{"id":54152,"date":"2013-06-13T11:00:25","date_gmt":"2013-06-13T15:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/?p=54152"},"modified":"2013-06-20T09:38:36","modified_gmt":"2013-06-20T13:38:36","slug":"corps-de-ballet-an-interview-with-irina-kolpakova","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theparisreview.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/13\/corps-de-ballet-an-interview-with-irina-kolpakova\/","title":{"rendered":"Corps de Ballet: An Interview with Irina Kolpakova"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo:<\/a>

Photo: Renata Pavam.<\/p><\/div>\n

Irina Kolpakova is a hummingbird of a woman, perfectly erect and poised as she walks into the cozy interview room tucked deep in the recesses of the Metropolitan Opera House. Her brown hair is kept off her face with a thin headband; she wears dark pants and a soft red sweater over which she wraps a leopard-print shawl. Voil\u00e0! Instant glamour. We shake hands and she sits, never wavering from that ballerina-perfect posture. Kolpakova is turning eighty the next day, but does not want a fuss to be made over her birthday. Still, the occasion demands some form of ceremony. As we speak, her expression is alert, her tone animated; her passion for her art emanates from her like a heady cloud of perfume. Her hands, as she talks, do a graceful little ballet of their own, and the geranium-pink nail polish only adds to their elegance.<\/em><\/p>\n

Tell me about the city of your youth.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born in Leningrad. I was only there for three years. Then my mom and I moved to\u00a0Molotov, which is now Perm.<\/p>\n

And when did you start taking ballet lessons?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nine years old.<\/p>\n

Where did you study when you were young?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Molotov, because the Kirov Theatre\u2014now the\u00a0Mariinsky\u2014was evacuated there. When my mom brought me to the first class, Vaganova was still alive. It was the time of Vaganova.<\/p>\n

I wanted to ask you about Vaganova because not too many people in this country know about her contribution to classical ballet. What can you say about her teaching method? What was distinctive or different or important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vaganova told us to use all parts of our body together at the same time. Not only this movement for the leg, this movement for the arms, this movement you\u2019re supposed to learn how to use for your head, neck. No, all together, all the time<\/i>. And she was huge\u2014in Paris they called her the Queen of the Variations. She was \u2026 amazing. And she was really smart. She combined French method with Danish. I think that\u2019s unique. Her method was unique.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When did you first visit the United States?<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the Kirov Ballet. It was 1962, I think.<\/p>\n

And when did you come here permanently?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Permanently? In 1990. Initially, Sol Hurok brought our company to America, and\u00a0it was a huge success. It was three months of travel around America. He invited us again\u00a0two years later. And then, when Hurok was dying, there was another impresario, and I came with Kirov.<\/p>\n

And in 1990 you made your home here?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My home is Russia. Though I have worked here for twenty-three years, so, of course, I have a home here too.<\/p>\n

In Washington Heights, yes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a lot of addresses here. I always change. Because it\u2019s interesting. And I love that wonderful park in Washington Heights, the Cloisters. Unbelievable. It makes me happy because I try every day, early morning, to come to the park and walk. Move my body a little bit. Then it\u2019s easier all day for me to work. It\u2019s very comfortable for me here.<\/p>\n

I read that you\u2019re considered one of the most memorable Auroras of your time. Can you say more about that role and what it\u2019s meant for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s wonderful classical ballet, pure<\/i> classical ballet. Absolutely genius music. The Tchaikovsky. And Petipa\u2019s choreography. Vaganova told us, With each step, each movement, you\u2019re supposed to do it very clean. With Sleeping Beauty<\/i>, the ballet, we\u2019re asked to be pure in the classical ballet. Light.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a beautiful ballet. I love it. I wanted to hear you talk about it since you\u2019ve danced that role. Can you talk about some of the differences between Russian dancers and companies and American dancers and American companies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, life in the theater is pretty much the same. In class, then all-day rehearsal, then performance. There are different schools, but otherwise, everything is the same. In Saint Petersburg, we have a wonderful theater. That\u2019s our home theater. We spent all day there. Wonderful theater. Stage, everything inside. The New York City Ballet has its own theater. And a few more, the San Francisco Ballet and some other one in Seattle.\u00a0But when the company doesn\u2019t have a home theater, like the American Ballet Theatre, it\u2019s really difficult. At first you work. Then you travel. Then you have two months at the Metropolitan Opera House.<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>

From the Collection of Sergei Sorokin, St. Petersburg.<\/p><\/div>\n

You\u2019ve been the Ballet Mistress of American Ballet Theatre for a number of years, and you\u2019ve coached some of the greatest dancers here. Do you want to tell us anything about coaching or your experience with anybody in particular?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know,\u00a0I coach them like Vaganova taught me to coach. They\u2019re supposed to understand about the basics. Because it\u2019s easier to dance, it\u2019s less physical when you know how you need to present movement and how you can move around the stage. In our school they told us to take the whole stage, don\u2019t move in small spaces. The whole<\/em> stage. And that\u2019s easier. I have worked here a long time because it\u2019s comfortable to know more about the right school, about how to be different in different performances. Not only one type of dance. No, the dance is tailored to each person.<\/p>\n

And I would imagine that having been a dancer, you know that being a Ballet Mistress enables you to, in a way, extend your career. I mean, you are still very involved in dance even though you have retired mostly from performing. Isn\u2019t that true?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. I need to explain some movement, I need to show something. Understand it, for young dancers.<\/p>\n

And what are you working on this season?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The company is doing Sleeping Beauty<\/i>, Don Quixote<\/i>, and Le Corsaire<\/i>. What else? A Month in the Country<\/i> and Sylvia<\/i>\u2014I love Sylvia<\/i> very much. Onegin<\/i>, but yesterday was the last performance.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sorry I missed that.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I worked a little bit with it.<\/p>\n

Do you go with the company when they travel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes.<\/p>\n

Where are you traveling this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This year we were in Hong Kong, and China, then Washington. And we\u2019re going to Los Angeles after the May season.<\/p>\n

Do you like that part of the work? Do you like traveling?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like traveling. It\u2019s interesting to see new cities. I had never been to Hong Kong and China.<\/p>\n

Do you take class still?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No. No, I do my exercises.<\/p>\n

I read that you still do some performing. You were doing the Czarina in The Snow Maiden<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. It was with my husband, the dancer Vladilen Semenov. The Czarina is a very small role. But it was nice to be on stage again, to be on the stage with my husband. It was a very nice moment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Irina Kolpakova is a hummingbird of a woman, perfectly erect and poised as she walks into the cozy interview room tucked deep in the recesses of the Metropolitan Opera House. Her brown hair is kept off her face with a thin headband; she wears dark pants and a soft red sweater over which she wraps […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[907],"tags":[11090,1942,11092,11094,11093,11078,8362,11079,2272,11091],"class_list":["post-54152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-at-work","tag-agrippina-vaganova","tag-ballet","tag-frederick-ashton","tag-irina-kolpakova","tag-jacques-damboise","tag-kirov","tag-leningrad","tag-sol-hurok","tag-tchaikovsky","tag-vladilen-semenov"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCorps de Ballet: An Interview with Irina Kolpakova by Yona Zeldis McDonough<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"June 13, 2013 \u2013 Irina Kolpakova is a hummingbird of a woman, perfectly erect and poised as she walks into the cozy interview room tucked 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