Friday, 21 May 2010

Itziar Mendizabal interviewed for 'Cupcakes & Conversation with ..."







Cupcakes & Conversation with Itziar Mendizabal, Principal, Leipzig Ballet

Itziar’s season at Leipzig Ballet finishes on 16th August and after a short holiday, she will join The Royal Ballet as a First Soloist. The Company don’t audition. Itziar’s Ballet Mistress gave a DVD of her work to The Royal Ballet's Artistic Director – Monica Mason – who invited her to take class and subsequently offered her a contract. It’s not unusual for dancers to take a lower rank when joining the Company, and I’m sure Itziar will work hard for promotion as she has been a Principal dancer at Leipzig Ballet since 2008.


What motivates you at 8am on a Monday morning ?
My motivation arrives later in the day ;)

What are you looking forward to dancing in 2010 ?
Pieces which I haven´t danced yet, classical or modern. I like to find new “me´s” by dancing.

Who would you most like to dance with & what would you dance ?
Onegin from Cranko with Jean Sebastien Colau. But there are many things more I would like to dance...


If you could dance anywhere in the world (not only in a theatre), where would you dance ?
In the Bolshoi Theater or on the beach in my home city, Hondarribia!

How do you prepare your pointe shoes ?
I sew on the ribbons and elastics with my sewing machine. I´m kind of lazy with these things, and the rest I do differently depending on the piece I am dancing.

What is your daily routine at the moment ?
I wake up at 8; I have a nice breakfast and I arrive at the opera around 9:30. Class is at 10 and then rehearsals until 6. After work I usually have a beer with my friends or go home to have dinner and watch a film.


You can ask six famous people to dinner - who would you invite ?
I´d rather have dinner with 6 friends than with any celebrity!

What would surprise people about you ?
That I am not always happy !

Who inspired you to dance ?
Dance itself!

What is your best piece of advice ?
Never decide to become a ballet dancer if you are not completely sure that this is your dream.


How do you prepare in the hours before a show ?
My "siesta" is sacred. And I like to be very calm. It´s the only time my phone is switched off.

Which role has tested you the most & how ?
Katherina from Cranko´s Taming of the Shrew because it was my first Principal role in a full length ballet. Or, Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude from William Forsythe; I was just 19 when I danced it.

If you were asked to design your own ballet costume, what would you create ?
I have already done that for Piaf a Deux – it was a very feminine black dress.


What do you look for in a dance partner ?
Someone who puts all his heart into what he is dancing, and is open to share truthful emotions on the stage.

What is your favourite quote ?
The most difficult thing - but an essential one - is to love Life, to love it even while one suffers, because Life is all. Life is God, and to love Life means to love God. (Tolstoy)

Do you have a ‘signature step’ – one that comes naturally to you ?
Not that I know about...


A phrase I use far too often is ... ?
"It´s ok!" :)

What’s been your best on-stage moment so far ?
There have been many but I would say my first Swan Lake or my last Giselle with Jean Sebastien Colau.


Do you have a secret skill which no-one knows about ?
It is a secret...hahaha!

In terms of your ballet career, where would you like to be in a year from now ?
In the Royal Ballet.

11 comments:

  1. Another wonderful interveiw! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love that she has a beer after a long day of rehearsals! I would love to see her dance. Great interview.
    have a lovely weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, she sounds like a motivated, confident, and talented lady who know what she wants out of life. I am inspired by those that are confident in their own capability and achieve their dreams after hard work and fearlessness. I really enjoyed reading this, thank you for sharing. Happy Friday!

    xo
    Rachel

    ReplyDelete
  4. So are these and the cupcakes :)
    Thank you so much for stopping by.
    Lisa X

    ReplyDelete
  5. what a great woman! she seems so down to earth, but also very into her work, I am very happy to know her personally!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such graceful athletes... I have truly enjoyed reading your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love when you ask about how they prepare their pointe shoes. I love her answer about inviting friends instead of celebrities. So telling about what kind of person she is! I can't wait to see her in the Royal one day!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I was especially interested in what she said about preparing quietly for a show with her 'siesta'.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Such an amazing interview...I adore your blog! How would you feel about following eachother? Let me know how you feel about it, ok?
    Kisses and I wish you a fun weekend:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a fabulous interview!! I love her thoughts and the images are stunning!

    Karena
    Art by Karena

    ReplyDelete
  11. Regan - thank you very much !

    Pinecone Camp - hope you get the chance to at some point

    Rachel {Inspiration in Italy} - I agree, thankyou

    Lisa Marie Olson - thank you

    Anon - thanks for leaving a comment

    Lori R. - very kind of you to say so, thank you.

    Dancing Branflake - I agree, the shoes are key ! And Itziar's anwers are revealing,in a good way, which is the whole point. No point reading about something you already know !

    Anne - I was too - especially how that will fit into English life !

    Diana Mieczan - thank you very much - please fee free to follow however suits you

    Karena - thank you !

    ReplyDelete

If you've got this far and would like to leave a comment, well, YES YOU CAN.

I'd be delighted to hear from you & will respond when I can (I'm not glued to my computer so please be patient).

Please don't post spam, and constructive critique is the way to go if you want to post a comment which is anything less than nice ! Thanks.