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Brian Maloney
Soloist, The Royal Ballet
interviewed by David Bain
Swedenborg Hall, London
22 February 2006.
DAVID BAIN REFERRED TO the injury sustained
by Brian’s friend, Ivan Putrov,
at the Maya Plisetskaya Gala on 12 February.
Brian told us that Ivan was doing well
and was in Kiev. Brian was going to dance
Mercutio in the forthcoming revival of Romeo and Juliet and was due to dance
with Ivan as Romeo; he regretted that
this would not now happen. David asked
Brian to pass on the Association’s
best wishes to Ivan for a speedy recovery.
Brian’s parents hale from New York,
but moved to a small town in the desert
of southern California. Brian is one of
five children. The family is still quite
close.
Most male dancers have a story of how
they came to start dancing, perhaps following
in the steps of an elder sister. In Brian’s
case, he had wanted to dance from a very
young age; at the age of two or three he would
be dancing round the house. His parents
sent him to dancing classes along with
his sister. It would have been a journey
of two and a half hours to Los Angeles
for serious ballet training. Brian attended
the local dancing school, but the classes
were not too serious, entailing jazz,
tap and a little ballet. Brian also played
the piano and violin and took gymnastics.
Although the ballet training at this point
was not serious, all the artistic and
sporting activities helped his development.
Brian’s next step was to undertake
the summer programme of the San Francisco
Ballet School at the age of 13. He auditioned
in Los Angeles and was accepted. In San
Francisco, Brian saw professional dancers
for the first time.
The following summer, the Kirov Ballet
came to southern California and Brian
auditioned for their summer programme
in Washington DC. The Kirov Ballet sponsors
the Kirov Academy in Washington DC. The
Academy pursued Brian’s parents,
asking them to send him to their school
for the year. He went to Washington DC
for the summer programme.
The Kirov Academy had been sponsored by
the Rev. Dr. Moon, founder of the Unification
Church, first established in Seoul, South
Korea. Dr. Moon wanted to create a ballet
school in the USA and he invested millions
of dollars with the Kirov Ballet in St.
Petersburg, then directed by Oleg Vinogradov.
The Kirov Academy was established as a
sister school of the Vaganova Academy
in St. Petersburg, where Vinogradov’s
wife was assistant director. The Kirov
Academy imported teachers from the Kirov
Ballet and the Vaganova School and was
the only ballet boarding school in the
USA. Some parents were a little worried
about the church associations with the
school. Apart from occasional bizarre
speeches from members of the church reminding
students that ballet was a sacred art
the association proved purely financial.
Part of the intention of training American
dancers in the Russian system was to persuade
them to dance in South Korea, but not
many wanted to go to Seoul.
Brian received a full scholarship so the
school was free of charge, very unusual
in America and a wonderful opportunity
for him. Usually American dance students
come from a wealthy family or rely on
scholarships from private donors.
Brian went through the summer programme,
with the thought of staying for a year.
He loved the very serious atmosphere at
the school and the facilities were amazing.
All the students were very dedicated.
It was the first time Brian had witnessed
this dedication. The director’s
wife was very encouraging to Brian, suggesting
that he should pursue dancing as his life.
He was already late, starting serious
classes at the age of 14. She told him
he needed to follow intensive training
day after day. The school was also very
encouraging to Brian’s parents.
As a child, he had always showed a natural
inclination for dancing. Now he took a
massive decision at age 14, following
his gut instinct. As Martha Graham said,
“You don’t choose dance; dance
chooses you.” On conclusion of the
summer programme, Brian was accepted into
the Kirov Academy. He had just turned
14; he was leaving his family, never to
come back.
Brian stayed for four years at the Kirov
Academy in Washington DC. The school had
a close association with the Kirov Ballet.
Every winter the ballet company came and
the school went on tour together with
the company across America in The Nutcracker.
Later on, it proved too expensive to tour
every year.
The school has a very good track record.
Former students include Michele Wiles
(Principal of American Ballet Theatre),
Sascha Radetsky (Soloist of American Ballet
Theatre), Vanessa Zahorian (Principal
of the San Francisco Ballet) and Rasta
Thomas (currently dancing with Pacific
Northwest Ballet).
Brian appeared in school performances
– in the beginning he took part
in class demonstrations. The school’s
repertoire was a bit conservative and
he later danced Coppélia pas de deux,
the Bluebird pas de deux, Nutcracker pas
de deux and The Flames of Paris pas de
deux.
Brian graduated academically in June,
but enjoyed four further months of ballet
training. He started looking for a ballet
company. It was difficult to find a job
without experience, particularly as the
school was not associated with a company.
He attended the summer programme at Vail,
Colorado, and saw some dancers from Le
Jeune Ballet de France. The dancers, Fernanda
Diniz and Joan Boada, brought the house
down – they were amazing. Rasta
Thomas had gone to the company and then
come back to the school. He reported a
good experience, lots of dancing as a
young soloist.
Brian spent two years in Le Jeune Ballet
de France The Company was based in the
heart of Paris, in the Marais district.
It comprised about 20 dancers and had
horrible facilities, an old barn with
a narrow, raked studio. It was a magnified
version of a ballet company, with every
imaginable character times ten.
The work was an enormous load for
a young dancer; it seemed like obtaining
15 or 20 years’ experience in a
ballet company. The company presented
8 to 10 shows a week, touring around France
and across the world. Brian had a fantastic
time. 10 or 12 dancers (a mixture of boys
and girls) shared a two-bedroom apartment.
It was so much fun at that age.
Brian was forced to speak French. The
director was a very intense Diaghilev
figure – aggressive and ruthless.
All of the dancers were expendable, with
hundreds more dancers dying to get into
the company. If someone broke the company
rules, they were out. Most dancers joined
at age 18 and left at 20. They signed
up a deal for one season at a time and
then went on to a major company. However,
the director was just what young dancers
needed. He was a businessman, not a dancer.
He saw performances from the audience’s
point of view. During rehearsals, he would
scream at the company that what he saw
was unacceptable. At the time, it was
very difficult; in retrospect, it was
a good way to learn.
Brian’s repertoire included a number
of pas de deux: La Fille mal gardée, Bluebird,
Don Quixote. There were a lot of French
contemporary creations and Napoli was
a cornerstone of the programming.
It was good training. At 5 a.m. they would
take a bus out of Paris. They would put
on a programme for schools – a class
illustrating the history of ballet and
finishing with exercises from Napoli.
Then they would run through the programme
in front of the schoolchildren (no marking
allowed); and finally the evening performance
itself. Then back on the bus for some
sleep and tomorrow a new city. The Company
performed in all sorts of venues, from
small local theatres to the Champs Elysees.
They toured to New York, Miami, Spain
and South America. Tamara Rojo and Hikaru
Kobayashi had also danced with Le Jeune
Ballet de France.
What did Brian’s parents think?
They love to watch any performances they
can and are glad he is having a good life
and education. He had not been to college
or university, but he had a great experience
in Washington DC and in Paris. One of
his teachers said, “As a dancer
you won’t be rich, but you will
have a very rich life.”
Brian was due to finish with Le Jeune
Ballet de France. As a child, he had a
book called “The Ballet School”,
which was all about White Lodge. He had
dreamed of being in London. At the beginning
of 2000, he contacted Monica Mason and
asked whether he could come to audition.
Anthony Dowell was still director. Monica’s
first question was, “What passport
do you have?” Fortunately, he had
an Irish passport. “Come and drop
off your CV and some photos,” she
said, “and come to class for three
days.
Brian arrived at the Royal Opera House,
when the company was away on a mini-tour.
In the de Valois studio were Darcey Bussell,
Carlos Acosta, Irek Mukhamedov and Sylvie
Guillem! Betty Anderton was teaching (She
is hysterical with her famous expressions
– flying armchairs, etc.) Just to
enter the Royal Opera House and to be
awed by the facilities! Brian took class
for three days – on the last day
Anthony Dowell and Monica Mason watched.
She told Brian that they were very interested,
but they would be having meetings in the
next few weeks. Brian waited three weeks.
Le Jeune Ballet de France went on tour
to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
It was here that Brian heard from Monica.
She offered him a contract. He was ecstatic.
During his first season with the Royal
Ballet, Brian was in awe. At the Kirov
Academy, he had watched videos of the
Royal Ballet, rewinding and playing the
pas de deux over and over again. It was
a glorious theatre and he was happy just
to be here. He went on in Swan Lake and
he was happy dancing just in the corps
de ballet. Monica Mason wanted him to
cover the pas de trois.
David Howard was teaching classes. Brian
got to know him during that first year
with the Company. It was the first time
he had collaborated with him. David teaches
the Company two or three times a year,
for three or four weeks a time, giving
one class a day. He is so willing to give
his time; he enjoys working with dancers;
he tries to improve them. He had come
first to the Royal Ballet with Gelsey
Kirkland, to coach her and teach classes.
She was very analytical, but David Howard
met her every step of the way. He has
a very simple, organic approach to dance,
no difficult combinations. He is very
musical, with a natural feeling for dancers’
bodies and a good eye to change things,
improve a dancer and improve the steps.
Professional dancers often refer to him
in their professional CVs. This is quite
exceptional for a teacher. He is such
a great help, whenever he is over here.
David Howard had given a demonstration
class for members of The Ballet Association
a few years previously, with Tamara Rojo,
Tim Matiakis and Brian Maloney.
Ross Stretton arrived at the beginning
of Brian’s second year with the
company. It was quite tumultuous for the
dancers, every year a new director! As
a young dancer, Brian found it great to
have a new director, with no prearranged
ideas, no favourites. Ross would teach
class and saw a lot of the younger dancers.
He gave them a lot of experience, which
they would not otherwise have gained.
He brought in new choreographers –
with a similar style to those at Le Jeune
Ballet de France.
Brian’s first big chance was Carmen.
Mats Ek gave the whole company a live
audition. It had never happened like this
before. He was placed in the first cast
with Sylvie Guillem (a fantastic opportunity!)
playing the gypsy, the husband of Carmen.
What was it like to work with Mats Ek?
Why did the dancers find the experience
of working with Mats Ek so rewarding?
He had the ability to look at someone,
say something amazingly profound and “nail”
them. It was as if he could see inside
the dancers. He is a kind man, who creates
a pleasant atmosphere in the rehearsal
room. He can move his body in an amazing
way, “just liquid.” He would
explain what he wanted verbally. This
is what attracted the dancers to him.
It felt like the ballet was being made
on them. The two casts were very different.
Rarely would he rehearse the two casts
together – this was very unusual.
He was into telling a story – the
theatrical side of dance. At times the
dancers were screaming gibberish on stage;
it was very liberating for a dancer to
do this.
It was brilliant and surreal to dance
with Sylvie Guillem and to see her at
work. At her first entrance, she and Brian
had to start screaming at each other –
Brian’s first words with Sylvie.
Her immediate reaction was to speak French
and Brian responded to her in French.
Brian was new – he wasn’t
scared about saying what he thought. In
the end, Sylvie was happy with the performances
on stage.
Brian also danced during his second season
as the Nephew in The Nutcracker, in Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude,
Nacho Duato’s Por Vos Muero, Swan
Lake pas de trois, Leaves are Fading,
and the Bronze Idol.
The following season, Sylvie Guillem asked
Brian to dance Lescaut to her Manon. She
is the only person in the company, who
chooses her cast. Marianela Nuñez was
cast as Lescaut’s mistress. It was
a great experience, one of the high times
of Brian’s life. It was incredible
to be on stage with Sylvie Guillem and
Anthony Dowell, but there was also a lot
of pressure. He had never seen the ballet
live on stage – and now he was part
of such a cast. The ballet was really
in the blood of these dancers.
Brian was worried about his own preparation;
he went to see David Wall at the English
National Ballet (appearing at that time
at the Coliseum) and asked if he would
coach him. David Wall came and gave Brian
invaluable help. Kenneth MacMillan had
created the role of Lescaut for David
Wall; extracted it from him perhaps. Brian
felt comforted that he had gotten David
Wall’s advice. It was great to see
David Wall and Monica Mason in the studio
together, so interesting to hear what
they had to say. Monica Mason, speaking
about the drunk pas de deux, told Brian:
“You have to dance this pas de deux
as if you think you are not drunk, whereas
you are in fact drunk. You mustn’t
be too sloppy, try to do things correctly,
but a little the worse for wear.”
During his third season, Brian danced
Mats Ek’s Carmen again and appeared
in MacMillan’s Song of the Earth.
At the end of the season, Brian was promoted
to soloist.
Brian began to realise that something
was wrong. During his preparation for
Manon, he put pressure on his tibia and
it was a little bit painful. It became
more annoying, but he did not speak about
it. On tour in Russia, whilst he was dancing
on the steeply raked stages in Moscow
and St. Petersburg, the problem became
aggravated. Brian kept going; he had just
been promoted to soloist. He took the
summer off and went to New York to train
with David Howard. After two weeks, the
pain was so great that he could not jump
at all. His first thought was that he
had a stress fracture. He was trying to
hold back a bit, trying to keep going,
trying to maintain stamina.
At the beginning of the next season, Brian
was due to dance the Bronze Idol in La
Bayadère. All the jumps are off the left
leg. Brian felt he gave a sub-standard
performance. He had an X-ray, which seemed
to indicate an imminent stress fracture.
He rested. Then he tried to get back dancing,
but he was in continuing pain. He had
MRI scans and a CT scan. The diagnosis
was a small tumour in the tibia. Now he
had a proper diagnosis, but how to get
rid of the tumour? Brian sought the advice
of several doctors. It was proposed that
they drill into the tibia and blast the
tumour. It had been done on athletes and
they were back in training after two weeks.
Brian had an operation on 31 December
2003. Two weeks later he tried class and
felt slightly better. Then the pain came
back worse than before. After a hole had
been drilled in it, his tibia had fractured.
The recovery time was very long. He took
four months off completely. Ultrasound
was used to stimulate the bone. Brian
came back to London for rehabilitation.
After a quick rise in the company, he
took a long break. It was only in the
current season, 2005-06, that he has come
back to soloist and principal roles.
To be injured is the darkest time, like
an identity crisis, scary and depressing.
You are out of the loop – not being
seen by management, not doing roles.
Brian has been restored to full health
in the current season. He was cast as
the Boy in Andrée Howard’s ballet La Fête Etrange. It was nice to dance
in a ballet, which was part of the company’s
history, which was “pictures in
books.” Barbara Fewster and Pirmin
Trecu had rehearsed the ballet –
with unique insights to offer. Brian spoke
of Alain-Fournier’s novel, Le Grand
Meaulnes, on which the ballet is based.
The characters in the book are very youthful,
whereas some older dancers had been cast
in this revival. Brian recalled one rehearsal,
when he was on his own with Pirmin Trecu,
Barbara Fewster, Monica Mason and Anya
Linden (Lady Sainsbury). The atmosphere
of the ballet was straight, very intimate
and subtle. The challenge was to find
a balance between projecting to the audience
and not letting the ballet become too
brash. The ballet had been created for
a smaller theatre and a smaller stage,
up close. The company had been worried
that it would not come across to the audience
in the larger Royal Opera House.
More recently, Brian had been dancing
Gurn in La Sylphide, with the great Johan
Kobborg imparting his knowledge about
his dancing roots, the Nephew in The Nutcracker and Giselle pas de six with Sarah Lamb.
Brian was cast in the new ballet, Castle
Nowhere, being created by Matjash Mrozewski.
They had just started work on it, with
five weeks available until the premiere
on 25 March. Although Brian was loosely
paired with Isabel McMeekan, there were
four couples interchanging. The ballet
was based very loosely on the life of
Henry James. It contained odd allusions
and was semi-classical, with different
angles and interesting patterns.
Brian spoke about how a positive audience
response can support a dancer. It can
make you feel elated. If the audience
feels more at ease, it enjoys the performance
more. Especially with the pressure of
a challenging performance, it is a great
thrill to receive a strong reception.
The audience can be a vast void in front
of you. At the end of The Firebird, with
the very bright lighting, you can see
everybody in the audience, all those thousands
of people. You must try to project to
an audience; but the thousands looking
at you can be daunting. You must take
in what you can from the audience and
use it to give a better performance.
Why did Brian come to the Royal Ballet?
He wanted to be at the best place and
it is the best place. Ballet in the USA
is not a central part of society, as it
is in Britain. Ballet is not so well-funded
in the USA. Everything is always on the
edge. There is greater security for dancers
in Britain and Europe.
The Royal Ballet brings theatre alive,
with a more dramatic form of dance, more
about telling a story. It is what Brian
wants dance to be, creating a character.
As a student, Brian has watched tapes
of MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet pas de deux. He wanted to be where this
choreography had been created. When you
watch successive Royal Ballet casts dance
these roles, you can see something very
special in the dancers; you can see what
they have learned from their careers.
The Royal Ballet provides good support,
good physiotherapy. You are not tossed
aside, if you are injured. The repertoire
is a mixture of old classics and new work.
Every dancer wants to find something new
in the old classics. The analysis of the
process beforehand makes you feel more
free, when the curtain goes up. The analysis
finishes when the curtain goes up, but
you still need to be ready for the unexpected
– sometimes on stage you turn to
a dancer and they are not there –
you have to improvise.
Brian was asked how he had adapted his
Russian training to the different styles
in France and the UK. He had wanted to
get rid of some of the stiffness. In France,
he was forced to do things, no matter
what. He threw all the precision away,
he let go a little bit. Monica Mason had
coached Brian after he had sprained his
ankle. She passed on direct comments from
Ninette de Valois; she said what she thought
Cecchetti had wanted. The port de bras
is different; the angle of the head and
eyes is different. The Russian style is
square and angular. The Royal style is
more flexible and circular. It was a major
adjustment to achieve that – different
angles of the head and tilts of the body.
What was Brian’s most embarrassing
moment? He had made his debut as Eros
in Ashton’s Sylvia at a schools
matinée. In the first act, he was standing
still as a statue, working hard on not
moving. Victoria Hewitt and Lauren Cuthbertson
came over to the well below the statue
and commented on the size of his “leaf.”
He had struggled to keep a straight face.
The costume in the second act was even
more over the top. As he came up through
the mountains with outside golden wings,
the children had burst into hysterical
laughter.
Reported by Kenneth Leadbeater, checked and corrected by Brian
Maloney and David Bain ©The Ballet Association 2006.