Nicoletta, do you believe it was your destiny to become a dancer?
I think so, because I really couldn't imagine a life without dance in it. I never had a moment of doubt, this is always what I wanted to do. My mom is a ballet teacher, so I started dancing myself when I was only two years old, it’s almost like there was no before or after, because it’s always been a part of my life since. My parents loved theater, they were always going to dance performances and stage shows, even before I was born. So I think it’s in my blood.
It’s so important to have supportive parents and a family that connects to your creative path without pushing you too much.
Absolutely, I was very lucky to have parents that understand me and my wish for the future. Because it’s not easy to understand that a child would like to initiate this career; I mean, I asked my mother to take me to audition at La Scala at 12 years old! It was my dream, and my parents really understood that. When I was 17, I moved to Berlin on my own to dance for the Staatsballett, and the hardest part was not the training, but being away from my family. I have a really strong relationship with my parents, with my hometown, with my family… And whenever I was having a hard moment, my family’s love and support helped me survive. And I kept going because it’s what I really wanted. This life is really hard sometimes, so it’s the biggest gift to have that support. Dance has also given me my private life, because my husband is also a dancer, so I have his support as well.
“This gives me the power to go even further, and I need that because I’m always trying to reach more goals...”
It must make things easier to have a partner who also understands what you’re going through, who shares the same highs and lows as you.
Exactly, you don't have to explain anything. You simply understand each other and you know what the other is going through, what they’re struggling with. We also travel a lot together, so it helps to have that support, and we can share the good moments and success together too. It’s a gift, my family and my husband. This gives me the power to go even further, and I need that because I’m always trying to reach more goals.
Indeed, you once said that no matter how far you get, you’ll never truly arrive because you’re always learning. Do you still feel that way?
I do, because I always want to push through my limits! I feel like this is my strongest quality: perseverance. That’s the most exciting part of my work because even if you dance the same ballet, the same role again over the years, you can always find something different to bring on stage, something new to bring to the character. There are so many possibilities to build on that this is like a never-ending job. Even though I was recently promoted to an Étoile, the highest title for a dancer at La Scala, I’m thinking of it as a new beginning. People are saying to me, “Oh, now you cannot go forward. This is the biggest title you could get.” It’s not that you’re reaching the maximum point, it’s something that should push you even further.
Does that hold true even if you’re in a ballet you’ve danced in before? For example, a classic like Swan Lake?
I’ve danced in Swan Lake a few times, including when I was quite young, but now I have more maturity, I’ve grown up and I have more experience to go really deep into myself to find a different side of my character, of my personality. I discovered part of myself that I didn't even know I could have. Dancing in this ballet more recently was a huge difference for me, it was like starting from from zero because I am completely different now — as a person, not just as a dancer. This was very exciting. There’s always more to discover.
Apparently you consider technical skill the minimum you can offer as a dancer; emotions and expression are often more important.
Technique is important, but when you are at this level, technique must be there. There is no way that you're not able to do something technical. So my biggest concentration is on what I can give, what I can express better with my body, with my face, with my eyes. And that can be very hard for a dancer because it's something that we don't actually study. We’re not trained to be actors, we train as a sport like athletes, but then we go on stage and we’re not just doing the movement, we're also talking with the body, we’re telling the story. And that’s crucial because it gives something to the audience. That’s when the audience goes home and says, “I’ll remember this performance forever.” Not because she did four pirouettes, but because she made me cry or she made me smile. That’s the most important.
How do you typically go about crafting that connection with your character? Do you do a lot of research?
If there’s a book or a story, I’ll read it in every detail. Something that helps me to build that on stage story is when I dance with my husband, because everything is real. We’re living that love story already! But usually, it’s about trying to feel the role, and what you can bring to it, personally. Anyone could dance as Giselle, but for me, it’s about how you want to be Giselle, how you want to see yourself in this character. Sometimes when you go very deep in a role, in a character, it’s hard to come back to your life afterwards — sometimes you can’t sleep because you’re so concentrated on this character.
“This is the way dance is going, so even if it isn’t easy, it’s very different. And that kind of exploration allows us to be very free on stage.”
It must be nice to sometimes completely forget about traditional ballet storytelling and do something very different, like the contemporary series you worked on with William Forsythe.
Definitely, this was something I was really waiting for in my dance career and in my life. It was the first time that I ever worked with him, and it was something that I was really looking for. The music as well, which is by James Blake… It felt so new, and completely different from a piece like Swan Lake. The best part was that the choreographer was with you in the studio. It's such a gift, because you are really building the piece together, even if the choreography is already there. He sees the best in you, and what you can bring out as a dancer.
Is it also a challenge to exist in a completely different space?
Oh, working like that is an incredible challenge for a dancer who is very used to a classical repertoire. But nowadays, I think a dancer must be able to explore different styles because theaters have seasons with classical, but also like neoclassical and modern and contemporary. You're switching from pointe shoes to bare feet to a completely different style. But this is the way dance is going, so even if it isn’t easy, it’s very different. And that kind of exploration allows us to be very free on stage. It’s very exciting.