Q: What events in your early life made you interested in the arts?
A: When I was first born my parents were expecting me to be a typical military man like my father, but that was not what I wanted. When I was younger I wanted to express my self in ways that most boys did not. I was greatly influenced by Marie Salle who was a French dancer and choreographer. She performed dramatic and expressive ballets when technicalities were much more popular. I loved the music, costumes, and dance styles that she used. I loved how expressive she was most of all. I thought every ballerina should not only have the technical part, but be expressive and to be able to move and touch the audience.
I started my career by studying the ballet, of course, and mime. I learned dance from Louis Dupre and Martel. They helped me learn the techniques and fundamentals of ballet. But I wanted to learn more. I went on to learn Mime with David Garrick in England. I began to perform at an early age. My first ballet was at the Opera Comique. I was 16, and I loved performing more than anything. It made me happy to know I was doing something I loved and not being a normal military French boy.
Q: What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interests and talents you have as an artist?
A: I had many famous dancers, choreographers, and artists that helped me in my journey of becoming a famous ballerina and choreographer. I don’t think I could have learned as much or accomplished as much as I did with out some of them. To be able to change something that is already beautiful in its self is difficult. That is exactly what I wanted to do. I loved to watch dancers pour out emotion and drama during that ballet. By watching my mentors like David Garrick, Louis Dupre, Marie Guimard, and Marie Salle I saw those emotions. I wanted to make all the ballet like they performed and the way they acted.
“ A genius may break ordinary rules and advance by new paths when they lead the perfection of his heart.” (Andros, 1988) I believe in following your heart. Inside of your heart are emotions and feelings. I really wanted to see all of those in ballet. By seeing the people I looked up to display all of that truly helped me to be a better dancer emotionally. I believe that having mentors around is very important. If you didn’t have people who inspire you, how would you be able to improve what you do? You really couldn’t, because you have nothing to base your work off of. With out mentors you wouldn’t be able to be helped perfecting what it is you do.
Q: What was the world of art like in your particular field when you entered it?
A: When I began in the art of ballet it was much different then what I expected. The teachers and choreographers I worked with wanted more of the techniques. They were much more interested in the dance steps themselves, not in the acting part or the story part of the ballet. I didn’t like that much. Although I do love ballet and all of the mechanical parts of ballet, I wanted a story. I wanted the audience to understand the story. After all a ballet with no story is just dancing and music. On top of having a story, we needed to show emotions. Being able o move the audience with emotion and true feelings is a beautiful thing.
The opera- ballet was also very popular when I began my career. It was ballet, but it had singing in it to better convey the story. In 1735 choreographers wanted the ballets they created to contain the plot and expressiveness through dance. So choreographers decided to use ballet action, instead of using spoken words or singing. I took it a step further. I started the ballet d’action. I wanted ballet to change and I wanted to be the one who revolutionized it. Everything in the ballet had to correspond, from the costumes and make-up to the lighting and dancing. All of those elements added to the story and plot of a ballet. Also at the begging of my career the men were the more famous dancers. That also began to change and the women’s roles got bigger and the women were well known. The women and men roles are very important to a story. You need women and men to create a love story. Audiences really enjoy seeing love stories.
Q: How did the major cultural, economic and political situations of the time impact your work?
A: Louis XV was the king of France when I began my career. France was getting out of our debts from war fair with Louis XIV. But he did love the arts and he was a great dancer. He helped bring ballet to France. Being a king he had a lot of power, so he could help revolutionize ballet in France. Everyone in France knew about the ballet, but it was hard for some to come and enjoy it. France was going through a hard economic time in the early 1700’s. From the taxes to the crop sales, citizens were having a hard time making ends meet.
During the time when Louis XV was in power, there were some French economic setbacks. The Seven Years’ War was going on and there were increasing royal debts. Although there were many economic problems, we still had our ballet to look forward to. Ballet was quickly evolving in the technical part and the emotional part. Everywhere in Europe citizens were more aware and interested in ballet. It also helped that the kings were greatly involved in ballet. Citizens saw how much the kings had loved ballet, so they were influenced by them to try it.
Q: What were your major accomplishments and the methods you used in your art?
A: My major accomplishment is changing the way of ballet forever. I wanted to change it not just for me but, for all ballerinas everywhere. I am known for using ballet d’action. Ballet d’action is ballet with a story and a plot and emotions. I invented the pantomime. Pantomime is the way a ballerina can tell a story so the audience will be able to understand the story. Ballet is a silent art, so pantomime does not involve speaking. Pantomime is almost like sign language. Like sign language, pantomime uses your arms, hands, and your body to talk. But pantomime is used on the stage by dancers. With out pantomime it would be difficult to understand the story of the ballet. By being able to understand a story you can understand what emotions the dancers are trying to convey.
The methods I used in my art were acting and theatrical methods. When I first started studying my art I began with ballet of course. I studied ballet for many years, but than I began to realize that there was something missing. Of course ballet was a beautiful art form, it was missing the love and passion. I wanted the ballet to have so much emotion. Being a ballerina with flawless technique is a great thing, but if you have no passion or acting ability, you’re not enjoyable to watch. The audience has to be touched and moved by the way you dance and perform. Acting is a big part of ballet. Acting helped me revolutionize ballet and become the grandfather of ballet.
Q: What were the key opportunities that you had that led to turning points in your life and art?
A: While becoming a famous dancer I have had many opportunities that led to turning points in my life and art. In 1756 I began my book. My book is “Les letters sur le Danse et les ballets”. In my letters I wrote that all elements of the ballet should correspond. I also wrote dance should be pure and natural without falseness. My book was published in 1760. After my book, I was very well known. Soon after I was named the Shakespeare of dance. Choreographers used my book to change their shows and ballets. That truly changed my life. I was completely unaware of how famous I would become.
I also helped change a lot of the ways of ballets. I influenced the change of costuming in ballet. I encouraged for chorographers to make the dancers have a more emotional side of ballet, not to hide behind a big costume. Before me dancers still wore wigs masks and heeled shoes. Women wore hoopskirts in the ballet, and often men did too. I changed this in the mid 1700’s however. I believe we needed more natural expression. Ballerinas did not need to hide behind such grand costumes. Also by wearing big costumes it as hard to see the dancers steps. And dancers wanted to show off their steps. By changing the costumes, I changed the outlook on dance.
Q: What personal choices did you make to become successful?
A: When I was younger I knew that I wanted to be a ballet dancer. Of course I wanted to be a famous dancer, so I really had to work hard. In order to be successful I had to take it very seriously and be firm with people to get where I wanted to be. In 1748, Prince Henry of Prussia invited me to come to Berlin, but instead I moved to Strasburg to focus strongly on ballet. I had to move around Europe many times in order to get the proper training and experiences I needed. In 1750, I left Strasburg and went to Lyon. I stayed in Lyon for only five years. Then in 1755 my good friend Garrick, invited me to London. I stayed in London for two years. Everywhere I traveled I danced none stop. I was always taking classes, teaching classes, or choreographing ballets. Moving around the world really helped me become successful because I learned ballet from different ballet dancers and met knew people. Going to different places broadened my dancing experiences, which helped me change the way of ballet.
In 1760, I decided to publish my book. Having a book was a really smart personal choice that I made in order to be successful. My book was really a way for me to be in contact with other ballet teachers and choreographers. If they every needed guidance they could use my book. It is from that period that the revolution in the art of ballet for which I was responsible can be dated. The way I revolutionized ballet was by adding drama and acting. That is what my book contained. I laid down all of the rules and principles of ballet. “ Don not put so much energy into the execution, but invest it with more expression.” (Andros, 1988)
Q: What hardships or roadblocks did you have to overcome in order to be an artist?
A: By the time I was 30 years, I was married to Marie- Louise Sauveur. She was an actress and loved the ballet. In 1757, we left London because I wanted to go work at the Paris Opera. Then I then realized that I would face problems. I would face opposition on the expressive style that I had developed. I developed a much more expressive way of dancing that was much different from how it was in Paris. So instead of going to Paris we went to Lyon. I had been in Lyon before, so I knew I would be fine there. In Lyon I was free to develop new and different ways of dancing. It was hard to not be able to go back to Paris, which is where I had my start in ballet. I realized how much I had changed and developed over the years, which was great! But, I would have loved to just been able to go back and share it in the Paris opera.
Being a dancer and choreographer who was so different and wanted so much more, was difficult in some ways. I sometimes had a hard time finding the type of dancer I wanted. If I didn’t believe their emotions or I couldn’t pull anything from them it was hard for me to use them. It is much easier to tell someone to pull back than to try and get more. A lot of dancers didn’t understand what I wanted, and didn’t want to work with me. I lost some dancers with flawless technique because they had no passion. It was a big struggle to find exactly what I was looking for. I could take any man and make him a dancer (considering his body). I could fix the way he moves his arms and legs. But it is not up to me to get out the emotions. It had to come within.
Q: What kind of limitations did you run into as an artist and a person?
A: I often had the problem of limited amount of dancers. I just wanted so much out of every dancer, from the technique to the emotions. A lot of dancers did not have the drive or enough passion to keep going and keep improving. My companies were not always the biggest in the art of ballet. I was limited to a hand full of dancers. It was a struggle and often I would get upset or feel down. I just knew exactly what I wanted. I did not want to settle for a dancer that I know has no passion or drive. I always informed my dancers about the importance of acting and drama.
Other limitations I faced were costuming issues. When I went into ballet, the costumes were so big and frankly, unnecessary. I really did not like it. Dancers were wearing masks, wigs, full skirts, and heeled shoes. I didn’t want al of those things to be in my ballets. I wanted to take all of that away. All of the elements had to correspond and tie into the story. The costumes did not have to be over the top and outrageous. The dancers want to show off everything during a performance. If the costumes are too big, it will cover up their technique and may affect the way they move. The emotions and the feelings, those should be as over the top and as big as possible. That is what the ballet is about, dancing, stories, and emotions. Ballets are not meant to be fashion shows.
Q: What personal stories (anecdotes) best illustrates how you became successful in the arts?
A: When I was dancing in Paris and I first started dancing, I saw Marie Salle dance for the first time. When she was dancing she just looked so free and passionate. It was the first time I had every seen anyone dance like that. I was then so inspired by her and wanted to be like her. She was one of the best ballerinas I have seen. Not only did she have technique, she could act. I was also determined to make a big statement about drama in the ballet. She was also one of my great friends. If we had not been friends, I don’t think I would be as successful or famous as I am. Her and I had wonderful times together at shows and in class. She is my true inspiration.
A personal thing I liked my do for my shows was get the costumes. I got my costumes a lot of times from nature. I used things like animal skin and tree bark for my dancers to wear. A lot of times I was praised for the way I dressed my dancers. My dancers always looked as normal as possible on stage so that their emotions would truly show. Naturalness is a big deal to me. I think that the way dancers look should be natural not like something fake. The natural elements I used were a lot of times things that I liked and what I wanted. I wasn’t trying to make my costumes something to significant. That is what the dancers and emotions were.
