Olga Smirnova "In Conversation" with Graham Watts
4th May 2023
The Chair of the London Ballet Circle, Susan Dalgetty Ezra, welcomed Olga Smirnova to the evening’s conversation. Born and raised in St Petersburg, Olga became a prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2022 she joined the Dutch National Ballet as a principal. Voted ‘Dancer of the Year’ that same year, she has danced to critical acclaim across the world. Tonight she would be talking, from her home in Amsterdam, with distinguished dance writer Graham Watts, who Susan also welcomed.
Graham commenced by explaining that Olga had first come to his notice as a great dancer some twelve years ago. As a demonstration of her technique, he started by playing a video clip of Olga dancing an ‘Emeralds’ variation from Balanchine’s Jewels. He then asked what had attracted her to ballet.
Olga first said how much she appreciated being asked to take part in this conversation, as she was not aware of groups with such an interest in dance as the London Ballet Circle existing in Amsterdam.
She did not come from a family with any connections with ballet, and as a child she had no dreams of becoming a great ballerina. The only dancing she did was with an after-school choreographic group for children in St. Petersburg. That group did not teach classical ballet, there was no barre, no pointe shoes and the type of dance taught there had more of a folkloric bent.
However, her mother then heard about auditions at the Vaganova Academy. She asked Olga whether she would like to try for the Academy and Olga agreed, albeit without really understanding what it was all about. However, when they arrived at the Academy, it turned out that the audition was not for the main course but rather for a one-year preparatory class. It was a difficult decision for her parents to send her there, as the Academy was about an hour’s journey by public transport from their home, and the class was to take place five times a week on top of regular school. The commute was quite difficult, especially during the cold St. Petersburg winter months, but since childhood Olga had always tried to persevere to the end. So, after spending one year in the preparatory programme, she had no problem gaining full-time admission to the Academy.
The early years at the Academy seemed to her slow and, frankly, rather boring; lots of repetitive movements at the barre did not offer any hint at what dancing was and how a ballet exercise would eventually lead to principal ballerina roles. It was only her innate discipline and dedication to being the best in her class that motivated her. Olga enjoyed meeting the challenge of doing what her tutors demanded, and saw it as a major reward to be allowed to stand among the best students either at the centre barre or in the first line of the class. From her childhood years she had learned to work hard in order to achieve what she wanted.
The students at the Academy often participated in Mariinsky Theatre performances in roles devised for children. So, from the first years of her studies at there, Olga got to appear on stage. In the annual Nutcracker performances she had progressed through all the roles; from children’s parts to eventually playing Marie (Clara in ‘our’ usual version of the ballet). As she took on more and more disciplines in the curriculum, such as historical, modern, duet or character dance, as well as acting, plus as she got more stage practice, her love of dance continuously grew and by the time she was half way through her studies, Olga was left with no doubts about wanting to become a ballerina.
In her final years at the Academy, she worked with Lyudmila Kovaleva, a most talented and inspirational teacher. With her Olga started to prepare roles such as Nikiya in La Bayadére, which she danced in her first year with the Bolshoi. Lyudmila taught her how to get below the surface and into the substance of a role. This approach to preparation helped her afterwards at the Bolshoi Theatre, where the young Olga was entrusted with complex dramatic parts, such as Tatiana in Onegin, or Marguerite Gaultier in the Lady of the Camellias.
While still a student, Olga had appeared at the London Coliseum in a Russian Ballet Icons Gala to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Galina Ulanova, the great Russian ballerina, and it was at this performance that Graham had first spotted her and identified her potential. In his review of the show he had described her as the ‘next bearer of a torch…handed down through 300 years of Russian ballet…’
Graham then asked Olga how she had felt as a student taking part in such a great occasion. ‘Very young, like a baby’ she replied. She had felt so much respect for all those well-known dancers who were on stage with her or who had danced there in the past. However, while enjoying the occasion, she had felt that she was simply doing what she had been taught at the Academy, in effect representing the Vaganova school rather than showcasing her own artistry.
Next she was asked why, having trained with Vaganova in St Petersburg, she joined the Bolshoi rather than taking the more obvious route into the Mariinsky company. Olga explained that on graduation from the Academy in 2011 she had been offered places in both companies, as well as in Berlin.
She felt that the approach by the Bolshoi had been extremely positive and was impressed by the prospects laid out to her by Sergei Filin, the Bolshoi’s Artistic Director at the time. He had promised ‘there will be many interesting chances and possibilities to grow as an artist’. She would be working under the direction of the legendary Marina Kondratieva, plus Sergei was prepared to make the unprecedented move of taking her into the company directly in the soloist rank, bypassing the corps. Her family also figured prominently in the decision, fully supporting her prospective move to Moscow.
With the potential career of a dancer being so short, Olga felt that she should take every opportunity that was offered. Accordingly, she decided to take the difficult step of leaving her native city, passing up the possibility of joining the Mariinsky (which she had dreamt about all the time that she had been at the Academy), and accepting the contract with the Bolshoi.
Even though she was never in the corps, her first parts on the Bolshoi stage were solo variations. For example, when she was preparing the part of one of the three ‘Tall Swans’ in Swan Lake, the tutor in charge of the rehearsals became cross at her for not keeping in line. It was indeed difficult for her to follow the other dancers and stay within rigid frames without having the personal freedom of performing movements according to her interpretations. So, even though she agreed that the corps experience is normally fundamental to the development of a dancer, she does not regret missing out on it.
It was little more than a year into her career at the Bolshoi that Sergei Filin suffered the horrendous acid attack. Olga had been so grateful to him for his confidence in her that she was quite surprised to discover the number of individuals who had not been happy with Sergei’s directorship. How badly was the Bolshoi itself affected by the attack and Sergei’s subsequent absence from his post? The company was so big, said Olga, and so full of talented and ambitious people.
However, it was still so hard to accept the violence of this incident. She could not believe that anyone would have such dissatisfaction with the artistic views of their director as to choose such a violent way to express it. On the contrary, Olga believes Sergei created a lot of new and precious opportunities for artists to grow while dancing in amazing renowned masterpieces by the best choreographers that he brought to the Bolshoi, such as Cranko’s Onegin, Neumeier’s Lady of the Camellias, Maillot’s Taming of the Shrew or Lacotte’s Marco Spada, which then remained in the Bolshoi’s repertoire for years. Plus Sergei gave opportunities to a new generation of dancers without prejudicing their more experienced colleagues.
The aftermath of the attack was not a bright period for the Bolshoi and especially for Sergei himself. Olga said: ‘To give him the moral support that we felt he needed, we continued to work on Onegin, which was hugely important to him, because it had been exceptionally difficult to secure permission to mount the ballet, and he wished to pursue its production so much.’
Fortunately he was able to recover enough to represent the company in its tour to London in 2013. While still not being able to see properly, with only one of his eyes having only partially recovered its vision, his presence was an important inspiration for the dancers and lifted their spirits. And this London tour was an important landmark for Olga.
‘You were ubiquitous’ said Graham, ‘taking part in almost everything on that tour’. In his review of her performance as Diamonds in Balanchine’s Jewels, he noted that ‘it should not be possible for a ballerina so young (just 21) to have such maturity, artistry and confidence but she is fast becoming a world superstar…’ And as the Lilac fairy in Sleeping Beauty he reported that ‘we might assume that she has been dancing the Lilac Fairy forever, such is her command and projection’. A clip of Olga dancing in this ballet, not as the Lilac Fairy but as Aurora, was then shown.
Graham asked about her experience of coaching. The enormous influence of Lyudmila Kovaleva at the Academy has already been noted. Subsequently, Marina Kondratieva and then Maria Allash at the Bolshoi had provided the invaluable continuum of Russian tradition. The former had helped her to accept the ideas of others, but also to concentrate on developing her own interpretation of a role. She encouraged her to have faith in her own abilities, to trust herself. To Allash she was grateful for giving her challenging and enjoyable new roles, for instance Aegina in Spartacus, one of the best-known ballets in the Bolshoi repertoire, and a role which had become one of Olga’s favourites.
‘You have also regularly danced with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo’, said Graham. Olga replied that she has a long-standing relationship with Monte-Carlo’s Artistic Director and choreographer Jean-Christophe Maillot, who had created for her the role of Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew. Olga regards this role as one of the greatest gifts in her career, because it in many ways reflects her own personality.
She had also been invited by Jean-Christophe to dance Beauty in La Belle, a new twist on the Sleeping Beauty story choreographed by Maillot. The role had originally been created on Bernice Coppieters, Jean-Christophe’s muse, who greatly impressed Olga with her incredible grace characterised by absolute freedom, fluidity, a unique combination of strength and fragility, as well as the absolute musicality of every step. Olga really wanted to dance like her.
In La Belle, the main character – Beauty – first appears on stage encased in a plastic ‘bubble’ which represents her protected environment at the palace and emphasises her innocence. Olga said that the bubble promoted a feeling of insularity – that she could not be touched by anyone or touch anyone in return. So, in her first solo where she leaves the bubble, she goes through a discovery of the world; encountering men for the first time, being touched by them, then being shocked by their brutality, and learning that the world can be a very cruel and painful place where one must fight before finding happiness and harmony. Walking inside the bubble down a rather steep slope, while dazzling and elegant to the viewer, was actually not easy, and required some practising!
A clip was then played of Olga as Beauty in a pas de deux from La Belle. In this role she was partnered by Semyon Chudin.
Olga had also been a guest with other ballet companies such as American Ballet Theatre, where she danced Nikiya in Natalia Makarova’s production of La Bayadére, and Hamburg Ballet, where she worked with John Neumeier. Each experience had been amazing. While Olga had danced Nikiya before, Natalia Makarova, herself considered to be one of the best Nikiyas ever, taught Olga how to emphasize the spiritual side of this character.
Work with John Neumeier was an immersive experience because he teaches artists to remain fully concentrated on their character all the time while they are on stage. He also believes that pauses, taken at the right time and with the right concentration, can be no less powerful and expressive than movements. She enjoyed dancing with other companies. It was always a meaningful experience; there was always something to learn.
In 2022, as a consequence of the invasion of Ukraine, she left the Bolshoi and Russia. Olga was asked about her move to Amsterdam, and said that a mutual friend had asked Ted Brandsen, Artistic Director of the Dutch National Ballet, whether he would be interested in talking with her. He agreed and they set up a Zoom call from Dubai, where she was then staying.
She knew that Dutch National Ballet had a great repertoire that balanced classical works and works by more modern choreographers, plus it had a rich trove of ballets by the legendary Hans van Manen. She also knew that she would be able to rehearse there with Larissa Lezhnina, also a Vaganova graduate, who danced at the Mariinsky before joining Dutch National Ballet where she is now a balletmaster. Olga regards Larissa as one of the purest and truest carriers of the St. Petersburg ballet style and tradition, and of course was very excited at the prospect of working with her. All this made Olga very keen to join the company. She felt instant chemistry with Ted and the following week arrived in Amsterdam to meet him in person; she immediately signed her contract and started to rehearse the new production of Raymonda.
Olga raves about working with Larissa Lezhnina. Not every ballerina can be a good coach, she said, but Larissa is great. She offers sound advice which is always to be trusted; at the same time she does not try to change Olga but encourages her to have her own interpretation. Larissa is always demanding, but always honest.
Among the works currently in rehearsal is an evening of William Forsythe’s ballets, including Blake Works in which Olga is due to appear. She is a tremendous admirer of Forsythe’s choreography, having done his Artifact Suite at the Bolshoi, and believes that meeting Bill in the studio will be an exciting moment.
She was then asked what roles she might like to perform in the future. ‘Katharina in The Taming’ she replied immediately. Back in January she had also had the privilege of dancing Juliet in Maillot’s version of Romeo and Juliet. And she was so impressed by Akram Khan’s Giselle that she dreamt to work with him at some point in the future.
Life as a performer is relatively short, and Olga was asked whether she would consider becoming a coach so that she could pass on her skills and experience to other dancers. She thought about this proposal carefully and said she might be better at teaching young children rather than professional dancers. She does think about becoming the head of a ballet academy someday!
As for her moments away from dance, she liked to visit other cities, discover new places and museums, and feel free ‘like a tourist’. Cycling, so common in Amsterdam, is not for her, as she considers it too dangerous given how many cyclists there are in the city and how fast they ride. That is one of the reasons she has chosen to live very close to the theatre.
Graham went on to pose some questions asked by members of the audience. Which ballet in the Dutch National Ballet’s programme for the new season was she most looking forward to? ‘All of them’, replied Olga. For instance, would she be dancing in Frida, the ballet based on the life of Frida Kahlo? This was already in the repertoire and she didn’t know whether she would be involved.
She was asked about future guesting and explained that whatever information she had would immediately be uploaded to her website.
In Jewels she had danced both Diamonds and Emeralds. How did she balance the two very different moods – the classical style of the former and the much more romantic latter role? Olga responded that everything stemmed from the music. Neither piece is narrative and it is necessary to follow the mood of the music. For Merrill Ashley, the balletmaster from the Balanchine Trust with whom Olga was preparing Diamonds, it was very important that in the pas de deux Olga did not add too much of a story. ‘Put a man and a girl on stage and there is already a story’, Balanchine had once said, and that was to be enough.
Finally she was asked about Alexei Ratmansky’s reworking of Giselle, which she had danced with the Bolshoi. This was a more colourful telling of the traditional story, much of it taken at a faster tempo. Alexei paid a lot of attention to the pantomime scenes, in which gestures and conversations between characters had been made clearer and more understandable. Giselle herself had been given a completely different character; not as a sick girl, but someone who was bright and full of life. Working with Ratmansky had been exciting; he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve, his corrections were always specific and clear, and he even made additional corrections just five minutes before a performance!
Susan, as Chair of the London Ballet Circle, thanked both Olga and Graham most sincerely for giving up their evenings and providing us with such stimulating and fascinating conversation. It was clear that Olga simply lived and breathed ballet, and every member of the audience appreciated how articulate she was in talking about it. A terrific evening!
Written by Trevor Rothwell and edited/approved by Graham Watts and Olga Smirnova
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