Petra Conti is an ambassador of Italian art and culture abroad. In 2012 she and her husband, respectively Prima Ballerina and Primo Ballerino at Teatro La Scala di Milano left the "comfort zone" of a leading role in ballet to a higher challenge in Boston. Young, gifted and talented Petra is also a cancer survivor.
Petra Conti, Principal dancer
By Primavera Fisogni
Among the arts, ballet has been considered "an ephemeral art" for a long time. Recently, a new ontological interest is rising about what dance is in an ontological perspective. The dancer, through a set of intentional movements, re-creates reality, not simply performs a choreography. However, dance is first and foremost an individual, singular experience in which the artist plays the leading role. That's why, to introduce to singularity of ballet Rekh Magazine talks with Ms. Petra Conti, a Principal dancer, now a Us citizen, and an Italian art excellence abroad. Who is interested in moving deeper into philosophy of dance, finds attached some valuable references.
You performed your first full-length ballet, Cinderella, at the age of 17. Since then, you have been one of the world's most acclaimed Principal Dancers. What made you love ballet so much?
I have always loved giving meaning to every gesture, every movement, to dance from my heart, to express my emotions through dance. Dance is my first language, the only one that allows me to scream and convey all the spectrum of emotions that I have inside me. I absolutely love the process of becoming one with the character I have to portray on stage, I love the everyday challenges that arise from pushing my body to the limits, the little discoveries and the little victories in the studio; I love that every work day is different and
that I dance differently every day, that every show is unique and unrepeatable…I love the almost mystical aspect of the pre-show routine, the smell of the theatre, the adrenaline before the show, and the euphoria after the show; I love the sacred moments on stage, the unspoken and transcendent connection with the audience, the applause at the end of a performance, when I am all sweaty, exhausted, depleted and yet so full of gratitude…
Petra, and his husband, are now a Us citizens: "It all started with a desire to take just a one year leave from La Scala and join Boston Ballet, simply to make the experience of working in America...".
The Teatro alla Scala, in Milan (Wix pic).
You were appointed Prima Ballerina at La Scala in 2011, why did you decide to go abroad and join the Boston Ballet as a Principal Dancer?
I get asked this question a lot…I have left the security of a permanent position as Prima Ballerina at La Scala for a rather uncertain future in America, where contracts are renewed annually, where there is a lot of employee turnover, and where companies are privately funded and rely on philanthropists and donors to survive rather than the government. The answer is that, despite the risks and challenges of working in the U.S., I felt the need to experience something new, and be forced to adapt, learn and grow as an artist and human being… It all started with a desire to take just a one year leave from La Scala and join Boston Ballet, simply to make the experience of working in America, get exposed to different styles, choreographers, audiences, in order to come back to La Scala stronger, more knowledgeable, inspired and motivated … I wanted to have that experience together with my husband Eris Nezha, who at that time was a Primo Ballerino at La Scala, like me. Unfortunately we weren’t given the OK to go, and had to make the decision to resign from our comfortable position at La Scala, and moved to America. We have been living in the US for 10 years now, in Boston before, and now in Los Angeles; we are American citizens now! Despite some understandable bumps on the road, we have never regretted our decision, and are very happy to have chosen Los Angeles as our home.
Petra on stage. Image taken from her website
Ludwig Binswanger, the founder of phenomenological psychiatry, dedicated some deep pages to space in ballet. He argued that space does not exist for a dancer. What i your personal experience of space and time when you perform on stage?
Personally, I think that dancers learn to have a much greater spatial awareness than the average person; knowledge and execution of spatial formations, movement in space and within space are essential to us, and are an integral part of our job. As a principal dancer, my use and expression of space is of course much different than the dancers in the corp the ballet; but we all definitely understand space as a transparent canvas on which we paint our movements. There is no “more or less,” or “around here” in ballet… Space is possibly the basic vehicle to convey meaning for us, alongside music. In terms of time, personally I can most certainly say that on stage, during a live performance, time runs differently than off stage, definitely much slower. When I am performing my perception of time is relative: oftentimes a show of 2 hours feels to me like I have been dancing for a much longer time, sometimes even days.
Doing a barre is like a meditation, it helps me detach from the worries of life, and channel my thoughts towards the present moment.
Girl lacing her ballet shoes (Wix pic).
Since your graduation in Rome, you have been always a Principal Dancer. How can you dance at such a high and competitive level for so long time?
I believe I am very lucky to be doing a job that I love; very often it doesn’t even feel like a job to me. Being a Principal Dancer is my identity, it is who I am, and it is my responsibility to always try to become better at it, constantly finessing my art. It is not easy, especially once you have built a reputation for yourself… It is a continuous work in progress, and I never feel like I have “arrived.” I am never quite there yet, and maybe that is the key: a constant movement toward bettering ourselves. There are new challenges everyday, and everyday there is a reason to be grateful for what we have accomplished, and there needs to be an urge to push forward, towards our next goal.
Petra in the rehearsal studio. Image taken from her website.
You are a cancer survivor. How did you live the experience of pain and suffering? In what aspects did your approach to ballet definitely change?
Cancer changed me. I believe, it changed me into a better person, a more grateful and appreciative human being. It made me realize what it means to possibly loose everything, my career, my status, my health, my life. The only thing that cancer can’t steal is love and family. That’s when your priorities change, when all your old problems become insignificant, and you start to live every day like it’s your last one. The way I approach ballet is now different too…my life doesn’t depend on it anymore, I won’t become too stressed about a performance like I used to, and I try to enjoy every single show like it’s my last one. I have learned to let go, and let myself go much more. I have learned to look at the big picture, and be grateful for all my gifts, for all the things I have done, and all the places I have been.
Ballerinas (Wix pic).
What is really the level of competition in a ballet company? And, within your family? Your husband is a principal dancer, too…
Competition in the ballet world is probably the hardest aspect for me...Of course, positive competition helps you grow as a dancer and artist… but sometimes competition can become extreme, mean, detrimental to your mind and body. I have suffered that extreme kind of competition on my skin, and I have learned the hard way to endure it. It definitely made me stronger, because by nature I am not a person who likes conflict. Luckily my family is my refuge, and I have never suffered competition against my husband; if anything we are team and we “fight” together against the world, we support each other in the best and worst times of our careers and lives.
Being a Principal Dancer is my identity, it is who I am, and it is my responsibility to always try to become better at it, constantly finessing my art. It is not easy, especially once you have built a reputation for yourself...
As a judge for YAGP, YBM and Milano Dance competitions, how do you interpret the talent for dancing?
Talent is visible miles away, I try to reward it and support it as much as I can. But of course talent needs hard work to blossom. For me artistry, musicality and quality of movement are just as important as technique. I tend to not punish technical imperfections when I judge …. But I am very hard when it comes to stage presence, acting, musicality, and cleanliness of movement.
You always seem such a bright and happy person. How do you dance through difficult emotions, I mean anger, sadness…
I use dance to actually overcome those difficult emotions…ballet is a refuge for me, it helps me cope with these feelings when they arise. For example, doing a barre is like a meditation, it helps me detach from the worries of life, and channel my thoughts towards the present moment. Moreover, I use ballet to communicate all the emotions I have inside…when I am going through something sad in my life, my dancing will be definitely a reflection of my personal experiences… that’s why every day is different and every show is unique for me…I have never acted and performed the same way in show, even after 30 performances in a row.
Petra Conti
After being promoted to Prima ballerina at La Scala in Milan at the age of 23, Petra Conti joins the Boston Ballet s a Principal Dancer in 2013. Now, after surviving a life threatening disease, she has moved to California, dances with the Los Angeles Ballet, and travels around the world as a free-lance Principal Dancer. She has quickly become a very influential artist on social media, inspiring thousands of followers and creating a refreshing "ballet momentum". Vogue.com has featured Petra amongst the Best Beauty Instagrams of the week (December 16, 2018). Her personal story inspires hundreds of people everyday. Petra Conti's name has become a symbol of strength, grace, perseverance, courage, passion, and love. Follow her world-wide travels, and her daily ballerina life on her Instagram account @petraconti
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