A Conversation with … is a Dance blog series
 

What sparked your love for dance, and how old were you when you started?

Even though I began dancing at the age of 3 in my mother’s studio, it was by chance that I entered professional ballet school at the age of 9. I was dreaming of becoming an astronaut, but the daughter of my mom’s friend went to ballet school exams, and I went along. I got accepted, but the poor girl who was dreaming about dance didn’t pass the last selection.

How does someone become a professional dancer? 

One goes to professional ballet school and works very-very hard. It is 10 per cent talent, and 90 per cent diligence, really.

How does dancing make you feel?

I was overwhelmingly dedicated to dancing, but I always perceived dance through the prism of music. I didn’t dream about embodying that or another character as much as ​“dancing to THAT music”. I always knew ballet was not the final destination.

Are there any dancers, past or present, who inspire you? 

My idol was Estonian prima ballerina Kaie Kõrb, an outstanding artist of her generation. Uliana Lopatkina, Eva Evdokimova and Gelsey Kirkland were other artists I was very much looking up to.

What productions/​projects have been a particular career highlight for you?

There were many, but the one particular moment was when I danced Aegina in Yuri Grogirovich’s Spartacus with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. Grigorovich, after having seen me on stage, asked me to come (he was in his nineties), kissed me on the forehead, and uttered: ​“My girl, I believe you.” That’s when I, one little girl from a village in Estonia, thought, ​“It was all worth it. I made it.”

Who is your favourite choreographer and why?

Any intelligent and musical choreographer does not make dancers create choreography and then later claim their steps as his/​her own.

How do you unwind and relax after a long day of rehearsals or performances?

It was very easy for me — I would go home and study music :)

If you could dance alongside any celebrity or famous dancer, who would it be and why?

I have never thought about it.

What are your hobbies/​passions outside dance?

I am living this passion right now. Raising two kids, conducting orchestras, and playing violin.

Why did you decide to follow a career conducting ballet orchestras?

Conducting ballet was the not only logical for me, as an ex-ballerina, but also it was a door into the music world for me to sneak in. It would be impossible for me, an outsider, to get into, let’s say, operas.

What is the difference between conducting a ballet vs an opera or symphonic orchestra?

The conductor is a very important link between stage and pit in ballet, as the orchestra has no audible cues, as they do in the opera. In ballet, everything really depends on the conductor. Dancers rely on you, and so does the orchestra; the stage crew, lights, costume and wigs department often depend on your tempi. You are responsible for making so many decisions every single minute. It never gets dull. 

With symphonic repertoire one does have terribly many options to express oneself, there are no ​“restrictions” imposed by dance steps. But then, symphonic orchestras can play fantastically without conductor at all. Only true masters can leave a true mark on one or another oeuvre.

What is your favourite ballet to conduct?

The one that I am currently conducting!