Tell us about yourself and what drew you to pursue a life in the arts?
I remember being very little, and my mom asked if I wanted to take a ballet class. I said yes and started training at a small private ballet school in my home country of Brazil. I loved it and knew from then on that I wanted to be a dancer. Of course you don’t know if it’s going to work out, but I became really dedicated and have never looked back.
My family was also very supportive. My grandmother used to make my costumes and sew the ribbons on my pointe shoes. Having their backing helped a lot because this is not an easy path to choose, it can be unpredictable. My teacher, Eliana Karin, was excellent. She was Brazilian and had an amazing international career, dancing in Russia with the now Mariinsky Theatre and also with the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany. She trained me in the Vaganova method, which is a Russian technique that gave me a really strong foundation.
From an early age, Eliana took a small group of us (people I am still friends with today!) and had us perform everywhere, in festivals and competitions. We were very good and won a lot of prizes. When I was 17, I was awarded a scholarship at the Princess Grace Dance Academy in Monte Carlo.
My professional career started when I joined the Ballet of Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro, which was a special moment, since I watched the company growing up.
The director at the time, Jean-Yves Lormeau, was from the Paris Opera and he had brought a lot of their repertoire over, including some Balanchine. It was a completely eye opening experience. As a dancer, I improved so much because my technique was growing… the French give a lot of emphasis to footwork, whereas the Russians give an emphasis to the upper body and strong technique.
I then joined the Dutch National Ballet and that was another “wow” moment. It was so different from what I knew in Brazil. They have ballet masters from all of the different techniques and schools across the world. The repertoire was so vast and I was introduced to Frederick Ashton’s very British, very pure style, August Bournonville’s Danish style, and even more Balanchine works.
Throughout my career I have been able to perform so many incredible roles and ballets. Myrta in Giselle, Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty, Vaslav Nijinsky’s L’après midi d’un Faune, and Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc, are just a few that will always hold a special place in my heart. There is nothing like the feeling of being on stage and giving a role or performance everything you have.
It was also during this time that I found another passion – choreography. I had done some smaller things when I was 16 or 17 in Brazil, but my first commission was for the Dutch National Ballet School. Since then I have created works for West Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Poznan Opera Ballet, and a few others.
I also thought about what lies in my future and pursued a degree in arts management at London South Bank University. I started applying those skills when I joined New English Ballet Theatre in London, where I served in a variety of leadership roles. It was a wonderful experience because I got to really understand what goes into making an arts organization function. This art form is what I have dedicated my life to and I want to learn and do all that I can to keep it alive.
What are your plans for Ballet Arizona?
First, I am honored to have been chosen to be Ballet Arizona’s artistic director. Although I have only been a part of this community for a short time, it has been wonderful so far. As a dancer, choreographer, and with my experience as a manager, it is very exciting to come to an organization that has such an incredible pool of talent.
I plan to honor Ballet Arizona’s past and the beautiful legacy Ib Andersen created. This company already has a rich and enticing repertoire and we will continue the classical ballet tradition by performing favorite storybooks. I will also bring masterpieces of the 20th and 21st centuries to our audiences. I want us to become an extraordinary creative hub.
