Not one to do things halfway, Greve gave the dancers hands-on training.
The National Theater Ballet's new Swan Lake, which premiered last month, replaces a traditional version that had been in the repertoire without a single change for 13 years. For a fresh interpretation, Artistic Director Petr Zuska chose a Danish choreographer, Kenneth Greve, citing his ability to simultaneously embrace classical heritage and innovate.
Greve had a tremendous career as a "danseur noble" for major companies like the Paris Opera, New York City Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet, dancing 11 different versions of Swan Lake. Now, retired from the stage, he works as a choreographer and, beginning with the 2008-09 season, director of the Finnish National Ballet.
During final rehearsals for Swan Lake, Greve spoke with The Prague Post about his background and ideas for the new piece. The turning point in his career, he said, was when he was a 19-year-old dancer with the New York City Ballet and met Rudolf Nureyev.
"Nureyev was already 50 years old and suffering from AIDS," Greve recalls. "He was still dancing, and the audience was full of admiration, shouting bravos. But I thought it was bad, and I told him. He got very angry, threw everybody out of the class, put me in front and started to examine my skills. At the end, he was laughing and saying that I am tough. Later, he told me that he needed a tall boy, and asked me if I wanted to go to Paris with him."
Nureyev was ballet director of the Paris Opera at the time, and Greve became his protegé. The two men developed a special bond.
"The thing was, he was very gay, and I was very not," Greve says. "Still, he wanted to pass along his art, and I had a filial love for him."
Asked what the single-most important thing was that he learned from Nureyev, Greve answers immediately. "It's very simple: Do everything with passion! When you do something, do it 100 percent, never halfway. Nureyev was a man of enormous intensity; I remember even when he was old and sick, he would become angry like a rocket. You can't teach people passion. You can turn it on, but you can't teach it."
Greve brings some of that same intensity to his work now, and says it's been a positive experience passing it along to National Theater dancers.
"You have excellent dancers here," he says. "I am very pleased and proud of the way we managed to work together. I would say the biggest difference is that there is a very strong, former Eastern influence. At the same time, there is a great sense of innovation. So if you teach them in a different way, they're very versatile and immediately do it."
Ultimately, he adds, National Theater dancers should not worry about a lingering Russian influence. "It's like baggage on your back, not a chain around your ankles," he says.
As for his own style, Greve says he doesn't have a favorite. "I like to take a bit from everything. I have preferences only for particular features from each style. It's great to have so many choices."
Even before the premiere, Greve's Swan Lake had people talking, with a poster portraying a naked woman and the swan Odette. That was not entirely an accurate perception, according to Greve.
"She looks naked, but she's covered," he says. "I do not want to make a statement about her nakedness. I am making the statement that she is a woman, not a swan."
As for the differences between traditional versions of Swan Lake and his, Greve says, "My Swan Lake is shorter, and with more action. People no longer have so much time - if the ballet is too long, they will just reach for the remote control. And I've always had a hard time with the story. I never understood why the prince falls in love with a bird. In my version, the prince meets Odette in the form of a beautiful naked woman."
That, along with a psychological point of view aimed at making the work more accessible and understandable for a contemporary audience, should be enough to clean away the museum dust.
Lucie Rozmánková can be reached at
lrozmankova@praguepost.com
Copyright © Prague Post, spol. s.r.o.
March 5, 2009
CZECH REPUBLIC: Dusting off a classic
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PRAGUE, Czech Republic / The Prague Post / Night & Day / March 5, 2009
From dance veteran Kenneth Greve, a different take on Swan Lake.
By Lucie Rozmánková
Not one to do things halfway, Greve gave the dancers hands-on training.
The National Theater Ballet's new Swan Lake, which premiered last month, replaces a traditional version that had been in the repertoire without a single change for 13 years. For a fresh interpretation, Artistic Director Petr Zuska chose a Danish choreographer, Kenneth Greve, citing his ability to simultaneously embrace classical heritage and innovate.
Greve had a tremendous career as a "danseur noble" for major companies like the Paris Opera, New York City Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet, dancing 11 different versions of Swan Lake. Now, retired from the stage, he works as a choreographer and, beginning with the 2008-09 season, director of the Finnish National Ballet.
During final rehearsals for Swan Lake, Greve spoke with The Prague Post about his background and ideas for the new piece. The turning point in his career, he said, was when he was a 19-year-old dancer with the New York City Ballet and met Rudolf Nureyev.
"Nureyev was already 50 years old and suffering from AIDS," Greve recalls. "He was still dancing, and the audience was full of admiration, shouting bravos. But I thought it was bad, and I told him. He got very angry, threw everybody out of the class, put me in front and started to examine my skills. At the end, he was laughing and saying that I am tough. Later, he told me that he needed a tall boy, and asked me if I wanted to go to Paris with him."
Nureyev was ballet director of the Paris Opera at the time, and Greve became his protegé. The two men developed a special bond.
"The thing was, he was very gay, and I was very not," Greve says. "Still, he wanted to pass along his art, and I had a filial love for him."
Asked what the single-most important thing was that he learned from Nureyev, Greve answers immediately. "It's very simple: Do everything with passion! When you do something, do it 100 percent, never halfway. Nureyev was a man of enormous intensity; I remember even when he was old and sick, he would become angry like a rocket. You can't teach people passion. You can turn it on, but you can't teach it."
Greve brings some of that same intensity to his work now, and says it's been a positive experience passing it along to National Theater dancers.
"You have excellent dancers here," he says. "I am very pleased and proud of the way we managed to work together. I would say the biggest difference is that there is a very strong, former Eastern influence. At the same time, there is a great sense of innovation. So if you teach them in a different way, they're very versatile and immediately do it."
Ultimately, he adds, National Theater dancers should not worry about a lingering Russian influence. "It's like baggage on your back, not a chain around your ankles," he says.
As for his own style, Greve says he doesn't have a favorite. "I like to take a bit from everything. I have preferences only for particular features from each style. It's great to have so many choices."
Even before the premiere, Greve's Swan Lake had people talking, with a poster portraying a naked woman and the swan Odette. That was not entirely an accurate perception, according to Greve.
"She looks naked, but she's covered," he says. "I do not want to make a statement about her nakedness. I am making the statement that she is a woman, not a swan."
As for the differences between traditional versions of Swan Lake and his, Greve says, "My Swan Lake is shorter, and with more action. People no longer have so much time - if the ballet is too long, they will just reach for the remote control. And I've always had a hard time with the story. I never understood why the prince falls in love with a bird. In my version, the prince meets Odette in the form of a beautiful naked woman."
That, along with a psychological point of view aimed at making the work more accessible and understandable for a contemporary audience, should be enough to clean away the museum dust.
Lucie Rozmánková can be reached at
lrozmankova@praguepost.com
Copyright © Prague Post, spol. s.r.o.
Not one to do things halfway, Greve gave the dancers hands-on training.
The National Theater Ballet's new Swan Lake, which premiered last month, replaces a traditional version that had been in the repertoire without a single change for 13 years. For a fresh interpretation, Artistic Director Petr Zuska chose a Danish choreographer, Kenneth Greve, citing his ability to simultaneously embrace classical heritage and innovate.
Greve had a tremendous career as a "danseur noble" for major companies like the Paris Opera, New York City Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet, dancing 11 different versions of Swan Lake. Now, retired from the stage, he works as a choreographer and, beginning with the 2008-09 season, director of the Finnish National Ballet.
During final rehearsals for Swan Lake, Greve spoke with The Prague Post about his background and ideas for the new piece. The turning point in his career, he said, was when he was a 19-year-old dancer with the New York City Ballet and met Rudolf Nureyev.
"Nureyev was already 50 years old and suffering from AIDS," Greve recalls. "He was still dancing, and the audience was full of admiration, shouting bravos. But I thought it was bad, and I told him. He got very angry, threw everybody out of the class, put me in front and started to examine my skills. At the end, he was laughing and saying that I am tough. Later, he told me that he needed a tall boy, and asked me if I wanted to go to Paris with him."
Nureyev was ballet director of the Paris Opera at the time, and Greve became his protegé. The two men developed a special bond.
"The thing was, he was very gay, and I was very not," Greve says. "Still, he wanted to pass along his art, and I had a filial love for him."
Asked what the single-most important thing was that he learned from Nureyev, Greve answers immediately. "It's very simple: Do everything with passion! When you do something, do it 100 percent, never halfway. Nureyev was a man of enormous intensity; I remember even when he was old and sick, he would become angry like a rocket. You can't teach people passion. You can turn it on, but you can't teach it."
Greve brings some of that same intensity to his work now, and says it's been a positive experience passing it along to National Theater dancers.
"You have excellent dancers here," he says. "I am very pleased and proud of the way we managed to work together. I would say the biggest difference is that there is a very strong, former Eastern influence. At the same time, there is a great sense of innovation. So if you teach them in a different way, they're very versatile and immediately do it."
Ultimately, he adds, National Theater dancers should not worry about a lingering Russian influence. "It's like baggage on your back, not a chain around your ankles," he says.
As for his own style, Greve says he doesn't have a favorite. "I like to take a bit from everything. I have preferences only for particular features from each style. It's great to have so many choices."
Even before the premiere, Greve's Swan Lake had people talking, with a poster portraying a naked woman and the swan Odette. That was not entirely an accurate perception, according to Greve.
"She looks naked, but she's covered," he says. "I do not want to make a statement about her nakedness. I am making the statement that she is a woman, not a swan."
As for the differences between traditional versions of Swan Lake and his, Greve says, "My Swan Lake is shorter, and with more action. People no longer have so much time - if the ballet is too long, they will just reach for the remote control. And I've always had a hard time with the story. I never understood why the prince falls in love with a bird. In my version, the prince meets Odette in the form of a beautiful naked woman."
That, along with a psychological point of view aimed at making the work more accessible and understandable for a contemporary audience, should be enough to clean away the museum dust.
Lucie Rozmánková can be reached at
lrozmankova@praguepost.com
Copyright © Prague Post, spol. s.r.o.
