Alessandra Ferri In Conversation

Alessandra Ferri ‘In Conversation’ with Gerald Dowler

February 11th, 2025

Susan Dalgetty-Ezra, chair of the London Ballet Circle, warmly welcomed Alessandra Ferri to the evening’s conversation. Born in Milan in 1963, she trained initially at the Scuola del Teatro alla Scala, moved to The Royal Ballet School (RBS), and joined the ranks of the Royal Ballet (RB) at age 17. In introducing Alessandra, Susan referred to the fact that Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. ‘For me’ said Susan, ‘the best expression of love is to watch Alessandra dance the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet’. Susan also welcomed well-known dance writer Gerald Dowler, who would lead the conversation.

Gerald prefaced the conversation by saying that the evening would be a first for him, and a great privilege, because he had never before interviewed a prima ballerina assoluta. He then commenced by asking what working with Kenneth MacMillan had meant to Alessandra? ‘Everything’, she responded. She had been very lucky to work with Kenneth from an early age, in fact, while she was still in the school. Dancing in his ballets had allowed her to discover who she really was, and his teachings had accompanied her throughout the forty-odd years of her career. He had taught her what ballet could be, and that every movement could be used to express feeling and intention.

MacMillan had entrusted her with her first major role (Mary Vetsera in Mayerling) at age 19. Technically she never had any fear when dancing, and threw herself into the part, thoroughly enjoying it. Looking back, however, she realises that she was probably too young to have a full understanding of the importance and significance of the role, even though Mary herself would actually have been about that same age at the time.

He was a great talent scout, said Alessandra, and obviously saw in her the courage to throw herself into a role, and the potential to portray drama – much more than she saw in herself at that time. And she had always been partnered by great artists, mentioning Wayne Eagling as one of the first.

So, let’s fast forward to a more recent choreographic partnership, said Gerald, that with Wayne McGregor. How did the two of you come together?

Alessandra had been in New York, playing Léa in Chéri, the adaptation by Martha Clarke of a Colette novel. It had been some six years since she had appeared in a classical ballet role when Wayne contacted her, looking for someone to play the lead in Woolf Works, a major new ballet based on the life of Virginia Woolf.

Alessandra looked at him and asked if he knew how old she was – about fifty. She reasoned, however, that he would not have approached her if he had not wanted her to do the role and so she agreed. She explained that so often she worked in this way, agreeing to do something and only later realising how much it might entail. But having agreed she knew she had to attempt the role; she knew she could work hard and she had some months to get back into shape. It had been a fantastic experience working with Wayne; he had taken her by the hand and introduced her to what ballet could become today, and had given her more years of active artistic life.

Her relationship with Kenneth MacMillan had been enormously fulfilling and he had introduced her to many major works. However, she had been very young; wide-eyed and not really knowing too much of life. Her relationship with Wayne was also special but very different. Now much older and more experienced she felt that they were much more equal and that he could lead her and she, in turn, could lead him. Gerald noted that the presence of Alessandra seemed to have subtly changed Wayne’s approach. She responded that she was no longer afraid of ‘stillness’ and may be this was not a quality which Wayne had previously explored in any depth. ‘We all learn from each other’.

Between Kenneth and Wayne what other choreographers did she consider as particularly significant in her long career, asked Gerald. Alessandra cited two, Roland Petit and John Neumeier, having worked extensively with both. Petit was a man of great taste; for him every little detail, for instance the colour of your lipstick, was important. His wife had taught her the technique of signing a flowing autograph! Neumeier was a great theatre director; from him she learned the importance of timing, and of subtle lighting, and the use of costume so that you would become the character as soon as possible in rehearsals.

Alessandra had already attained the rank of Principal in the RB when, at 21, she decided to move to New York. Gerald asked her why; she responded that when you are invited to join the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov, why would you refuse? She did not know how long she might go for; she would certainly try it for a year; such an opportunity might not reoccur.

She had left home in Italy at 15 to join the RBS and she commended the culture of nurturing and protection provided by the school and then by the RB itself; it was very much a family. Joining ABT had been hard; its culture reflected that of New York itself (’amazing’ ‘crazy’) in that you were essentially on your own. Nevertheless, she loved the company, with its dancers hailing from many different countries, but it was very much the case that you either make it or you break. Stage calls were expensive to mount and often omitted, and accordingly you might be rehearsed and then put straight on stage. You quickly learned to be a ‘stage animal’ and the freedom it offered was most enjoyable.

In America Alessandra had worked with choreographers such as Agnes de Mille and Jerome Robins. In response to a question, she said that working with Robins had been particularly inspiring. He called for refinement in technique, and the desirability of making the dance look improvised – once you had learned it well. She had never had the chance to work with Balanchine but imagined that she would have thoroughly enjoyed doing so.

She emphasised the importance of having a partner in whom she had complete confidence that he could do all that she could. She had been partnered by many wonderful dancers during her career but mentioned in particular Julio Bocca. Joining ABT a year after she had joined, Baryshnikov had put them together and their partnership blossomed, lasting for some twenty years. How do you see yourself – as a 20th century dancer? Dramatic? Or perhaps a classical artist, asked Gerald. Not the classics, Alessandra replied – except for Giselle, one of her top favourite roles. Giselle is a universal story of growth, of unconditional love, and its appeal transcends its fairytale setting. It’s a perfect story for a ballet.

Alessandra feels that she has to portray a person, not some ethereal fairy character. She has performed ballets such a Sleeping Beauty many times but the classics are not really for her. While she loves watching it she knows there are many ballerinas who dance it so much better than she can. She wants to be able to dive in to a character role and believe in it; to find its underlying meaning. She finds difficulty in doing exactly the same thing twice and may sometimes improvise to some extent, not the steps, because they are the script, but the interpretation, the musicality.

To what extent was her interpretation of a role influenced by others who had danced it before? I’ve often been inspired by them, replied Alessandra, referring especially to Carla Fracci and Natalia Makarova, both of whom had given memorable performances as Giselle. At this point Gerald blended in some questions from the audience. Did she have a favourite role? She enjoyed the roles which led to a deeper understanding of life, and her favourite was probably Juliet. On the other hand, whatever work she was doing at the moment was her ‘favourite’. It was suggested that Alessandra really preferred narrative works, but she demurred, saying that she also enjoyed plotless ballets although what was at all times most important was the quality of the choreography. And Jerome Robins had said to her after one performance that there were no truly abstract ballets because, if nothing else, the dancer is always portraying their own story.

Is it different being an older dancer? I feel I can control the space around me, the gestures, the stillness, all these are so important and were not at all obvious to the twenty-year old me, she said. And, of course, the pain….I did not experience that when younger. Theatre and dance had been her calling and she had never wanted to do anything else. How had she spent her time during the years in New York when she was not dancing ballet? How was she able to get properly fit for the role in Woolf Works? She replied that in that intermediate period she had been looking after her children and taking moderate exercise, but that had not really been sufficient nor satisfying and eventually she had started barre exercises again, which really helped her fitness.

Does fear increase as you get older, asked Gerald. Fears are always there, responded Alessandra, and they change with age and personal circumstances. But I ignore them as far as I can, work through them. If you don’t take on some challenge because of your fear an opportunity may be lost. Life is to be lived, and if something appears to resonate with you then you need to explore it whatever the fear.

Large parts of your life have been lived in London and New York, said Gerald, and so how important was it to get back to La Scala. Very, said Alessandra, I’m Milanese, and my family is there. And I liked the repertoire – Manon, Romeo and Juliet, etc. How different are the audiences in Italy? They’re different everywhere you dance, replied Alessandra. They are very loving, and probably less vocal. The bond with an audience is important, suggested Gerald. But, Alessandra responded, she usually tries to forget they are there. Essentially she dances for her colleagues on the stage, to contribute to a joint performance to the best possible standard.

What about London audiences? London is unique in that audiences have such a plethora of theatre of all types available to them. She had been somewhat nervous and apprehensive coming back to Covent Garden to dance Juliet (with Roberto Bolle) some years ago but the audience reaction had been terrific. And she also referred to her final performance at the Met in New York; she had been overwhelmed and moved by the love shown by the audience, asking herself why she had not realised how much she was appreciated.

The talk then turned to coaching – most fulfilling and a great responsibility, said Alessandra. It is important to pass on to a new generation of dancers the true meaning of the work, as the choreographer intended. You must first understand a role, help individual dancers to perform it, facilitate them to put their own interpretation on it. Have dancers changed over time? Not really, even though they now have access to so many more different experiences.

Finally Gerald turned to Austria, where Alessandra will be taking up the post of Director of the Vienna State Ballet in September. How did that come about? She replied that she had been asked whether she might have an interest in the role. She had thought that at some point she might like to take on a directing role; this offer, however, was a complete surprise because over the years she had not worked to any great extent with the company. However, after some thought she concluded that her lack of obvious ties would enable her to approach the company objectively and in a detached manner, offering her great freedom, and so she was very happy to accept the post.

As the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Vienna State Ballet, Alessandra was asked what view she might take of newly choreographed versions of some of the classic ballets and what she might want to include in the repertoire. What is important, she considered, was the meaning of the piece rather than the story itself. Turning again to Giselle, there are newer versions but she wondered whether they get to the real meaning of the work?

Vienna would be a huge move and give her tremendous responsibility. She spoke with great affection for the dancers and wanted her presence to encourage them to get the greatest possible experience from their art. The music was great; having the Vienna Philharmonic in the orchestra pit would be an enormous privilege. She knew the importance of building an effective team around her to manage all those many aspects of theatre which go to support a great performance – and she felt that in some sense she was returning ‘home’ in that the Viennese culture was not dissimilar from that of Milan. She was tremendously looking forward to September!

In concluding the evening, Susan, chair of the London Ballet Circle, thanked both Alessandra and Gerald most sincerely for taking part in the evening’s conversation. It had been an extraordinary evening – fascinating and entertaining.

Trevor Rothwell 15-02-24