A Conversation with Peter Martins Ballet Review Winter 2015-2016
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Winter 2015-2016 Ball et Review A Conversation with Peter Martins Ballet Review Winter 2015-2016 On the cover: Gillian Murphy in The Sleeping Beauty. (Photo: Gene Schiavone, ABT) © 2015 Dance Research Foundation, Inc. 4 Washington, D . C. – Daniel Jacobson 8 London – Joseph Houseal 11 New York – Karen Greenspan 12 Washington, D . C. – George Jackson 13 Chicago – Joseph Houseal 14 Winnipeg – Gary Smith 16 Boston – Jeffrey Gantz 19 Augsburg – Gary Smith 21 Washington, D . C. – Lisa Traiger 23 New York – Susanna Sloat 24 Chicago – Joseph Houseal 74 25 New York – Elizabeth Kendall Ballet Review 43.4 29 Saratoga Springs – Jay Rogoff Winter 2015-2016 31 New York – Karen Greenspan Editor and Designer: 33 Saratoga Springs – Jay Rogoff Marvin Hoshino 35 Tokyo – Karen Greenspan Managing Editor: Jay Rogoff Roberta Hellman 38 A Conversation with Senior Editor: Peter Martins Don Daniels Associate Editor: 70 Don Daniels Joel Lobenthal 46 Pure Bastard Associate Editor: Larry Kaplan Eva Shan Chou 56 China Is Near Webmaster: David S. Weiss Susanna Sloat Copy Editors: 60 Paul Taylor’s American Barbara Palf y* Modern Dance Naomi Mindlin Photographers: Joanna Dee Das Tom Brazil 60 and Victoria Phillips Costas 70 ABT at the Library of Congress Associates: Peter Anastos Rachel Howard Robert Greskovic 74 A Conversation with George Jackson Sofiane Sylve Elizabeth Kendall Paul Parish Alastair Macaulay Nancy Reynolds 82 Further Annals o f Th e Sleeping James SuUon David Vaughan Beauty : A Questionnaire Edward Willinger 38 Sarah C. Woodcock 110 U. S.-Danish Dance – Nancy Reynolds 11 1 Music on Disc – George Dorris 116 Check It Out Cover photograph by Gene Schiavone, ABT: Gillian Murph y as Aurora. Lauren Lovette and Anthony Huxley in La Sylphide . (Photo: Paul Kolnik, New York City Ballet) 3 ballet review A Conversation with they’re dealing with good material. They just know. There is good choreography and not Peter Martins good choreography, and this is good. BR: So if you have grown up with Balan - chine technique, if you’re somebody coming Jay Rogoff out of SAB or the company, what will you find readily adaptable to Bournonville technique, BR: What led you to want to stage La Sylphide and what will you have to study; what will for New York City Ballet? It’s rather unlike a challenge and stretch you a little bit? lot of things that the company has done. Martins : Balletically, physically, it’s really PeterMartins :Well,itismyheritage.Igrew surprisingly similar to Balanchine. The whole up in the Royal Danish Ballet. Bournonville approach is very similar. Fast little footwork, was the Petipa of Denmark, if you will. What et cetera. Petipa was to Russia – Swan Lake , The Sleeping BR: Could you talk a bit about the upper Beauty , The Nutcracker – Bournonville was to body in Bournonville, and how his approach Denmark, and he did all these wonderful to it differentiates him from other choreog - ballets. I grew up with Bournonville – well, I raphers? didn’t grow up with him, he was gone! But the Martins: Bournonville did not like arms to material is phenomenal. ever go above your shoulders. He has the arms I always bring Balanchine into this conver - under the shoulders, and that is the biggest sation to legitimize him, because many don’t challenge physically of doing this work. You know about Bournonville. Balanchine and I don’t fly. talked about him all the time, and I’m not ex - BR: Does that apply to the legs also? For ex - aggerating. Balanchine adored Bournonville, ample,we’vereadalotaboutRatmansky’snew and he always used to say he was one of the Sleeping Beauty and the low arabesques in that best choreographers – he and Petipa. But even production. if he hadn’t endorsed him, I would have still Martins: No, not at all. The dancing – if wanted to bring him here, because I think the you’ve seen Donizetti Variations – Mr. B used to current generation of dancers deserves to be say to me, “Pure Bournonville. It’s my tribute exposed to his work. to Bournonville.” The real big difference is BR: Bournonville style, which is what you mime.Balanchinedidn’tusemimemuchinhis grew up with: Is it very different from Balan - ballets because he didn’t do those big , full- chine technique? When we’re watching LaSyl - length ballets much. But mime – that was the phide , or Bournonville Divertissements , which is area where I felt I had to spend time with the on a bill with it, what kinds of things should dancers and show them how to do that. we be looking for? How do you say, “I love you” right on stage Martins: It’s very similar to Balanchine. It’s so it doesn’t look silly? It’s actually very dif - fastfootwork,it’sverymusical –extremelymu - ferent. I was taught when I was little how to sical – and it’s structured in such a way that do it. You say, “I,” one hand [gestures with it’s just first-rate choreography. When I pre - right hand to mid-chest], “you” [gestures out - sented this to the dancers four or five months ward with right hand], “love” [gestures with ago,IwasalittlenervousbecauseIdidn’tknow both hands to heart]. You see, “I” is one hand. how they would take to it, because it’s a whole Don’t put it to your heart; you put it there. And new generation. And I was very taken aback then you say, “you,” and then you say, “love” byhowmuchtheylovedit.Dancersknowwhen – two hands. On the left side, because that’s Peter Martins spoke at a preperformance forum at where the heart is. the Saratoga Performing Arts Center during New And so little things like that – very impor - York City Ballet’s summer 2015 season. tant.Otherwiseitlookslikesignlanguage,you ©2015PeterMartins,JayRogoff 3 know? The audience has to understand what and I think that’s the best way, so they devel - it means. op their own character. BR: When you did your Sleeping Beauty and BR: Is there a lot of latitude for acting in the your Swan Lake , you decided to forgo most of ballet? Or would you not go so far as to call it themime. Andit’soneofthethingsthatmakes “acting ”? those ballets swifter and more efficient. Martins: Well, there are parameters, and Martins : There’s a lot of mime in those, too: withinthoseparameterstherehastobeafree - lots of “I love you” there , too! dom for them, too, in how they express them - BR: Okay. But for example, you cut out the selves. whole story of how the mother’s tears creat - BR: Did you set the ballet exactly as you ed Swan Lake . remembered it from when you danced it in Martins : Yes, because we have to end before Denmark, or did you make changes that were midnight! That won’t work in this day and suitable for NYCB? age. Martins: The only suitable change was to BR: That’s always seemed to me close to Bal - eliminate the intermission! I looked at this anchine’s idea that there are no mothers-in- ballet – I know it inside out – and I thought law in ballet. So why is mime so important to myself that there’s absolutely no need to here? That expression of “I love you” – what change one thing. That’s how sublime it is. I is that accomplishing that an intimate pas de liken it to Serenade – imagine changing Sere - deux does not accomplish? nade ! Criminal! And I feel the same way about Martins : Well, with a story ballet you have this. That is not to say I just dusted it off! to tell the story. And you don’t speak, obvi - Because pace has a lot to do with it – musical- ously, so you have to be able to express your - ity, how fast things go – so you have to stage self in mime. But people are not trained here it and arrange it without tampering with the in that craft. I thought that was probably my text, as they say. most useful contribution in this whole en - BR: Let’s talk a little bit about what we’re deavor. seeingtonight.WehavesomegreatBalanchine BR: When your dancers are learning the lined up. roles, when Sterling Hyltin is learning the Martins : You have Square Dance , which is Sylph, when Joaquin De Luz is learning James, fantastic, to the music of Vivaldi and Corelli. do you ask them to focus on mime in the way You have La Valse , which is one of the greatest that other dancers would focus on steps, or do scores ever for ballet. And then Tarantella , you ask them to focus on a character? What which is another tribute to Bournonville. And kinds of cues do you give them to get them into SymphonyinThreeMovements . It doesn’t get bet - the world of this ballet that’s now 10 years ter than that. old? BR: How would you describe La Valse ? If Martins :Surprisingly,youhavetotellthem somebody hasn’t seen it before, how do you very, very little, because they’re so smart and prepare somebody for watching that? so adaptable, and they basically know what to Martins: Well, it’s one of his most dramat - do. I only open my mouth when they go astray. ic ballets. Romantic? It’s Romantic plus, be - I basically let them do it their way, because I’m cause there’s a little darkness in there, too. It’s not looking for clones. Up here we have two tremendouslywonderful.Imadethisprogram casts of the Sylph; in New York we had four tonight to show the breadth of Balanchine’s casts – and they’re all different. But they have oeuvre.