Picture credit: Eve McConnachie at Scottish Ballet
Constance Devernay-Laurence 'in conversation’ with Deborah Weiss
15th March 2023
The Chair of the London Ballet Circle, Susan Dalgetty Ezra, welcomed Constance Devernay-Laurence to the evening’s conversation. Constance is a Principal Dancer with Scottish Ballet, who has been wowing audiences with Coppélia at the Sadlers Wells Theatre. Susan also welcomed Deborah Weiss, dance writer and former dancer, who would lead the conversation.
"Let’s start at the beginning," said Deborah. Constance replied that she had been born in Amiens, in France, to a family with absolutely no connections with ballet. As a young child she had taken part in a lot of sport, until asthma and allergies intervened when it became necessary to restrict her involvement. However, her parents wanted her to remain physically active and when she was about six suggested she try a ballet class, which she immediately loved. That attraction was reinforced when she was taken to see The Nutcracker at Paris Opera. The whole experience delighted her; the music, the costumes, the whole atmosphere, and she wanted to be performing all the time.
She entered her first ballet competition at the age of nine, because her first teacher believed that competitions were an important element of development as a dancer. At twelve she won a place at a summer school in Cannes (the Ecole Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower). Her parents took her to Cannes, and she did class with the school every day. At the end of the week she was told of an audition due to take place the next day.
After some discussion with her parents she decided to take part – resulting in an offer of a place at the school. The family returned to Amiens and there was a great deal more discussion with her parents, who were not keen for her to go to a boarding school so far away from home. Constance felt that, although her elder siblings had already left home, her parents considered twelve too young for her to go away to such a specialist establishment. What kind of career would this lead to?
The school, however, offered a dual programme of academic work in the mornings and ballet training in the afternoons, and eventually her parents were persuaded that she would not lose out on any academic opportunities if she went off to Cannes. They were assured that she would be able to sit the appropriate Baccalaureate and complete a ‘proper’ education.
After three years in Cannes her contemporary and ballet dance teachers, who came from Paris Opera, suggested she apply to schools in Paris. She prepared a video and sent it off to the Opera, and also worked on audition material for the Conservatoire. The Opera responded with a firm ‘No’, telling her that she did not have the right body for a dancer. ‘They got that wrong’, interjected Deborah. She was invited to do a class at the Conservatoire but they were similarly dismissive.
These rejections left her distraught and by the time she got back to Cannes she was feeling that ballet was not for her. She was persuaded, however, to cast her net wider and apply to both the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet schools in London. There was another ‘No’ from the first of these, but the ENB School gave her a call back and offered her a place on the second day of the audition. This led to much further discussion with her parents but in due course she accepted the place.
Deborah then went on to explore how Constance had become involved with Scottish Ballet. She told us that Ashley Page, then Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet, had watched a class at the ENB School and had offered her a contract, and so at the young age of seventeen she had joined the company. Based in Glasgow, she admitted that at first she had some difficulty with the local Scottish accent!
Her initial contract with Scottish Ballet was for three months; this was renewed for a further three months, and finally she was offered a permanent contract with the company. One of the advantages of a relatively small company is the wide range and diversity of experience available to all the dancers. On joining she had immediately performed in Sleeping Beauty and her first job as a full member of the company was a tour of China.
Her first role out of the corps de ballet was Gretel in Hansel and Gretel – and here she noted that Jamiel Laurence, who was later to become her husband, had danced the role of Hansel. She then took other more challenging roles, such as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She had also been a second cast lead in William Forsythe’s workwithinwork, a piece in which she realised the importance of maintaining her technique in contemporary as well as classical dance.
Constance went on to talk about one of her favourite roles, in Kenneth MacMillan’s Le Baiser de la Fée. This ‘ice maiden’ story proved both challenging and rewarding, in which she felt that every complex move made perfect sense. Mounting the work had involved a great deal of research as the ballet had not been performed for some considerable time. Donald MacLeary, from the Royal Ballet, had come to Glasgow to explain the rehearsal process and coach the dancers, reporting that the experience had awakened many memories for him.
Scottish Ballet had also produced The Scandal at Mayerling, a shortened version of MacMillan’s Mayerling in which two full scenes are omitted. This results in a strong ‘flow’ to the story, in which Rudolph’s descent into madness is quicker. Constance had played both Princess Stephanie and Mary Vetsera, the latter with guest dancer Ryoichi Hirano. Both Leanne Benjamin and Ed Watson had been involved in coaching for the ballet, both being inspirational and giving of their great experience.
In The Snow Queen, choreographed by Christopher Hampson, Constance had the lead role created on her. This was a powerful role in which the non-human Snow Queen must appear relevant and also be liked by the audience. There was a need to get the emotions across to the audience as early as possible so that they are able to understand the story. In Constance’s view, it was vital to involve the audience; they must understand why she is acting in the way she is. It was a challenging role to play.
Constance had also played Abigail, the teenage girl who is central to the plot, in Helen Pickett’s The Crucible (based on the Arthur Miller play). Once again she emphasised the importance of enabling the audience to understand both the reasons for and the emotions behind her actions. The company employed a dramaturge to assist in the interpretation of their roles, which was useful. The over-riding message was to try not to act, just to be. Deborah wondered whether that shouldn’t be the situation most of the time, and Constance responded that she had indeed applied it to many of her other roles.
The discussion then moved on to Coppélia, a new ballet by contemporary choreographers Jess and Morgs (Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple). This is a very different production, breaking down the barriers between film and theatre, in which Coppélia is an AI creation.
The process commenced with the filming of a number of different ideas, with the camera crew working among the dancers and almost becoming part of the ballet action itself. Maintaining continuity had been most important; what would happen if, for instance due to injury, a dancer had to be replaced during the course of the production? Costumes, make-up, positions, etc all had to be noted and replicated. Ballet moves were interspersed with huge close-ups – there was nowhere to hide! Work on the ballet itself took place over ten days in Glasgow. It was amazing, a huge learning exercise, and very stressful. The ballet did not even have an ending until the Dress Rehearsal!
Deborah then expressed her love for the work of David Dawson, a choreographer with a very particular style. A perfectionist, he is acknowledged to encourage something very special from his dancers. Constance had still been relatively young when she was cast as Odette/Odile in his Swan Lake, and considered that working with David had made her a far better artist. She recollected that at school she had been cast as Odile; for some reason she had been told that she was not an Odette. Explaining this to David, he had told her that ‘if you come on board I will make you a star!’
In order to work effectively with David a dancer has to be vulnerable; his work is intense and exhausting and involves 110% commitment every second of the time. There were many rehearsals in which dancers were asked to go to extreme limits and then to come back slightly from the brink in order to find the perfect performance. The results, however, could be so rewarding.
Swan Lake had been a remarkable production, and Constance was asked whether it would be repeated. She could not say, but told us that it was still in the repertory; she would very much like to do it again.
Changing to a different mood, Constance was asked whether there had been any significant low points in her career? She responded by talking about an injury to her big toe. She is not sure what happened, but it transpired that she had a fragment of floating bone resulting from a fractured meta-tarsal.
Recovery from surgery involved a month away from dancing, followed by a slow easing back into her normal schedule. During her time off she saw other dancers replacing her, and taking her roles. This had a tremendous impact on her and she felt that she lost her identity for a while. She needed something more in her life, and opted to commence study for a degree in sports science with the Open University, a qualification she recently obtained. Study proved a great help; she was very interested in the body and psychology, and she was able to lose herself in books.
She also became a Yoga Level 3 Instructor and probably now sees her ‘post-dance’ future as a teacher or coach. As for injury – the earlier you get injured the better, she believes, because injury gives you the chance to sit back and take stock of your situation. You can see how other dancers interpret ‘your’ roles. You shouldn’t compare yourself with them but you can certainly learn from it. You learn to cope, and the sooner that happens the better. Most dancers come back from injury more mature, more rounded individuals.
But do you have to prove yourself after injury? Constance replied that you have to be patient – not always easy for a dancer who wants to be back on stage as soon as possible. Mentally, psychologically, it’s hard. Your confidence has to be rebuilt, and you have to trust the medical team and listen to your body. In that respect the attitude of the company was important. Scottish Ballet looks after its dancers well, you are given plenty of personal space, and she had experienced no pressure to go further than her body was at the time capable.
Deborah went on to ask about the Ballet Grand Prix. This competition for young dancers in Scotland had been started in 2016 by Sindy Monson, and prior to the pandemic lockdown Constance had been a judge. Alongside Sindy, she has now taken over the running of the competition. As she says, competitions had been so pivotal in her own development that she wishes to provide similar opportunities for others.
The Ballet Grand Prix, which takes place annually in Dundee, is not just a competition for classical and contemporary dance. Masterclasses allow young dancers to learn and perform, and be nurtured by professionals. Every participant has the opportunity to take part in the Grand Défilé, a classical group dance. The event now has great sponsors, and attracts dancers from further afield than Scotland itself. Opportunities for ballet in Scotland are somewhat limited, said Constance, and she would like to introduce more masterclasses.
And so what’s next? A Streetcar named Desire responded Constance. This production would tour Scotland, including the Orkneys and Outer Hebrides. The company would then be taking The Crucible to the United States; a very exciting visit to include Nashville and Charleston, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Constance had referred to husband Jamiel earlier in the evening, and she now told us that the two had been married last August in the south of France. They had met in the company and had been together for eleven years. The opportunity to discuss their work outside the constraints of company life was very positive. They had learned together, grown as artists together, and helped each other with their respective roles. They hadn’t really realised how good it had been until Jamiel moved on.
Jamiel had left Scottish Ballet to become freelance, and Constance was asked about Ballet Nights, evenings of classical and contemporary dance mounted by him in the Lantern Studio Theatre in London’s Docklands. They were hoping that this could become an annual event, and that rather than a single night ‘gala’ it could run over, say, four evenings. They wanted to involve established and new choreographers, and to include different styles of dance. Performing in the rather more intimate studio space was different from dancing on a theatre stage – and most enjoyable. The audience was able to see the dancers, and probably also hear and feel their presence, so much more clearly.
Finally Constance was asked about the future – choreographers to work with, roles to perform? The former was a difficult choice, but she cited Wayne McGregor because she believed that his choreography took classical ballet technique to new heights. But as for roles she had yet to perform and would not want to retire without having done so, there was one very firm answer – ‘Juliet’!
Susan, as Chair of the London Ballet Circle, said that it was so fascinating to listen to a professional talking with such enthusiasm about their job; to get to know what makes them ‘tick’. She thanked both Constance and Deborah most sincerely for taking part in such a terrific conversation. Constance, in turn, said how much she appreciated being able to speak with her audience.
Written by Trevor Rothwell and edited/approved by Constance Devernay-Laurence and Deborah Weiss.
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