La Petite Danseuse de Degas, a ballet of Patrice Bart, then head ballet master of the Paris Opera Ballet. I offered my help, which he accepted and he put me in charge of teaching a few scenes in the ballet. I

Photo: Costin Radu

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really enjoyed doing this and I guess they appreciated my work as a few months later, Brigitte Lefèvre asked me if I could help rehearsing the ballet Paquita of Pierre Lacotte. As Patrice Bart retired, there were changes in the ranks of the ballet masters and a postion of repeater ballet master was free. Brigitte Lefèvre offered me this position and gave me five days to decide. I accepted even if I never really planned on becoming a ballet master«.

Jump*: How was it to become a Ballet Master in a company you were dancing with, how did your colleagues react to this change of position and hierarchy towards them?B.M.: »I knew that Patrice Bart, who was a ballet master during my entire career, had proposed my name to Brigitte Lefèvre when she was looking to fill the vacant position. This gave me a lot of confidence knowing that he supported and believed in me. I didn’t have to push or plan anything towards becoming a ballet master. It just happened. Pasteur once said that »Fortune favors the prepared mind«. This could in a way be applied to me. Many things prepared me to become a ballet master without even knowing it. The year I was preparing for the French state exam to become a teacher I took a year of theatre classes at the Cours Florent in Paris, this taught me how to speak in front of big groups, I choreographed many ballets, which helps when setting a piece and finally I had set a few short ballets for example for The Young Dancer’s Night at the Paris Opera. All these things I did during my career made it possible for me to stand in front of a group of thirty girls without being scared or stressed. I knew the choreography I had to teach on my finger tips and my first rehearsal went very well.I did not feel any change of attitude towards me from my colleagues. I am not involved in making the casting so the dancers have no hard feelings towards me when they are disappointed about a casting. Having stopped dancing recently I know when dancers are tired, hungry and need a break. I like working in a big group so I do not mind when people are chatting in the back, when it gets to loud, my big voice is of help! I always make sure my notes are good and I can answer to all questions and counts. I do not like to lose time. I think the dancers appreciate

this. I do not feel hierarchically superior to any of my colleagues. It is like I am a ballerina part of the group who knows the choreography better than anyone else«.

Jump*: Paris Opera has a very diverse repertoire, what is your rehearsal process?B.M.: »I have set and rehearsed both classical and contemporary ballets. The rehearsal process for different styles of dance is not that different from each other. Before starting to rehearse I receive the video to learn the part of the ballet I will have to teach and prepare my notes. Lionel Delanoe and I often share our notes. Once you start rehearsing a piece, you will continue rehearsing that piece until it goes on stage. I never go into a rehearsal process that has been started by another ballet master«.

Jump*: How much of your own artistic vision or opinion can you infuse in a ballet you are teaching?B.M.: »For the moment, I teach the choreography and then another ballet master joins the rehearsal and works on the artistic side of the piece. Last season I was in charge of the rehearsals of Le Loup a ballet of Roland Petit. I was the only ballet master in charge and worked with the soloists of our company (as this ballet does not have a corps de ballet involved). I tried to help the dancers on the elaboration of their character using my experience in theatre«.

Jump*: Is there a Paris Opera way of working?B.M.: »When rehearsing a ballet already on the repertoire, the repeater is in charge of teaching the piece, then the ballet master joins in and works on the artistic quality. We then have many rehearsals on stage and start the performances. Paris Opera has a strong hierarchy which is omnipresent when rehearsing. When a choreographer is creating or one of his assistants is rehearsing, he will always be assisted by a repeater or a ballet master from the company. At Paris Opera we like French gardens, everything is well ordered, organized and shaped to perfection«.

Jump*: What is the most exciting component of your job?B.M.: »When you learn every single place in a piece, the counts and music, you get

to know the piece from a totally different angle. You approach the intelligence and way of thinking of the choreographer. This is totally different from dancing in a piece where you just have to take care of what you are doing yourself.As I said, I like working in a group of people. It is great to help people achieve their best«.

Jump*: What was the most challenging ballet you had to set?B.M.: »Kaguyahime choreographed by Jiri Kylian was very challenging. I was in charge of the girls dance, a folkloric dance with a lot of canons and tough musicality. Jiri Kylian was there to rehearse; knowing that he will in a way have to approve or not my work was stressful but mostly a great challenge.In The Sleeping Beauty from Rudolf Nureyev, I rehearsed the big waltz. This waltz is very long and has many dancers. Rudolf Nureyev’s choreography is brilliant although hard to teach as it has many intricate patterns. This was the first piece of this scope I got to rehearse«.

Jump*: How much time does Paris Opera spend rehearsing on a big production such as The Sleeping Beauty and on a contemporary program?B.M.: »This really depends on the production. For instance, a ballet such as Giselle will take about twenty days for the corps de ballet to rehearse, while The Sleeping Beauty will take about five and a half weeks. On a contemporary creation, we count about five weeks. The time we take to rehearse a ballet gets less and less as we have a full season and an important tour schedule«.

Jump*: You were working along Benjamin Millepied for his creation of Daphnis et Chloé, how was it to be working with him?B.M.: »He is very nice to work with. He has a great energy and shares this with everyone around him. His choreography breathes and is very musical«.

Jump*: Which advise would you give to a young dancers starting their career?B.M.: »I would advise them to fill their free time with many activities, go to museums, take theatre classes and so on, all this will feed your art and make you a more well rounded dancer. Play an instrument, many dancers have very bad musicality, I find that having

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the knowledge of an instrument helps with understanding music. I would also encourage them to start teaching, this does not necessarily have to be to professionals, teach to kids or even adults. Explaining ballet to others will make you progress and understand steps better«.

Jump*: Who are the talented young dancers of Paris Opera we should watch closely?B.M.: »There are many very talented dancers at Paris Opera. A career of a dancer is a route with many obstacles. Paris Opera is very hierarchized and there is a lot of talent in every rank of the company. It is a company that does not look at age when promoting people, just look at the beautiful and young Amandine Albisson who just got promoted to principal«.

Jump*: You live in Paris, how is it to live and work in this amazing city?B.M.: »I love living in Paris, I have been living there since the age of twelve and it still amazes me. I live in the ninth arrondissement, ten minutes by foot from the Palais Garnier, close to Montmartre and the Louvre. I can walk to work, which gives me a real village feel as I never have to take the subway to go to work. Having one of the most impressive and beautiful buildings as a work place is of course pretty amazing! I love how functional the city is, you can get everywhere quickly and it offers everything you could want«.

Jump*: What do you do in your free time?B.M.: »I do many things! I often go to the theatre, the museum and the cinema. I am very interested in psychology and read many books on this subject. I spend most of my weekends in the south of France, as my husband (also a former Paris Opera dancer) is a scuba diver there. I always try to do new things such as horse back riding, playing the piano, theatre acting and scuba diving. I also love to travel but sometimes I just do nothing and enjoy being bored«.

P R E M I E R E S

Season 2014-2015 promises to be an exciting one with many world premieres and reinterpretations of well-known classics. Here is our selection.

Royal Ballet of FlandersIn Flanders Fields

Chor.: Ricardo Amarante | Music: Sayo KosugiIn a four-ballet program Royal Ballet of Flanders pays homage to the »Great War« as well as the founder of the Belgian company, Jeanne Brabants. In In Flanders Fields, Ricardo Amarante finds his inspiration in the poem of the same name by the Canadian military doctor and poet John McCrae.

In Flanders Field | in memory of Jeanne BrabantsPremiere 09.05.15 Opera Gent

Paris Opera BalletThe Song of the Earth

Chor.: John Neumeier | Music: Gustav MahlerJohn Neumeier creates a new ballet for the Paris Opera Ballet in which he tackles the grandiose Das Lied von der Erde, translating into dance its emotions and mysteries. Drawing on his own poetic imagination, John Neumeier evokes the fatality and nobility of the human condition, ideas which resonate throughout Mahler’s setting of ancient Chinese poems.

The Song of the Earth | Premiere 24.02.15 Palais Garnier

The Royal BalletWoolf Works

Chor.: Wayne McGregor | Music: Max RichterThe Royal Ballet commissioned the first full-length piece from their resident

choreographer Wayne McGregor.

Woolf Works | Premiere 11.05.15 Royal Opera House

New York City BalletLa Sylphide

Chor.: Peter Martins after Auguste BournonvilleMusic: Herman Severin Lovenskjold

A New York City Ballet premiere of their ballet master in chief Peter Martins

La Sylphide | Premiere 07.05.15 Lincoln Center

Bayerisches StaatsballettPaquita

Chor.: Alexei Ratmansky after Marius PetipaMusic: Edouard-Marie-Ernest Deldevez, Ludwig Minkus

Alexei Ratmanski has discovered the original notations for this ballet and will incorporate those in to his version of Paquita. He says that his version will be

very close to the original of Marius Petipa.

Paquita | Premiere 13.12.14 Bayerische Staatsoper

Semperoper BallettTristan + Isolde

Chor.: David dawson | Music: Szymon BrzoskaMaster choreographer David Dawson, previously house choreographer of the Semperoper Ballett will sign a new full-length ballet on the especially

commissioned score of Szymon Brzoska.

Tristan + Isolde | Premiere 15.02.15 Semperoper Dresden

Choreography: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Iana Salenko & Daniel Simkin

COSTIN

R A D U

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COSTIN RADU

PHOTOGRAPHER

Most dancers are already familiar with Costin Radu’s work, maybe even unawares,

as he is the man behind the glamorous Yumiko photographs.

Former dancer Costin Radu decided to turn his passion into his profession once he ended his career as a dancer. Costin Radu quickly became one of the most sought after photographers: reputable choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, John Neumeier, Jocopo Godani, William Forsythe and David Dawson trust him to bring their ballets to the glossy paper. He manages to capture the intimacy of a stage moment; the movement of the choreography and the emotion the public feels whilst watching a ballet, in his pictures. He brings a new view to ballet photography, going much further than the typical arabesque or grand-jeté shot favouring perfect composition and emotions.

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Ele

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Journey through the history of art, popular culture and its disintegration. Art in religion, art in politics, art in popular culture. Art that embodies

history. Art, which encapsulates what it sees and re-creates it for us to see and understand. The art that is around us presented as an impression by drawing

a fine line between what is narrative and what is abstract. Intended to represent itself as a gallery of works for the audience to witness and enjoy.

World Première: 3 May 2009, Dresden

SemperOper Ballett

ChoreographyConcept and Staging:

David Dawson

Set Design:John Otto

Costume Design:Yumiko Takeshima

Light Design:Bert Dalhuysen

Text:Kate Strong

P h o t o: C o s t i n R a d u

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COSTIN

R A D U

P H OT O GR A PH E R

He is a regular photographer of the Semperoper Ballett and the Royal

Danish Ballet and is invited by many other ballet directors, as well as some of the biggest galas, around the world.Costin Radu is now based in Berlin and Stockholm from where he travels the world behind his camera. We spent an evening with Costin, going through his large and diverse portfolio to make a selection of our favourite pictures. This was not an easy task as his archive is like an Ali Baba’s cave filled with photographs more beautiful than the previous

showing the world’s leading dancers in the most extreme positions and taken at the perfect moment. We made a choice of pictures, we love them and hope you will too!


Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan

Alexandra Lo Sardo

&

Alain Lendorf

Choreography: George Balachine

Royal Danish Ballet

C H O R E O G R A P H E R


LABYRINTH WITHIN

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P o n t u s L i d b e r g i s t h e y o u n g a r t i s t

t o f o l l o w . T h e b i g g e s t c o m p a n i e s

a r o u n d t h e g l o b e c o m m i s s i o n e d

p i e c e s o f h i m w h o a l l r e c e i v e d

g r e a t c r i t i c a l a c c l a i m . T h e s e

c o m p a n i e s i n c l u d e a m o n g o t h e r s

T h e R o y a l S w e d i s h B a l l e t , t h e

S e m p e r o p e r B a l l e t , L e B a l l e t d u

G r a n d T h é â t r e d e G e n è v e a n d t h e

R o y a l D a n i s h B a l l e t . H e h a s a l s o

m a d e m a n y a w a r d e d d a n c e f i l m s

s u c h a s L a b y r i n t h W i t h i n a n d

T h e R a i n . P o n t u s L i d b e r g w a s k i n d

e n o u g h t o a c c e p t a n s w e r i n g t o o u r

i n t e r v i e w w h i l e b e i n g i n S w e d e n .

Pont us L idberg


Photo: Martin Nisser


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Jump*: How does your inspirational process start and where do you get your inspiration from?Pontus Lidberg (P.L.): »The conception of an immersive and aesthetic whole is often what comes first in my process; I imagine a picture before I start to create specific content. Throughout my choreographic and cinematic career, I have been drawn to nature and water in different forms and have incorporated falling rain, leaves, and snow into my works, in addition to continually developing the human content that animate me and my artistic processes«.

Jump*: What is your creation routine if you have one? Are there some typical steps or rituals you repeat?P.L.: »Every creation is unique and different«.

Jump*: You are the one who shows the dancers what to do, but what are you learning from the dancers you work with?P.L.: »I often start creating — a duet for example — by giving an arbitrary impetus in the form of an initial physical contact between two people. It could be as simple as one person reaching for the other person’s hand or shoulder; this only serves as a point of departure that may later be removed or changed. By watching the other person’s reaction to the initial movement, I intuitively have a sense of what will or could happen next. Much like how a conversation unfolds without conscious thinking, the response to your partner’s action is intuitive and immediate. In this way I can guide my partner or the dancers for whom I am creating in developing longer sequences,

and in the process they teach me something new«.

Jump*: Every company is different. How hard is it to create with a company you have never worked with before?P.L.: »It is inspiring to meet new people, different dancers and personalities, it informs me and my work. I try not to become rigid or solid, but rather adaptable and fluid, and to create in dialogue with whatever dancers and company I am working with at the moment. I think that if I had a more black and white perspective, this would be harder, but I have found that there are many different perspectives on dance that are all valid and I like to be challenged«.

Jump*: You create for stage and film since 2000 and got well known for your contemporary language. On November 28th is your premiere of Raymonda with the Royal Swedish Ballet and in 2012 you choreographed Giselle, two classical, full length ballets. What is the challenge in restaging these two stories and creating something new in your own language?P.L.: »My Giselle for Le Ballet du Grand Théatre de Genève was a contemporary dance work in the style that I have continuously developed during the last twelve years. My new Raymonda for The Royal Swedish Ballet on the other hand, will be a classical ballet production with pointe shoes, tutus — the whole package — however with a concept and perspective that is contemporary and personal. It will not be a version, but a completely new work. The two productions had very different points of departure.

Giselle presented a universal and very relatable story that I adapted into a contemporary dance work. The libretto for Raymonda instead posed many problems, and I decided to re-write it completely in order to create an interesting production for our times«.

Jump*: What is the clue in bringing so many emotions into your pieces?P.L.: »My search and artistic output has always contained a pronounced element of human contact, or the yearning for human contact. It is as if I come to life in the encounter with the other person. I believe that in my work I externalize a fundamentally basic human longing. I place it there in order to encounter it. Perhaps, in essence, it is a longing to know oneself intimately«.

Jump*: As mentioned you do stage and film pieces and they have their advantages and disadvantages. How do you get the best of both to use it for your individual creation? What do you like better and how did you get into those different ways?P.L.: »In the Western classical ballet tradition, in which I trained and grew up, choreographers and performers make use of large gestures, exaggerated make-up, and mime etc. in order to deliver a message across the expanse of a large auditorium. Contemporary dance works in the idiom in which I have performed as a dancer (and made a place for myself as a choreographer) may have abandoned the heavy makeup and mime, but still use a high degree of physicality to reach across large spaces. Both classical ballets and abstract

P O N T U S L I D B E R G


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ncontemporary choreographic works for large stages often use architectural and structural devices such as arranging bodies in space and time in a way that remains effective when seen from a distance. I am drawn to fine details and subtle nuances of physical expression that would easily be lost on large stages. It is my experience that it lies in the nature of stagecraft to give up a certain amount of control and leave it up to each individual in the audience to make choices about where exactly they will place their gaze and attention. Even through skillful techniques of guiding the eye of the audience, live performance has limited means for closeups. However, with the camera, I can direct the viewer to exactly what it is I want them to notice. It could be the smallest and seemingly unimportant detail. The camera can capture details that the eye could not perceive from a distance. What interests me above all lies in internal aspects of human experiences such as psychological, spiritual and emotional aspects. Especially when working with personal content and narratives, the physical language of my dances for stage have a filmic character with an intentional goal to be subdued, authentic and ultimately true to life, as opposed to exaggerated.In the end, I like to create in different modalities and don’t necessarily prefer one over the other«.

Jump*: Do you already have new ideas or wishes on future creations and with whom you would like to work with?P.L.: »I do. I am currently developing several projects for stage and for film to be realized in the coming years«.

Jump*: What do you do in case of a blackout or a non-inspirational moment?P.L.: »I continue working and eventually these moments will have passed«.

Jump*: What is the best part in being a choreographer and traveling around the world?P.L.: »I get to see the world from a multitude of angles and perspectives. It is very humbling«.

Pontus Liberg’s new creation of Raymonda will premiere at the Royal Swedish Ballet on November 28th 2014. We wish him all the best for his very exciting future plans.

Pontus LidbergP O N T U S L I D B E R G Jon Vallejo & Francesco Ricci in a ballet of

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Nothing like a good playlist to give you the energy to start your day.

Here is ours:* Happy, Pharrel Williams* We are Young, Fun* This World, Selah Sue* Undisclosed Desires, Muse* Take Back the Night, J. Timberlake* Lucky Strike, Maroon Five* City of Blinding Lights, U2* Mermaid Motel, Lana Del Ray* Money On My Mind, Sam Smith* Holy Grail, Jay Z

8tracks is an internet radio app you can download on your

phone. With 8tracks you can do two things: listen to a mix, or create one. You can choose a playlist made by an 8tracks user by inserting keywords describing your mood or what you want to listen to. For example, type in »wake me up + chilled + jazz« and you will get a choice of playlists corresponding to your demand. A great way to discover new artists and genres!Free, available for apple and android

devices.

Tired of having your headphones fall off during your warm-up?

teamed up with Addidas to create the perfect sport earphones. These handy waterproof earphones clip behind your ear and offer great sound without ever leaving your head! You can find all the latest information on Sennheiser by visiting their website w w w . s e n n h e i s e r . c o m

Warm‘up Gear

With the perfect thickness and size. The very comfortable Alex Yoga Mat will be your best

friend.w w w . k a r s t a d t s p o r t s . d e

The world famous Bubenicek brothers never cease to amaze us, check out their BBooties with endless

customization possibilities.w w w . b b o o t i e s . e u

Keep yourself warm with WarmYX Handmade Dancewear, from legwarmers to full-body salopettes,

with options from fleece to knitted fabric and over 50 colours to choose from you can make your own,

irresistibly comfortable attire.w w w . w a r m y x . c o m

The Uniqlo Ultra Thin Down Jacket is a must-have for every dancer. Not only thin and

very light; it will keep you warm and squash down to fit in your bag without any problem.

w w w . u n i q l o . c o m

We all know the Thera Band Elastics, but did you know they also make a great foot roller?

w w w . t h e r a - b a n d . c o m

Beverage containers

Not very awake yet? We all cling to our beverage of choice during our warm-up. Check out these great

containers!

Bodum Travel PressA portable French press for your fresh coffee.

w w w . b o d u m . c o m

Bobble BottleWill filter your water straight from the bottle

Available in many sizes and colors.w w w . w a t e r b o b b l e . c o m

Tea ThermosThe original Thermos quality in a beautiful new look.

w w w . t h e r m o s . c o m

N E T W O R K D A N C E

W A R M ‘ U P N E T W O R K D A N C E

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| the Bal let Facebook

In 2010, Jozef Varga (29y.o.) and Milan Madar (28y.o.) launched

the first website of it’s kind: the first dance-based social network appropriately named Network Dance. With their website they brought the ballet world into the social media world of today. In just a few years Network Dance grew to become the world’s biggest dance related social media website; copied but never equaled.

In 2009, Milan Madar and Jozef Varga, at that time both dancers of Dutch National Ballet (Mr. Madar is now a soloist with the Dresden Semperoper Ballett), wanted to find a way to simplify the job and audition search for dancers. Before Network Dance you had to spend hours researching the web or rely on dance magazines and word of mouth to find auditions and to get in contact with dance companies. Network Dance brought a change to all of this! In May 2010, after a year of hard work, Network Dance went online. From that moment

on dancers could not only find information about auditions and vacancies, but also get in contact with said company on the same website. In just a few years Network Dance became the biggest dance network site with 18,400 users and many more daily registrations.

Jozef Varga and Milan Madar were kind enough to answer

our questions:

Jump*: You are both dancers, did you have experience creating websites before you started Network Dance?Network Dance (N.D.): »Milan is the developer (programmer) in the »team«. He made smaller portfolio sites but Network Dance was the first website of this scale, so at the beginning we encountered far more page views than our system was designed for, frequent spam, our notification emails blocked as spam and so on. Our website grew much faster than we expected but today it is very solid«.

Jump*: Network Dance started out as an audition website but has now evolved towards an online dancer’s social community. How did your website evolve to what it is today?N.D.: »It came very naturally with the growing community. Being dancers ourselves it is easy for us to identify with our users and develop new features to try to respond to their needs.In the beginning people started to find auditions on our website and to check out different companies. Many dancers registered (which is free) in order to apply for

auditions online easily. This is still our most popular feature today.Due to our growing number of users, agents and photographers started to use Network Dance to find dancers for their projects and performances. A bit later many companies, schools and courses started to use Network Dance for the same reasons. From this moment on our website became a hub for exchange in the dance world.

As dancers started to complete their profiles with their pictures and videos as well as updates about their current projects, users started to follow and interact (in a similar way to Twitter) with each other. There is a real social community atmosphere on our website now«.

Jump*: As a user of Network Dance, can I directly contact a company or choreographer?N.D.: »Yes you can, it is very easy! Just click the »send message« button of any profile and you can directly contact every user of our website.

Milan Madar Jozef Varga


34 | Jump* | JUNE 2014

Many companies also give additional contact information such as their phone number, email and so on.If you would like to apply to audition for a company, you can also do it directly through our website. We have a standardized CV that is easy to create. Your CV will then have all the information companies ask for including photos. Your CV can then be directly sent to your company of choice through Network Dance. Companies like it because they get a standardized CV that is easier to manage. If they need any additional information, they will have a look at your Network Dance profile«.

Jump*: What are the different components of Network dance today?N.D.: »Our most popular sections are: Auditions, News, Courses and Workshops, Companies, Videos and of course User Profiles«.

Jump*: So, Network Dance offers many features even if you are not looking to audition.N.D.: »It really does. You can have a dancer’s profile that has all the features of a personal website, perfect for showcasing yourself. It is easier and more effective to be seen on a common platform than on your own website. Finding guesting opportunities as well as building your own network is very important. You can do all of this through our website.But it is mostly a community where dancers can hang out and browse colleagues and companies, watch videos and look at photos, talk to their friends or people they admire and read ballet related news in our news section«.

Jump*: Can anyone contribute to your news section?N.D.: »Yes, we encourage our users to submit news articles. We will then check if the article is valid news, if it is in english and dance related. Our News section is at an early stage but evolving very quickly«.

Jump*: After your website launched, many similar websites appeared on the web. How does Network Dance stay on the forefront of dancer’s social media?N.D.: »We are unique in the amount of activity as well as the wide range of information available on our website. For example: news is automatically added to our website from different sources globally and is read by many people daily. Auditions and courses are posted daily by companies, agents and schools. This is seen by a huge amount of dancers who will apply for these courses and auditions directly through us.

We are constantly developing our website to improve and add new features listening to the feedback from our users. We receive a lot of positive feedback from dance companies advertising on our website saying that advertising with us is far more effective than advertising on any other social media site (such as Facebook,…) and of course, we are free«.

Jump*: What’s next for Network Dance?N.D.: »We have some very exciting plans for the near future but they are for the moment very confidential.

All we can say is that we will be expanding our brand to be even closer to dancers all over the globe«.

Behind this success story are two very down-to-earth dancers, spending their free time off-stage behind their computers managing the world’s first and most successful dance network site. As dancers, we are often too shy to do our own networking: having a profile on Network Dance is a small and easy step towards creating new contacts and putting yourself out there.

Before leaving, Jozef Varga and Milan Madar gave us some tips to get the most out of Network Dance:

• To create a profile, »SignUp«, fill in the short form, and done! It is fast, easy and, above all, free.

• Complete your CV witha lot of pictures and videos and most importantly follow many dancers and companies so you will receive their updates.

• Share, like and commenton things you find good, interesting or even bad. As a result, more people will follow your activity. The more you share, the wider exposure will be.

See you soon on Network Dance.

w w w . n e t w o r k d a n c e . c o m

36 | Jump* | JUNE 2014

E l i z a b e t h M a t e e r k i n d l y

a c c e p t e d t o b e i n t e r v i e w e d

f o r o u r m a g a z i n e w h i l e o n

t o u r i n C a n a d a w i t h h e r

c o m p a n y w h e r e s h e d a n c e d i n C o p p é l i a .

M s . M a t e e r w a s b o r n a n d r a i s e d i n s u n n y

B o c a R a t o n , F l o r i d a i n t h e U S A w h e r e

s h e s t a r t e d b a l l e t a t t h e a g e o f 1 1 . H e r

b a l l e t u p b r i n g i n g w i t h M a g a l y S u a r e z

w a s v e r y i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e C u b a n s t y l e

o f t r a i n i n g . A t t h e a g e o f 1 6 s h e j o i n e d

t h e p r e s t i g i o u s S c h o o l o f A m e r i c a n

B a l l e t i n N e w Y o r k a f t e r t a k i n g p a r t i n

t h e i r S u m m e r I n t e n s i v e . H e r d e d i c a t i o n

a n d h a r d w o r k g o t h e r a p o s i t i o n w i t h

t h e s e c o n d c o m p a n y o f t h e P e n n s y l v a n i a

B a l l e t ( P e n n s y l v a n i a B a l l e t I I ) a f t e r

g r a d u a t i n g f r o m t h e S c h o o l o f A m e r i c a n

B a l l e t . N o t o n l y d i d s h e t a k e p a r t i n t h e

p e r f o r m a n c e s r e s e r v e d f o r P e n n s y l v a n i a

B a l l e t I I , b u t a l s o o f t e n d a n c e d w i t h

t h e m a i n c o m p a n y . S h e t h e n b e c a m e

a n a p p r e n t i c e w i t h t h e c o m p a n y a n d

g o t p r o m o t e d i n 2 0 1 2 t o C o r p s d e

B a l l e t o f t h e P e n n s y l v a n i a B a l l e t .

T h e a u d i e n c e h a s s e e n M s . M a t e e r

n o t o n l y p e r f o r m i n t h e c o r p s d e

b a l l e t , b u t a l s o i n m a n y s o l o i s t a n d

l e a d i n g r o l e s e x e c u t e d w i t h g r e a t

p a s s i o n a n d a r t i s t i c e x c e l l e n c e .

I N T E R V I E W E L I Z A B E T H M A T E E R

I N T E R V I E W

Elizabeth Mateer

&

Lorin Mathis

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker(tm)

Choreography by George Balanchine

© The George Balanchine Trust

Photo: A. Iziliaev

Elizabeth Mateer

&

Jong Suk

Park in Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun

Photo: A. Iziliaev

E L I Z A B E T H M A T E E R

I N T E R V I E W

38 | Jump* | JUNE 2014

Jump*: You went to the School of American Ballet (SAB), why did you decide to go to the school custodian of the Balanchine style?Elizabeth Mateer (E.M.): »I ended up at SAB almost by accident, actually. When I was 16, I auditioned for a variety of Summer intensives for the first time; in past Summers my wonderful teacher Magaly Suarez had wanted me to stay home and train with her (I was a little behind for my age having started relatively late at age 11.) Going to the SAB audition was a very last minute, spur of the moment decision, but that day became a turning point for me. I had such a blast at the audition - the class was faster than I was used to, and very challenging, but also so much fun! Somehow, I really connected with the teacher, Katrina Killian, and at the end of the class, she called my name and offered me a full merit scholarship to SAB’s Summer Course. I loved every minute of my Summer, and it went by so quickly. When I was offered a place in the year-round program, I couldn’t turn the opportunity down«.

Jump*: How was your life at school?E.M.: »My time at SAB was really wonderful - I made many lifelong friends, and grew so much as a dancer. For two years, I was immersed in learning a new style of movement and had the privilege of working with incredible teachers who were once dancers under George Balanchine. I also made a habit of going to see New York City Ballet perform as much as I could - sometimes three or four times a week! I had never been able to see so many professional ballet performances before, and that kind of exposure was incredibly helpful to my development. Living in NYC was definitely an added bonus. I became much more independent and really loved having the city experience as a teenager«.

Elizabeth Mateer has been a full Corps de Ballet member with the Pennsylvania Ballet since 2012. A leading Philadelphia cultural institution, Pennsylvania Ballet has earned a national reputation for its impassioned artistry and technical virtuosity, and has received widespread critical acclaim for its performances of a diversely classical and contemporary

repertoire with a Balanchine base. The energy and exuberance of its versatile dancers are the company’s enduring signature. Currently comprised of 40 dancers, Pennsylvania Ballet annually presents a season of six programs balancing classical ballets with new works that challenge the dancers and attract a diverse audience. The company also tours throughout Pennsylvania and the East Coast to venues such as the New York City Center and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The company made its international debut at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2005.Ms. Mateer has not only danced many ballets as a corps member in this outstanding company but is now casted in many soloist and principal roles. Her soloist roles include many of the key ballets every ballerina wishes to add to her repertoire.

Jump*: You have already danced many soloist roles with great success. Which were your most important roles?The 1st Theme from George Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, Pink Couple in Forgotten Land from Jiri Kylian, Emeralds Pas de Trois from George Balanchine, Cora/5th Pas de Deux in Jiri Kylian’s masterpiece Petite Mort, Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun. This season I also had the honour of dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s Nutcracker.

Jump*: How did you feel about dancing a role that has been danced by so many great dancers before you?E.M.: »Oofff! Definitely a little bit of pressure, especially for Sugar Plum and Faun. I had so many memories of various beautiful ballerinas dancing these roles, and in each case, I really wanted to make sure I did the part justice. Although a bit intimidated, I was thrilled at the challenge. It was amazing to be given the opportunity to make these roles my own«.

Jump*: Your favourite role so far?E.M.: »That’s so hard! Probably Afternoon of a Faun from Jerome Robbins. It’s been one of my favourite ballets since I first saw it as a student, and was such an honour to perform. Something about the simplicity and intimacy of the choreography and studio setting is very special - it draws you in. Getting to dance with your hair down is fun, too« she says with a great smile.

Jump*: In America, even more than in Europe, Sugar Plum is THE ultimate ballerina role. What was your preparation for this part?E.M.: »I had about a month to prepare for my premiere, a really good amount of time to get comfortable in the role. Back in PBII, I had learned both the variation and the Grand Pas, which helped speed up the process a bit. When I walked in to my first rehearsal, my ballet mistress said, »Well, I have it on good authority that you already know this«. I have to say, though, it didn’t truly begin to feel real until I was on stage, in the tutu and under the lights. The whole process honestly felt like a dream«.

Jump*: How did your performances go?E.M.: »Overall, I was really happy with them. My first performance was a little shaky, but after I had one under my belt, I felt much more at ease and in control. I’m excited to be able to revisit the role next season and continue to improve on it«.

Jump*: Were you supported by your fellow dancers?E.M.: »Yes! Everyone was very kind and supportive. I especially appreciated the thoughtful input I received from the more seasoned Sugar Plums of the company - they had a lot of great advice to share with me«.

Ms. Mateer’s elegance and stage presence brought an exquisite new flavour to this very demanding role for which she received great acclaim from the audience.

Jump*: What has been your most memorable stage moment?E.M.: »Also a difficult question... One of my favourite stories is the time I fell during the Waltz of the Flowers in The Nutcracker, during a show of course, at a very inopportune moment when all 14 girls are flying across the stage. I think I turned the corner too quickly, and somehow I ended up on the ground. My first thought was, »wait, how did I get here«? and my next thought was, »OMG I’m going to be trampled«! I managed to get up before causing a giant pileup, thank goodness!

There was also that time I was a chicken in Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals, and I literally got to cluck like a maniac on stage. Yes, cluck.

I N T E R V I E W W I T H E L I Z A B E T H

M A T E E R

I N T E R V I E W

I think my best onstage experience has been performing William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite - the entire ballet, but especially the finale. The entire company dances together, at first in a canon and then in unison. When you’re in perfect lines, all performing identical arm movements, the possibility of messing up is terrifying. But at the same time you feel a kind of authority from intense focus. It’s an incredible feeling of camaraderie. There’s a percussive element when the men and women begin to clap, but at different intervals in separate counting structures. And then all of a sudden, everyone turns around to face the audience, claps once, and it’s over... a powerful finish«.

Jump*: Which choreographer (or coach) have you enjoyed working with most? E.M.: »One of the most inspiring rehearsals of my career so far (and one that will probably remain a highlight) was working on Artifact Suite with William Forsythe last May. He is a living legend, but was incredibly kind and gracious, and brought so much positive energy into the studio. I also loved working with Laura Graham, who staged all of the girls’ sections and was integral in getting us ready. Her commitment, quirky sense of humour, and attention to detail made her a wonderful coach. »Chiiicas« (Laura’s endearing greeting to us) was always the best way to start a rehearsal«.

Jump*: You have already been featured in many soloist roles but which role would be your dream?E.M.: »Juliet, Odette, one of the Artifact Suite principals, Waltz Girl in Serenade, After the Rain pas de deux, «First Violin» in Concerto Barocco. I love being able to tell a story when I dance, even if there isn’t actually a story... all of these roles have touched a bit of my soul as an audience member, and it would be an honour to share them with others one day«.

As we come to the end of our interview with Ms. Mateer, we asked her a few more personal questions.

Jump*: Which dancers do you admire most?E.M.: “There are so many incredible artists out there, but one who has personally inspired me is Julie Diana. I have also really admired Wendy Whelan from afar.”

Jump*: Your pre-performance routine?E.M.: »It depends on what I’m dancing, but I usually have a snack or a sandwich

a couple of hours before the show, and then listen to music to get myself in the zone while doing my makeup and hair. If it’s been a long day of rehearsal I’ll sometimes take a nap or try to rest. I have a really bad habit of running late to everything, so for performances I try to get ready early enough to avoid stressing out about it. If I’m doing an important role, I tend to take this really overboard and be the first one in the theatre, hair done, crown on, and half my makeup done before class even starts! It might be a problem«.

Jump*: What do your friends think you often say?E.M.: »I’m not sure I have a catchphrase, but I definitely make sound effects... does a really distinctive and silly laugh count«? She then laughs...which makes us agree on the distinction of it!

Jump*: If you had to pick another career, what would it be?E.M.: »Maybe a baker? Or a therapist«

Elizabeth Mateer will be dancing the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by George Balanchine in June 2014 at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She will be performing in In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe one week later in a principal role in Philadelphia.

»Two completely different challenges, both of which I’m really looking forward to working on«.Says Ms. Mateer with a smile.

Photo: A. Iziliaev

BORIS

RI

CHI

R

SEMPEROPER

BALLETT

BORIS

RICHIR

SEMPEROPER

BALLETT

Phot

o: Ia

n W

hale

n

We met 23 year old dancer Boris

Richir in Dresden where he is

working as a corps de bal let member

of the Semperoper Bal lett Dresden.

Boris Richir started to dance in his

native city of Antwerp in Belgium

with Karin Heyninck a former dancer

of Dutch

N a t i o n a l

Bal let and

principal of

the Royal

Bal let of

F l a n d e r s .

He then

studied for

one year at

the Royal

B a l l e t

School of

A n t w e r p

before becoming a student of the

prestigious Paris Opera Bal let School

where he graduated in 2009. After

his graduation, Aaron S. Watkin

offered him a position as a corps

de bal let member for his company,

the Semperoper Bal lett Dresden.

I N T E R V I E W

JUNE 2014 | Jump* | 41

I N T E R V I E W

Jump*: You spent 6 years at the Paris Opera Ballet School, why did you want

to go to that school in particular?Boris Richir (B.R.): »When I was 11 years old, my ballet teacher Karin Heyninck, invited me and my parents at her house for dinner. This dinner wasn’t an innocent one as at dessert, Karin and her husband very seriously said that if I wanted to become a professional ballet dancer, there were only 3 schools in Europe I should audition for: The Royal Ballet School in London, the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg and the Paris Opera Ballet School in Paris. I decided to audition for the Paris Opera Ballet School. The first time I auditioned, I wasn’t accepted but after a year at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, I tried again and was accepted to join the Paris Opera Ballet School«.

Jump*: The Paris Opera Ballet School has the reputation of being extremely strict and hard on their students, is this true?B.R.: »The profession of dancer is a difficult and demanding one, the school prepares you for that from a very early age. They ask you to have the maturity of an adult while still being a kid and are extremely strict but it forms you for your future career as it gives you the self-discipline you need as a dancer. I don’t think you realize it so much when you are young but looking back, I can definitely say it wasn’t easy! In my first year, Claude Bessy was still the head master, she led the school with an iron fist and scared most of us. When Elizabeth Platel took over, things changed and became more human in a way but still very disciplined«.

Jump*: How was your life at school?B.R.: »I was »interne« at the school, which means I would stay at the dorms at school during the week and go home during week-ends. We had general classes in the morning and dance classes in the afternoon. The school is located in a beautiful, light filled building outside of Paris. We had a big garden and 12 spacious studios. Everything was in the same building which gave us a great quality of life. Having visited several schools since then, I realize now how lucky we were with such an exceptional environment. The school is closely linked to the Paris Opera Ballet, we would go and see all the general rehearsals of the company and have our performances on the prestigious

stage of the Paris Opera. Performing on that stage is an unforgettable memory. It is wonderful to be a part of a 300 year old institution dating back to Louis XIV.Because you live together and experience such strong moments with your fellow students, you create friendships that last«.

Upon his graduation, Boris Richir moved to Dresden where he has been working for five years now as a member of the Semperoper Ballet Dresden. The Semperoper Ballet Dresden was founded in 1920 as the permanent Ballet Company of the Saxon State Opera House, more commonly known as the Semperoper. Many great choreographers and ballets of the highest quality have been performed under the direction of Tom schilling, Harald Wandtke, Vladimir Derevianko and today Aaron S. Watkin. The Semperoper Ballet Dresden is considered as one of the biggest and most important companies of Germany and enjoys international fame and recognition.Boris Richir has danced in ballets of among others, John Cranko, John Neumeier, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jiri Bubenicek and Aaron S. Watkin in corps de ballet and soloist roles.

Jump*: How was your integration in the company?B.R.: »Coming from Paris where people are nice but take a long time to accept you as being part of their group, I was surprised by the immediate friendliness of the dancers in Dresden. They made me feel very welcome from start and working with them is a real pleasure«.

Jump*: You have already danced many demi-soloist and soloist roles with great success, which were your most important roles?B.R.: »I usually dance one of the diverts in classical ballets as well as demi-soloist roles in big group dances such as the Waltz in Swan Lake.Two seasons ago I danced the Berio third pas de deux of William Forsythe as well as Artifact from the same choreographer. I also danced the demi-soloists in Diamonds and the principal couple in Emeralds both a part of George Balanchine’s Jewels and more recently the Arabian dance in The Nutcracker. More recently I performed the role of Rothbart in Aaron S. Watkin’s production of Swan Lake«.

Jump*: How did you feel about dancing a role that has been danced by many great dancers before you?B.R.: »I felt a lot of pressure, particularly for Emeralds. I had seen Mathieu Ganio perform it in Paris. He is such an exceptional dancer and that particular role left me with a great impression, so it was an honour to be able to dance the same part. For Rothbart I saw many dancers of our company take on the role before me. They are all great actors and every one of them has a different take on the character, which was not only great inspiration but also a challenge to live up to the role«.

Jump*: Your favorite role so far?B.R.: »I enjoyed dancing Jean-Guillame Bart’s Péchés de Jeunesse a lot in Paris, his choreography was so musical and lyrical it was a real pleasure to dance. Here in Dresden I have to say Emeralds was amazing, as it is supposed to represented France or at least the French style of dancing to which I can identify most. Rothbart was a totally new experience for me as the character is present throughout the ballet and his character and his emotions evolve and change as the ballets furthers«.

Jump*: Which was your most memorable stage moment?B.R.: »In La Bayadère, there is a part where we have to dance with spears. A fellow dancer and friend of mine was very »in to it« and broke his spear in half. He then continues dancing with a little midget spear very seriously while all of us were shaking laughing. The view from the audience must have been ridiculous, a bunch of shaking soldiers and a serious one with half a spear. A great army that was!

There is one moment in George Balanchine’s Diamonds that we call »the slow finale« where the music is so powerful and the steps are slow and consisting of walking on demi-pointe and developpés. This is one of my favorite moments, it is hard to describe why but somehow you feel the power coming from the orchestra and the very musical choreography together with the entire company on stage makes it an exceptional moment.I loved dancing with Duosi Zhu, we

Boris Richir danced Count von Rothbart on the 25th of May with great success and will per form in StijnCelis’ Josephs Legende

in June 2014.

Phot

o : I

an W

hale

n

danced both Berio and Emeralds together. Sharing the stage and rehearsing with her is always such pleasure.With Rothbart dancing with Sangeun Lee and Milan Madar who respectively danced Odette/Odille and the Prince was wonderful, they are both such great artists with a great sense of humor which made the entire process very special«.

Jump*: You premiered in Swan Lake as Count von Rothbart, how was the preparation process?B.R.: »It is was definitely a challenge as it is a character that has many different sides, he is a human with an animal instinct and of course pure evil. Dancing this role was definitely new for me as I am usually cast in more romantic roles. I really enjoyed the process as I got to understand the character more and more. Working with our ballet master Gamal Gouda has been great. He has a clear vision for all the

characters and how they interact with each other giving the ballet great depth and many different layers of interpretation«.

Jump*: How was the feedback from your performance as Rothbart?

B.R.: »I received great feedback from our ballet masters, Aaron S. Watkin and my colleagues, it was really rewarding«.

Jump*: Which choreographer (or coach) have you enjoyed working with most? B.R.: »Working with William Forsythe was definitely exceptional. He has such an amazing energy and passion! I really enjoy working with Eric Camillo, a former dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet and now

a teacher of the Paris Opera Ballet School. He has a very precise and in depth way of working. And as I mentioned before, rehearsing with Gamal Gouda has been wonderful«.

Jump*: You have already been featured in many soloist roles but which role would be your dream role?B.R.: »I would love to dance Romeo in a classical version of Romeo and Juliet. Usually the male character in Ballet is not as strong or layered as

the female one, Romeo is an exception to that. It is also such a beautiful story that is still very much relevant today as it deals with real people (and not mythical figures with magic powers) with issues that could still be encountered today«.

Jump*: Which dancers do you admire most?B.R.: »I love Nicolas Le Riche, he has such great stage presence and charisma. He has the most impressive technique I have seen but it is always there to serve his interpretation of a role and not the other way around. Guy Albouy, who now retired, was a principal in Dresden. He is the most elegant and chivalrous dancer I have ever seen«.

Jump*: Your before a performance routine?B.R.: »I usually get to the opera house two hours before the start of the performance. I change in to comfortable ballet clothes and go to the hair and make up department. I will usually have a chocolate bar or candy around that time to get some energy (probably only psychological, but it works!). Depending on the performance I will take the warm-up class, which is about 30 minutes long and then get changed in to my costume at the last moment as I don’t like to walk around in costume for a long time before the performance. I try to keep myself busy or go over certain steps as I get stressed easily when I have a dead moment before the performance«.

Jump*: What do your friends think you often say?B.R.: »I don’t know what they think I often say, but I very often hear them sigh a long »O, Boris« whenever I am doing something stupid«.

Jump*: If you had to pick another career, which one would it be?B.R.: »Probably an architect or something to do with scenography«.

42 | Jump* | JUNE 2014

Photos: Jump*

B O R I S R I C H I R

B O R I S R I C H I R

T h i s p a g e c o u l d b e y o u r s

A d v e r t i s e n o w i n J u m p* , t h e D a n c e r ’ s L i f e s t y l e M a g a z i n e

G i v e y o u r c o m p a n y o r p r o d u c t t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l v i s i b i l i t y

i t d e s e r v e s .

F o r mo r e i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a c t u s a t

a d s @ j u m p - m a g a z i n e . n e t

* T h e » A R T o f « Ma g a z i n e

A D V E R T I S ENOWINJUMP*G I V E Y O U RC O M P A N YORPRODUCTINTERNAT IONALVISIBILITY

[email protected]

46 | Jump* | JUNE 2014

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jump* dancer's lifestyle magazine n° 1

Documents

art of magazine

dancers lifestyle magazine

dance performance

dance world

network dance

local dancers

dance enthusiasts

young dancers