We went to Munich to be able to enjoy the presence of Lucía in a complete Ballet, with her Company and at her Theater, but we also wished to talk to her and make her an interview for fotoescena. Here it is the result we are offering you as an exclusive.

Carolina Masjuan.- Munich Opera Ballet: How did the opportunity to join this company come and why you decided it?

Lucía Lacarra.- I knew Ivan Liska, the Munich Opera artistic director, in 1997, just when I had signed the contract to leave to San Francisco. We met after a performance in London where I was dancing as guest with the English National Ballet. We had a long chat and he explained me the objectives he had for the company (it was his first year as director) and he talked to me about the Theatre and its repertoire.   

So, years later when I was eager to come back to Europe after spending five years in San Francisco, I did no doubt a second to get in touch with Ivan. We met again but this time to sign the contact.

CM.- What do you enjoy most about this company?

LC.- Mainly the repertoire. It is a real treasure for any artist. We have all styles, from the most classical to the most modern contemporary without forgetting all the dramatic Ballets who for me are Art Works and are what I really love to dance. And we furthermore have two or three creations and premieres per year. On the other hand the theatre where we work is really wonderful and I feel there as at home.

CM.- Do you tour often? Do you foresee to come to Spain in the near future?

LC.- We do not tour much as we have a very tight schedule in our own theatre and furthermore it is a big company very hard to move. But since the five years I’ve been here we have visited Canada, Shanghai, Taipei, Turkey, Greece, Venice… and several more places. As far as coming to Spain is concerned, there is a project but nothing sure for the time being. I cross my fingers….

CM.- You came here from USA, what differences would you point out between American and European Companies as for instance this one?

LC.- There are many, as work mentality is completely different. What I would underline most is that in Europe it is given more importance to the artistic side of the dance, comparing with the USA where the most interesting point is technique instead of artistic sensibility. The biggest difference is the fact that USA Companies are funded by Sponsors and are managed like enterprises what leads to much competitivity among them.

CM.- And what about audience? Is there any difference in audiences from different countries? If there is, please tell us if you have any preferred one.

LC.- Audiences are with no doubt very different depending on countries. They perceive, understand and react to dance in different forms. But this does not mean that one audience is better than another. And I remember with special love each one of them: the warm Spanish audience, the refined French audience, the sensitive Japanese audience, the enthusiastic German audience… And at the end audience reaction depends on our work and they have all rights to express themselves the way they wish to.  

CM.-Your preferred repertoire, any special ballet for you?

LC.-The repertoire I have always preferred is the dramatic one. That works where you can put yourself in the skin of a role and live its experiences. The most special ballets for me in that sense are “La Dama de las Camelias” by John Neumeier and “Romeo & Juliet” and “Onegin” by John Cranko

CM.- Do you have any preferred choreographer? Any style?

LC.-As I said, Cranko’s choreographies passion me, but talking about choreographers I have been working with I think that the ones that have influenced me more have been Roland Petit and John Neumeier. Always in Neoclassical and interpretative styles.

CM.- Petipa’s year, any special reason to celebrate it? Any other event related?

LC.- To be honest Petipa’s year was celebrated last season when we danced five ballets from his repertoire (Giselle, Swan Lake, The Bayadere, The Corsaire and The Sleeping Beauty). This year we have maintained two of these ballets in the repertoire (The Corsaire and Swan Lake) but we are celebrating as well as other German companies what would have been John Cranko’s 80 birthday, this is why we premiered the season in September with Onegin.

CM.- Had you danced the complete version of “The Corsaire” before?

LC.- No, I danced it for the first time last year. Up to then I even had never danced the “Pas de Deux” in Galas.

CM.- What do you think about this revision?

LC.-What they intended to do was to go back to Petipa’s creation roots, trying to keep up to its maximum the original version as well as concerning choreography than music.

I think that the result is a very amusing ballet that audience has welcomed warmly.

CM.- In the Jardin Animé scene there are a lot of children on stage, do they come from the Opera Ballet School? Do they have the opportunity to participate very often?

LC.- Yes, they all are from the Opera’s school and they really do participate in a lot of classical ballets we have in our repertoire (The Bayadere, Raymonda, The Corsaire, A midsummer night dream …) I think that for them this is a marvellous incentive to be able to participate in the performances, and in addition they are so lovely.

CM.- To what extend does the School feed the Company ?

LC.- As in all theatres with a school, every year there are some students who reach the company from an audition. But there is no guarantee for any, they need to deserve it.

CM.- ¿Is it a specific profile required to be selected to join the Company?

LC.- I do not think so, they do not search any special profile, what they look for are dancers with a good classical technique but that in addition are able to adapt to all kind of styles, as if we are dancing today Petipa’s, it can be Cranko or Balanchine tomorrow and Forsythe or Mats Ek the day after.

CM.- You usually dance with your boyfriend, Cyril Pierre –although in this Corsaire your partner is Lukás Slavicky-  and I imagine that for you it must be special as there is much more complicity, do you find it difficult in this case to adapt to any other partenaire?

LC.- The truth is that Cyril and me (by the way, we are not a couple any more…) do not use to dance always together in the company. We do in Galas, because we perfectly know each other and have a very special repertoire thanks to our time with Roland Petit. But in Munich we are used to dance with different partenaires. I dance very often with Lukàs Slaviky and mainly with Marlon Dino, a new soloist who is advancing by leaps and bounds and with whom I have a perfect relationship on stage.

CM.-Do you think about maternity?

LC.- I had always firmly thought about having children, I want to have. But now, because of my personal situation this is something that I do not plan for an immediate future.

CM.- Performances in Spain, in Galas or as guest with other companies, how is it like to dance in your country?

LC.- I think that along the year I do as much performances in Galas or in other Companies than in my own theatre. For me it is important to have the freedom to be able to go to work in other environments, countries and companies. You learn a lot, you live other experiences and it is very enriching. And at the same time you always feel happy to go back home, to your theatre, with your friends….

CM.- Each time more in our country politics enters into arts and it is necessary to count with the politics for any initiative, do you think that dancers should take active part in this process, or they should keep themselves aside?

LC.- This is a very difficult matter. In Spain they do a lot of projects that never come reality. I do not know where the problem is but for sure I think that an artistic project as a Ballet Company is has to be managed and planned by dance experts, by people directly related to dance and not only politics.

CM.- Any Gala or special performance foreseen in our country?

LC.- Yes, very soon, this same month of November (on 17 and 18) I have two Galas in San Sebastián in the renewed theatre “Victoria Eugenia”. And next summer I will be touring in summer festivals as I did two years ago, again with the Asami Maki Ballet of Tokyo. For the time being what we are going to dance has not been confirmed yet, but it will probably will be a Roland Petit’s work.

CM.- Ball in the New Year concert in Vienna, what remembers do you have about? 

LC.- I have wonderful remembers about our participation in the New Year’s concert in Vienna. It has been something really special. It was like being part of something mythical in the art world. We worked very hard to get it. We spent a large amount of time in rehearsals, repeating thousand of times each sequence, surrounded by cameras, so that all worked properly in the live day. But for sure it was worth the trouble. It has been an unforgettable experience.

CM.-“Nueva Línea” advertising campaign. Dancers are each time more demanded in our country to be the advertising image of some brands, do you think that things are changing?

LC.- I think so. Media are each time more devoted to dancers so that nowadays a dancer’s name can be familiar to people who are not keen of dance. The proof is that advertising campaigns begin to be interested in using us as their image. In my case it has been very interesting to work in the “Nueva Línea” campaign. I enjoyed this experience a lot and I think that they got very happy with the result.

CM.- Remembers from Víctor Ullate’s time, could you tell us something about that years?

LC.- I have wonderful remembers from that time in Madrid. Your first company is something that marks you at both personal and professional levels. With Víctor we worked very hard and I think that all dancers issued from his company are well recognized because of the discipline he instilled into us but at the same time I have very amazing remembers, the good time we had and the passion we put on dancing.  

CM.- Are you in touch in any way with any of the dancers of that time?

LC.- It is very difficult because we all are working very much and in very remote countries. The ones I’m more in touch with are Joaquín de Luz, who I see each time I go to New York, and with Tamara Rojo, to whom I use to coincide sometimes in Galas.

CM.- Did Ángel or Tamara comment something with you about their projects?

LC.- I was by chance with Tamara last week in a Gala in Naples, where she explained me all about her project and the problems she had. I have not talked with Ángel from long ago.

CM.- What do you like to do in your spare time?         

LC.- I do not have many free time as when I’m not dancing I’m always in the computer working to arrange contracts for Galas and organizing the trips, as I do all myself, without the help of a manager. When I can, I like doing normal things, going to the cinema, reading a good book, shopping…

CM.- What about Internet? Do you like surfing on the net?

LC.- I couldn’t live without internet. I use it a lot for my work, but I like it very much surfing on the net as well. It is one of the best inventions of this time.

CM.- Do you know fotoescena? Do you read our magazine or our forum?

Of course I know fotoescena. I have read many times the magazine to be up-to-date on what happens about dance in Spain. I have never read in the forum yet, but I’m going to start…

We also cross our fingers so that her dream to come to dance to Spain with the Bayerische Staatsballett, comes true and that a lot of us Spanish people, can enjoy that.

Thank you , Lucía

Read our article "The Corsaire" with Lucía Lacarra in Munich

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