Interview with Tatiana Ledovskikh

CC: Where are you from in Russia?

T: I am from Moscow. I was born in a small city Voronej which is located not far from Moscow. My family moved to Moscow, and I studied and then worked in a theater there.

CC: How did you get involved in dancing?

T: Into ballet? I went in for figure skating since I was 4 years old. My choreographer advised me to try ballet. I suppose she saw that I was talented and physically ready for it. I started choreographic school at the age of 10.

CC: How did you enter Alabama Ballet?

T: Sonya Arova, the formal director of Alabama Ballet, a wonderful woman who
unfortunately passed away, invited my husband and me to work in that company.

CC: Tell me about your ballet training in Russia.

T: In Russia. Yes. Regardless of school and location, whether it's in Moscow, St Petersburg, Ukraine, Belarus, one has to attend ballet school for 8 years. Usually
students start at the age of 10 and finish when they are 18. The selection at those schools is very strict. They choose kids according to their physical appearance and fitness. In Moscow School of Choreography, only one out of every 150 candidates was chosen last year.

CC: Have you ever seen the movie White Nights?

T: Yeah. Sure. Many Times. [laughs]

CC: Can you tell me a little bit about Baryshnikov and how it was back then, the restrictions on dancing?

T: You know, it was a bit different then. Ballet dancers were very limited in selection of moves, and they had to dance strictly the way they were told. They did not have the artistic freedom we have. Now, we can discuss anything with our choreographer and tell them what we feel about certain parts in lyric or dramatic way. Now we have freedom to discuss and argue, and then we just had to do what we were told.

CC: Is ballet different in Russia and the US?

T: Well, it depends. If we take a Russian company, not even a big one like Bolshoi Theater or Mariinsky Theater, but a smaller one like Alabama Ballet, but in Russia, then I can say that every ballet dancer, even not a leading one has a coach who always works with the dancer his part.

CC: I'll change the subject a little bit. You've been dancing since you've been very young. Can you talk about the toll it takes on the body.

T: Every ballet dancer is expected to give everything to ballet physically. That is the part of profession. We don't just come to practices and do a set of motions like robots and go home. We need to show emotions, and that's very hard and demanding. You feel empty after dancing Romeo and Juliet because you give all the emotions to the ballet. It is very hard. And on top of that you have injuries from which you need to recover. Problems come one after another. It's a very very hard work.

CC: You had a bad foot injury once and you recovered remarkably fast. Can you talk a little about that?

T: Not very fast. I had a very difficult surgery, and I'm very thankful to doctor John Gould who did that surgery. We would say in Russia that he has "golden hands" (that means that a person is a master in his field). He gave me a chance to start over, because not everybody fully recovers from an injury like that.

CC: Is there something special you do to take care of your body?

T: Absolutely. Of course. If I feel that I'm hurt or I pulled a muscle or a tissue, I try to take care of it right away using massage. Of cause I take vitamins.

CC: What do you like about Romeo and Juliet?

T: Everyone knows that it's an outstanding story of love of two young and innocent people Romeo and Juliet. It's a big human drama. Not everyone has that gift from God to love and experience that feeling; one needs to deserve it. Romeo and Juliet is a ballet I danced many times, and many times I lived those emotions. I love that ballet because I can express my feelings and emotions.

CC: Is there a favorite scene?

T: It's hard to say; I love everything about that ballet. I love the ballroom. I love the first meeting of Romeo and Juliet, the one which started their love. I love the scene of Romeo and Juliet alone at night; it's a beautiful scene. It's hard to point out one scene or moment. You either like the entire ballet, or you don't like it.

CC: A lot of people get emotional with the tomb scene. Can you talk a little about that?

T: That's the hardest scene. It's the culmination of the performance. You need to dance persuasively, the way that audience would understand and feel those tragedy and emotions. They need to believe it. That's a very hard scene.

CC: The last question. How have your feelings changed over the years towards ballet?

T: Ballet is like a drug; you get addicted to it. You cannot dance ballet and don't love it; that is absolutely for sure. You give all your life to the art of ballet. I gave so much effort during the 8 years of ballet school. Then I needed to prove in theaters year after year that I was capable, that I was talented that I could dance, so they would believe in me. And when they believed in me I needed to keep it up and only grow and never step back.

CC: This will be the last question. Can you tell me about dress rehearsals and opening nights? What are those like?

T: The dress rehearsal is the last rehearsal before the first performance. That's when we check everything: lights, costumes, decorations, from where dancers come, and how the leave. We don't have an opportunity to check all that in the ballet hall; we can do it only on stage. Obviously, everyone is nervous before and during the first performance. No one knows how it will go no matter how hard everyone worked before. We are all humans, and we make mistakes, but everyone tries to do his very best. The first performance means that you dance in front of audience, and you need to show everything for what you have been practicing for 3 months. You have to do the best you can.

CC: Is there anything she would like to say?

T: To add... I wish all the best to young ballet dancers. Of cause you can't be successful without luck and people who can provide moral support. It is very important to feel needed.