DISCOVER YOUR REAL POTENTIAL
Romany Pajdak, First Artist of The Royal Ballet
There is so much soul and feeling in Tchaikovsky’s music, from joyous ecstasy to heart-rending sorrow and all the shades in between.
Koen Kessels, Music Director of The Royal Ballet
The relationship between choreographer and composer is key for a good ballet score.
Liam Scarlett, Artist in Residence, The Royal Ballet
The more you listen to Rachmaninoff’s music, the more you realize its complexity.
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What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
I haven’t had to overcome anything dramatic so far, if I am completely honest, but I think what I am sometimes battling is the music industry’s desire to box artists. As well as solo concerts I play lots of chamber music, I collaborate with dancers and jazz musicians, and I love all sorts of repertoire. Back home in Holland I have full liberty, as people now know that I can do all those things, but abroad I am still challenging preconceptions!
Photo: Marco Borggreve
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Myles Thatcher the young choreographer who in 2014 won a mentorship under Alexei Ratmansky (through the Rolex Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative), continues to make waves at San Francisco Ballet.
“I like to make sure my hips and feet are warm so I can jump back into rehearsal after giving notes to dancers.”
“The movement [for Ghost in the Machine] is all set, so today we’re talking about the emotional intention behind a few of the moments in the ballet. Choreography is a continuous process, and I even changed some of the first movement the day of opening night.”
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How do you prepare yourself to be creative? What’s your ritual?
Every day I try to live as if it’s my last.
What place do you find most conducive to working?
I travel a lot. I can adapt to almost any situation.
What one element is absolutely necessary for your process?
I don’t like people who stop me if I decide to do something.
What time of day do you prefer for working?
I’m definitely better in the morning.
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Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Skarsgard talked about how difficult it was to film the abuse scenes and why it is so important that he gained the trust of his co-star for those challenging scenes.
Nicole and I got to know each other really well before we started the project and spent time together and worked on our relationship. We just got to know each other. We both felt it was very important that when we step into that room and shoot those scenes, you have to get to a place of 100 percent trust. The scenes were emotionally and physically so draining. They’re incredibly hard to shoot. It was more about getting to know each other and spending time together and working on that trust. And talking about their relationship and figuring out the nice part about these characters and how they connect and why they fell in love, what’s holding them together. We wanted to find that. We played the whole scene from beginning to end. We weren’t restricted by any tape marks on the floor or any technical issues. It was very primal in a way and some of the toughest scenes I’ve ever had to shoot. It was completely emotionally draining.
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