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The Leadership Dance
Ep. 15: Dancing through the decades, with Alessandra Ferri
00:44:51
Delve into this fascinating conversation with Alessandra Ferri, Prima Ballerina Assoluta and Artistic Director Designate of the Vienna State Ballet. Alessandra shares her extraordinary journey in the world of ballet, from her early passion for dance...
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- [00:01]
A
We've all started dancing because we wanted to dance, because it's a need. And not to forget that, because I think it comes to a point where you, you know, you start being strategic, and that's when you lose your. Your true self. When you become too strategic about, oh, now I've got to do this, because then I'll do that, because that. Just go with your passion and love for dance and things will happen.
- [00:35]
B
Hi, and welcome to the Leadership Dance. I'm your host, Alisa Su lynch, and today I'm excited to speak with Alessandra Ferri. Described by the New York Times as one of the greatest dramatic dancers of all time, Alessandra Ferri has had an extraordinary career spanning decades. She became the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal at 19, where Sir Kenneth Macmillan created several roles for her. She later joined American Ballet Theater at Mikhail Baryshnikov's invitation, performing iconic roles and working with legendary choreographers like Jerome Robbins, Agnes DeMille and Twyla Tharp. Named Prima Ballerina Assaluta at La Scala, she has danced with top companies worldwide, including the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet, among others. After retiring from performing in 2007, she made a celebrated return to the stage at age 50, continuing to push artistic boundaries. In September 2025, she will take on a new leadership role as artistic director of the Vienna State Ballet. So wonderful to have you on the podcast, Alessandra.
- [01:42]
A
Hi, Alyssa. It's wonderful to be here. I've been following you and it's such a pleasure and very excited to be with you because it's a beautiful podcast.
- [01:50]
B
Thank you so much. Well, I want to start by asking you about your upbringing in Italy. You were born there, and did you always dream of becoming a ballerina? Can you share a little bit more with us what your childhood was like?
- [02:03]
A
Yeah, I think I was born to be one in the fact that I, since the age of three, my wish was to be a ballerina. And I asked to join a ballet school at that young age. And I was always passionate about. Wasn't about being on stage and wearing the tutu and the flowers, you know, as little girls do. But I was always passionate about studying dance and ballet. I loved the studio work even at the young, very young age. And my parents were not at all in the world of theater or dance or music. So I'm really not sure where this passion came from. I believe that I must have seen on television or something some ballet at some point that made me want to do it, and that's When I asked to join a ballet school and I never changed my mind.
- [03:08]
B
That's wonderful. What did your parents do?
- [03:11]
A
My father was an engineer. He worked for Pay Rally, you know, they make tires for cars and so he was an engineer with them. My mother, who was a school teacher, she works with children. But by the time I was born, she wasn't working anymore. So she just took care of the children, which is me and my brother. So it was really. I am not quite sure where all this came from, but I was a very serious a child. So, you know, my mom said, you're always like this and just wanted to take class. And your face was always really serious about. Really wasn't about performing, it was about I had to dance, there was a need for me to dance. It's sort of the feeling never really changed actually, we'll get into this, but I think this was. I stayed the same through a very long time, you know.
- [04:08]
B
Yeah, so it sounds like it was a true calling for you from a very young age. And where did you study when you were younger?
- [04:16]
A
So I started, I was in a school, a little kindergarten, which then became grammar school. It was all part of one establishment which was just outside Milan. I was lucky because, you know, they had these ballet courses, like after school program that I joined in the school. And I was lucky because the teacher that taught was actually a really wonderful teacher. And she right away, or after, you know, after a few years, she right away realized I had a talent. At least I had, let's say I had the right instrument. You know, my body was sort of made for dance. I had certain qualities that were quite apparent that I could pursue and continue my study. So then by the age of 10, I was walking in the center of Milan with my mom and I saw, you know, we're talking about a long time ago, there was so the outside La Scala, there was like a poster that said, you know, the audition for the ballet school are open. And I said to my mom, mama, this is my dream. I really want to go, I want to go to La Scala. So we went home, told my father, who, you know, I mean, again, they were not theater people. So my father said, well, this is very lovely, but you know, it's going to be a very difficult and for her, because the school, I mean, the school was inside La Scala, but it was far away from our home, from where I lived. So he said, it's going to be very tiring. She's going to have to be, you know, getting up at 6 o'clock every morning in order to go there. And I said, but this is what I really want to do. This is what I really want to do. So they said, okay, let's go, let's try it. My father was also a little bit concerned because he said, well, you know, that's not really a career, you know, how are you going to make, you know, in life you have to, you have to have a profession that is going to allow you to, you know, to put food on the table and pay a rent and because they knew not much about it. So in his mind, I guess it wasn't a life profession. And I, I still remember my answer to that, you know, at the age of 10, I said to him, it doesn't matter, you know, I will have a, like a car, you know, like a caravan, what do you call it, rv and park it outside the theater. And that was my answer, to which he laughed and he thought it was very sweet, but for me was real. That's what all I wanted. So then I auditioned for La Scala, which was quite a, you know, there were three steps to the audition. They first look at you and look again and look at your. I call it the instrument, because our body is an instrument. So they, they looked if I had the right physical attributes and quality to develop into a dancer, which I passed. Then they do a medical exam which is to check your heart and, you know, if you're fit to do such a difficult training. And I passed. And then they do a month of trial. So for a whole month in September, you take class every day with the school and then you have to pass that. At the time, you know, the school was a state run school, so out of like over 200 applications, only about 10 people joined the school every year. So it was a very high selection, you know.
- [07:50]
B
Wow, that's incredible. Now at age 19, you were promoted to principal dancer with the Royal Ballet and then a few years later, were invited by Baryshnikov to join American Ballet Theatre. Tell us, what was it like to become an international star at such a young age?
- [08:09]
A
In the very beginning, you know, I joined the company when I was barely 18 years old. Actually, I didn't even really finish the school. You know, I just joined the company because Kenneth McMillan saw me in the school and saw me in a school performance and just wanted me to join. So I joined the company and, you know, right away I was given principal roles because I didn't know any different. I joined this joint and there I was, I was doing actually the first role. I Ever did was Afternoon of a Phone, Jerome Robbins. And again, I was like a baby, you know, I was a really. And then I started working with Kenneth, and I did see Juliet, his Manon, Myerling, Maria Vetzer and Meyerling, all before the age of nine of 20, you know. And then he created two ballets for me, for one of which I won a Sir Lawrence Olivier Award. And I was 20 years old. It was just all extremely exciting. And I didn't. I guess I didn't even realize that it was exceptional. You know, I just went with it. And I was diving into each role, into each different opportunity, and with roles that were really suited to me, you know, they were either created for me or they fitted me perfectly. So it came easy. No, it was easy. Like Kenneth's choreography for me, I want to say it's easy because it fits my way of moving, my way of my. The lines of my body makes naturally. So it was a very natural progression. Then, at one point, Baryshnikov was performing with the Royal Ballet, and he asked me, and he said, would you come and join American Ballet Theater as a principal dancer? And Kenneth McMillan was actually co director at the time with the company. So I felt safe, you know, I could leave the Royal Ballet in a safe way because Kenneth was also in New York. In fact, the first performance I did was Romeo and Juliet at The Met in 1985. In September 1985, when I joined ABT, I started feeling the pressure, the pressure of being so young and having a lot of attention and a lot of expectation, because I think where in the Royal Ballet. I joined from the school and the Royal Ballet, you know, everybody came from the same school. We all knew each other. We were very nurtured in the fact that we were all a big family, you know, but really, you know, everybody knew each other from a young age. Somehow I felt, you know, when I arrived at ABT as a principal, I. It was a big realization that the people expected a lot from my position, from me. And I don't know if it's true or if it's just the way I perceived the. You know, how I was feeling it. But, you know, and it's different. You arrive in a company where I didn't know anybody, you know. Yeah. And I felt I had to prove myself. Where in London. I never felt I had to prove because it was a natural progression.
- [11:29]
B
Yeah. Alessandra. Just a couple of things, so I just wanted to touch on. I just saw Afternoon of a Faun performed by Pacific Northwest Ballet out Here I live in Seattle just this weekend. So that was wonderful that you brought that up. But on a prior episode, I interviewed Susan Jaffe, who's the artistic director of abt. I serve on that board of trustees. And she talked about experiencing imposter syndrome after she was promoted. She was also promoted to principal dancer at a relatively young age. As you talk about moving to ABT and feeling pressure, was it imposter syndrome? Was it feeling like there was competition?
- [12:06]
A
I think he was self imposed. I remember very well. Susan and I were pretty much the same age and we were there together. I was also dancing with Misha, which was an extremely. I did my debut of Giselle with Misha, you know, and it was not easy, you know, I felt that I really had to step up to the plate, you know, but in a way, I. I've suffered from insecurity my whole career, even much later on. Yes. So, you know, I don't know if to call it imposter syndrome or not, but maybe in my. In. I expected so much for myself and I knew where my weaknesses and my vulnerability technical were and have been because I think we all have, you know, we're all different. We all have some weaknesses. Nobody is Superwoman or Superman, you know, but I think when you. You learn to embrace that with age and wisdom and. But when you're young, it's hard, you know, it's hard because you see other people and you always think other people are somehow stronger or better, you know, so my. I had a. I developed a defense mechanism, you know, when I went on stage, and that was to dive so deeply in the role that I had to do that I would forget about everything else. So to. To be so deeply involved with my partner on stage that I felt loved by my, My, My. By my partner. So for me, a partnership was very important. I hated to feel alone on stage or not being able to share deeply a performance. So they say I'm a good actress. Maybe that's why I became one. I don't know.
- [14:11]
B
Yeah, you really embodied the roles and you have performed with some legendary partners, including Misha Rudolph, Nureyev, Julia Boka. Can you share any memorable experiences from these partnerships and how they impacted your evolution as an artist?
- [14:27]
A
I think with Rudolf, I mean, I met Rudolf when I was very young, in fact, because he. I met him when I was a child because he came to La Scala to put on his Nutcracker. And I was one of the little kids around, you know, in the party scene and all this. So I remember seeing him and seeing him perform when I was 11, 12, you know, so of course, he didn't know me, but I knew him. And then I met him again when I joined the Royal Ballet because he was guesting with the company, and he actually choreographed a piece for the Royal Ballet, the Tempest. So I was able to be around Rudolph also, as I was growing up as an artist. And then finally, on the night of his 50th birthday, we were performing with American Ballet Theater in Los Angeles, Giselle, and he asked to dance with me. So I danced his, you know, Giselle with him on that night. And I will always remember, he wasn't well anymore. You know, he wasn't the Rudolph though we knew. He was 50. He passed away a few years later. The generosity he has on stage and the connection he had with me, the energy he had, I would never forget. I don't know. He was pure. You know, he was really there, like 200%. And then what was very beautiful is that at the party, after, he actually. At one point, he took me into the garden and he started telling me the way Margot used to do Giselle and certain moments of the ballet, of how he. I remember her doing it. And he said, you know, you just want to think about this. So he shared. And I thought it was so valuable and so wonderful that he had. He cared. He cared about young talents and young dancers, and that was fantastic. With Misha, it was different. I owe Misha a lot. You know, I was quite a talent, obviously. You know, I had a lot of talent, okay? So if you have a talent, you have to serve the talent. And it's not the other way around. It's not the talent serving you or serving your ego, but you have to serve. You have to be at the service of talent, which means maintaining a humility and maintaining hard work, because talent on his own, it's not enough, okay, to make a career. And I learned that with Misha because, you know, when I was dancing with him, he was at, you know, the prime of his career. I mean, towards the end of his classical career anyway, as a classical dancer. But to see his integrity, his work, manners, what he expected was a great teaching for me. You know, he didn't let go of any small mistakes. You know, if you didn't deliver the best performance, he would call you and say, well, why wasn't that? You know, what was that all about? What was it? Why did you make that mistake? You know? And it was actually very sweet because, you know, when Giselle does her solo, which is not an easy solo, you know, to do. In Act 1, you dance for Outbreak. Then he sits on a bench looking at you. And of course, that was Misha looking at me, my director. And I was 21 when I did my first Giselle, you know, so I was extremely nervous, and I was doing all this sort of. And I would see him sometimes. He would look at me like. Like, what is he doing? What is that step? So one day I said, nisha, please, can I ask him, no matter what you think at that moment, just don't show me, because I just get very nervous. So you. The next performance, but smiling at me. But he was great. You know, I realized that it was really up to me to either step up to that standard or not, you know, and. And I had pressure, I had fears, but I had to overcome them or not letting my fear and my insecurity around the show, you know, you have to learn to go beyond it. So that was a great. A great lesson and great training. And with Julio, what can I say? Julio is the love of my life. You know, if I. Is the love of my artistic life, for sure is my other half on stage. You know, we met at abt. He came at ABT a year later after me. And at that point, after, you know, a year or so, I think Misha started to having an injury. So he was stopped kind of doing major roles. And so he paired me off with Julio. You know, this spark started, and we didn't let go of each other for over 20 years. So we dance all over the world, all kind of roles, all kind. And with Julio, I really. We helped each other tremendously. And I don't want to say artistically or personally, because it's one thing, you know, we are people, and we are people on stage with our strength, with our dreams, with our vulnerability, and you can do that with every single partner, you know, to show where we. I needed him to help me, and he needed me to help him. You know, I think he was very less experienced than me in a. In the artistic and acting side of dance, just because where I came from, you know, my training with the Royal Ballet, you know, the Royal Ballet is very well known for their acting abilities of their artists, and they still are. And I just. I grew up with that. So for me, was a natural aspect that I don't think it was for Julio, you know, from his past and his childhood and where he trained. But he had this incredible technique. He was an amazing partner. And I was very much. I felt I was quite a lot More insecure than him. Technically. You know, I'm not a super technical dancer. Like, all my life, I had trouble turning. You know, for me, it was always like, re angry when I had to do some very difficult turns in somewhere. So he. We supported each other all the time. You know, he was teaching me, I was teaching him. He knew where my, you know, where in a passage in the ballet I was nervous about. And he will help me there, and I will lead him into the interpretation of the role and show him how much he could let go. And, you know, we developed this wonderful partnership that meant so much for both of us.
- [22:01]
B
Yeah. Thank you for sharing those stories. And really, you know, the best partnerships are when you complement one another. And that sounds like the partnership you had with Julio. In a way.
- [22:11]
A
There are no rules. You know, it's like in life, you never know why some partnership works and some don't. And it has nothing to do with if you're a good dancer or not a good dancer. It is just true human being meeting and finding that. We found that through dance, we could love each other. And that was beautiful.
- [22:33]
B
Oh, that's beautiful. So after 25amazing years, you decided to retire from your performing career. Why did you decide to retire?
- [22:43]
A
Quite a few different reasons. And maybe there is just one reason, and I just give different excuses for it, but, you know, of course, by then I was a mother, and my Matilda and Emma, my two daughters, were quite young then. They were kids. They were children. And I. You know, my career was an international career, so I was traveling a lot. I would go. And so when. When they were babies, I would take them with me. But, you know, as soon as Mathilde started to be in school, it was hard for me to take her with me. And I didn't want to take Emma, Emma, who's younger, because I felt it was unfair for Mathilde to leave her home alone, and I would take the other one. So I started traveling. But the traveling became, after a while, I was getting sad to be far away from them. Okay. So, you know, I. You start putting things on the scale and go, what is worth it? You know, on the other hand, I was 44, and I think that's an age that a dancer really feel that you're changing. There is no hiding behind the fact that we all, you know, mature age, that life goes on, that time passes. And I felt. I felt that I wasn't. I couldn't, in my eyes, deliver the same performance as maybe or I was getting close not to deliver the same performance that I could have done that I was used to doing. And I somehow thought, I don't want to ruin everything that I've done until now. And then, you know, again, you know, sometimes one thinks too much, I don't know. But at the time, that's how I felt. So for me was, you know, they say you want to finish with a glass of champagne when you can still be full of joy instead of, you know, drag yourself or feeling unhappy about the way a performance went because you felt that it wasn't. So I thought, you know what? It's time. And also, you know, the year before Julio retired from ABT, and I was on stage with him, we did Manon as his last performance. I also felt something inside of me. I felt like an era or a chapter of my life also ended with him. And so, you know, when you put. When I put everything together, I thought, I want to retire. I want to dedicate this part of my life to my. To my children, you know, to. To my private life. And so I decided to retire.
- [25:40]
B
Okay, and then. And then. And then what happened? Retirement after six years at 50 years old. So tell us about that.
- [25:50]
A
So this is what happened. So for the first few years, it was just like a wonderful, long holiday, you know, the holiday I never had, you know, so it was beautiful, it was fun, and it was everything that I dreamt of. And then again, then a few things happened, you know, one of them was that I actually started to be in a lot of pain. Like, my body was in a lot of pain, you know, from. I don't know, from maybe not doing anything. Anyway, I was in pain. So I thought, okay, I need to start back. I need to train a bit. I need to do more, you know, And I am this kind of person that when I'm training or I'm rehearsing, I'm a workaholic in the fact that I, you know, I get up early, I do an hour of Pilates, then I do class, then I do this. So I. My whole day becomes looking after my instrument, which is, you know, it's like a race car. You know, you have the body of the car that you have to keep in fantastic conditions, and then the drivers goes in and drives it. But the. The car has to be perfect, and it takes a lot of time and a lot of dedication. So I stopped everything when I retired, and I. I guess it wasn't good. I don't know. Anyway, I started having a lot of back pains and my ankles and whatever. So I. I thought, okay, I'VE got to go. I've got to get back and train a little. So I went back, I did Pilates and it felt a little better. And then I did some yoga. And then one day I thought, you know what? And I just thought, I'm going to go back into class. And I had for 30 years with Julio, we trained with Willem Borman or William Borman Steps, which is an amazing teacher. So I went back to him and my body recognized, I went, oh, this feels great. You know, this is what I. How I like to be. So I started taking class and slowly, you know, I felt not bad. And then I was walking around New York and I met Marsa Clark, the director and choreographer, who I like very much. And she liked me. And for years we wanted to work together, but I just couldn't. I couldn't dedicate the amount of time that she needed to create a new piece in theater. And she said, oh, what are you doing now? Are you ready to work with me? And I always make decision very quickly. I always feel when it's something that I really want to do, and I never question it. So I looked at her, I said, yes, I am ready to work with you, not knowing, you know, what was going to happen. And so anyway, she said, what should we do? And then she said, do you know the story of Cherie, the novel? And I said, of course I do. And so we decided to do Cherie and without having an idea of where or when. And then she said, who do you think Sherry should be? And we, you know, she said, I love Herman. I went, well, I love Herman too. He's a wonderful artist and of course an incredible dancer. But so anyway, this project was born and we performed it for many, many performances at the Signature Theater. And it was the perfect thing for me, the perfect project because it wasn't hard dancing. I was not on point. It was, there was, it was half acting, half dance. So it was a great way to get back. And I did not expect, you know, and I thought, okay, I'll do these. Maybe there'll be some other interesting small project off of Broadway just to experience something else. But at the one of the performances of Cheri, there was Wayne McGregor, who watched the performance.
- [29:36]
B
Brilliant, brilliant choreographer.
- [29:38]
A
Yes, Brilliant choreographer, genius, and a wonderful man. So he said, can I speak with you? And I said, yes. And he said to me, I am about to start to create a work, a three act work based on Virginia Woolf, and I'm looking for a dancer that can do Virginia Woolf. So I, of course, Knew Wayne. I didn't know Wayne, but I knew his work, and his work is very physical. You know, it's. And I was 51, so I said, wait a minute, wait a minute. I said, you know, do you understand that I am, you know, 51, and do you understand that? I don't know if I can do it. He said, I'm looking for her soul. I'm looking for somebody who can lead. And I said, look, I can definitely give you that. And I come from a very different background than you. You know, my. My way of performing is very different from the way you create work. And he said, I know, but I think we can find a common ground. And can you think about it again? You know, I feel when is the right thing and when, you know, I believe that there are trains that in life, you know, that go by and they stop in front of you and they go, do you want to come up on. On the train and take this journey or not? And then once they're gone, they're gone. And some trains, I'm not interested. But this train, I was very. I don't know, lit something inside of me, and I went, I'll do it. And I do this, you know, I said, it's the same way. When I left the Royal Ballet, I said to Misha, yes. And I always think. I always go, I will think about it later, what I did, what I said yes to, you know, and also life. Nothing is forever, you know, if you feel that later on, you can always change your mind. I mean, you're not, you know. So anyway, I said, yes. And then he said, okay, you know, I think I had about six or seven months before I had to turn up in London. So I started training really a lot and trying to feel somewhat in kind of shape that I could. Also, for me was, you know, going back to the Royal Ballet after so many years. I mean, I only did a couple of performances in all these years with the Royal Ballet, so it was a major commitment also, emotionally, you know, it was a major step to take. Anyway, I said, yes. And I guess I'm either a little crazy or very courageous, not quite sure.
- [32:25]
B
Or both. Or both.
- [32:26]
A
Both. So I went. I went to London and we created this beautiful work. It really was the. You know, I think this work has given me 10 years of a chapter, of my second chapter, you know, doing Wolf works, because, I don't know, it has opened many doors, and I think that it has been important, you know, is to have such an amazing role created at my age. For a ballerina at 52, it has opened doors, maybe not just for myself, but in general to show. I mean, of course, one has to keep in shape. Everybody can do it just because they're 52. You have to commit. But if you really commit, life goes on, and we can age it. You know, age is. Exists and time passes. But if we embrace it beautifully, we have a lot to give later in life, you know, And I. I feel very proud of myself to have had the courage to do this and continue, you know, and after Woolfolk, there were many other works that I did that were very interesting.
- [33:44]
B
Yeah. So, Alessandra, I want to pick up on what you were just talking about around aging and how you've been able to sustain such a long, successful career. You know, there's a lot of talk and investment in the longevity sector. So can you share. What are your secrets to longevity that, you know, anybody maybe can follow?
- [34:08]
A
First of all, it really is to embrace aging, because if you fight age, you lose. We cannot fight age. We cannot fight the passing of time. I don't even like to call it age, but the passing of time, we cannot fight. Time will pass. And we change. We change. We change physically, we change. Many things change. Everything changes. We change inside. You know, most often inside, you change for the best. Outside, sometimes not. But if you embrace it, the important thing is to. To know where you are and to work with who you are now. It was not easy for me to go into class every day for all these last 10 years and see and feel that I was not the dancer that I was when I stopped. I was not the dancer that I was when I stopped. And I had to look at all these beautiful, talented, strong young dancers next to me every single day. And I had to confront myself with them. It was not easy. You know, sometimes I felt like, am I crazy? What am I doing? You know? But I had to always get in touch with the love that I had, the passion and the belief that I have in dance. And, of course, you have to adapt. You have to choose the right roles. You know, I think if I was trying to do Giselle, it would have been not good. But understand where you are, understand who you have become is the secret to longevity. Because then you embrace the moment with the whole of yourself and with love towards yourself. So it was. I had to conquer it. It wasn't automatic. And I'm very grateful to Wayne for this because he was the one that offered me this, and he was the one that saw that this was possible. And I think I am very grateful to him also. He has made me, you know, otherwise I would have been anyway, a dancer who had a repertoire that stopped at the beginning, you know, of the 20th century, really. And now I understand what dance has become and what ballet has become today through his work, you know, then we did, of course, after write for American Ballet Theater. And then I was able to work with John Neumeyer, who created another wonderful piece for me after Wolf works on Eleonora Duse. And they were all women of my age. So I embraced that, you know, and it was fantastic to be able to dance my age and to dance my woman, the woman that I am, and not anymore trying to be the adolescent Giselle or Juliet or Manon falling in love for the first time, you know, that would have been. I'm the first one that I would not have believed that. And that was also one of the reason why I stopped when I was 44, because I started not to believe myself in those roles, but I can definitely believe myself in Virginia Woolf. So it opened a whole new chapter.
- [37:50]
B
That's wonderful. And what a gift to be able to work with Wayne on Woolfworks and what a gift he has given to us in bringing you back to the stage. So, Alessandra, you'll soon be stepping into a new role, which is artistic director of Vienna State Ballet. Did you have aspirations to become an artistic director as part of your next chapter? And can you share more about what your vision is for the company and what you're excited about?
- [38:19]
A
Yeah, I'm very excited about this new novel chapter. I don't know how to call it, but this moment in my life, I think it's somewhat a natural evolution of my career. It has come. I was asked before to be a director of, in fact, of La Scada, when I stopped the first time, you know, in 2007. But I felt that I was not. It was not what I wanted at that time in my life. But this time I also. It for me is the perfect time. I feel that I have such a vast knowledge and experience of dance all over the world, which is, you know, very valuable because I. I know how ballet works and how is managed in the United States, how it is managed in opera houses, because I was very, you know, I was brought up in Milan. I had a contract with la Scala for 15 years while I was dancing with the Royal Ballet. I worked so much with the Hamburg Ballet and John Neumeyer. So I feel that all of this gives me really a very unusual international experience and different point of view of how to run a ballet company. But the things that I am most excited and the reason why I really wanted to be a director at this point in my life is to pass on all of the knowledge that I have accumulated with working with these great choreographer, great dancers and everything that I've learned. And I feel that it is extremely important to pass this on to dancers and find and make them. Not make them, but allow them and guide them to understand the depth and of classical ballet. Because, of course, there are many wonderful contemporary choreographers out there and the world is going forward, and we should go forward with the world and with the new generations. But ballet is eternal and universal and is an incredible language which tackles some very philosophical points. And I am very excited to be able to guide these dancers. And it's very moving for me when I see that I open a new door for a dancer and they understand a role, I see it in their eyes. And it's such a deep experience for a dancer to get to that point. So I find that it's important. It's important to pass this on, you know, and it's an art form that is a live art form that is being passed on for centuries, and it should continue to do so. And my vision for the company, my vision for the company is that it's a. It's one of the oldest company in the world, the Vienna Ballet, and it's rooted in an incredible classical tradition in a city that is one of the most beautiful city in the world. And it's very elegant, is very glamorous, it has an incredible history. So the company should reflect that. So it's a company that is a classical company. They have the most beautiful orchestra in the world, which is amazing. Every performance is like a dream just to listen to. And I think that the company should reflect all of that with. And being a very strong classical company with. Of today. So of today means with choreographers who are of today. So they are contemporary, but are able to create for a classical company with a classical language and vocabulary and to look into the future. Future of ballet. So I say of ballet and not of dance in general, because I think this, you know, it's. So I want the company to have this identity.
- [43:01]
B
Well, you are the perfect person to be leading the company, and I can't wait to see what you do. So, last question, Alessandra, reflecting on your journey, what advice would you give to your younger self about navigating your career while staying true to yourself?
- [43:17]
A
My younger self. But I also think of younger dancers is to stay true to their passion and not to plan your career too much logically in what you think is good and what you think, but to really listen to what makes you happy inside. We've all started dancing because we wanted to dance, because it's a need. And not to forget that, because I think it comes to a point where you, you know, you start being strategic, and that's when you lose your. Your true self. When you become too strategic about, oh, now I've got to do this, because then I'll do that because just go with your passion and love for dance and things will happen.
- [44:08]
B
Well, you're living proof of that, and I love that advice. Alessandra, it's been an honor to hear your leadership dance and to learn from your incredible journey. I'm super excited to follow what you create at Vienna State Ballet, and I want to thank you for joining the podcast.
- [44:25]
A
It has been a pleasure and maybe we'll do more, but I will wait for you in Vienna, actually.
- [44:31]
B
Oh, I would love to come see you there.
- [44:33]
A
Why not? It'd be fun.
- [44:35]
B
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