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Love and Inspiration

Autor: José Luis Estrada Betancourt | Fuente: www.jrebelde.cubaweb.cu 15 de Agosto 2012

There was no room left at the Azul Salon of the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC, after its initials in Spanish). Since the first moment that Concerto for violin and String Orchestra by Marjan Mozetich began to perform along with eight dancers whose precise steps took all over the stage, all the audience is captivated by Luminous. This amazing work by Peter Quanz will have its with the company directed by Alicia Alonso, during the 23rd edition of the International Ballet Festival from October 28 to November 7. The famous Canadian choreographer, accompanied by his excellent staging assistants Vanessa Lawson and Linnet Gonzalez, paid attention to every movement, gestures and looks of the artists who seemed not to realize the rehearsal had finished, and the public full of admiration applauded tirelessly.

After talking with the artists who play the main role in the work, thanks to the collaboration of dancer Linnet González, who was first soloist and now is an assistance, Peter Quanz agreed to talk for Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

“I am working with this outstanding company one more time because the first time I just followed the classic style distinguishing the Cuba’s National Ballet,” he explained. “Now, I suggest a different choreographic intent. Le Papillon was my gift, my tribute, especially for such an extraordinary ballerina as Alicia Alonso.”

“In the case of Luminous, I suggest another style for the dancers, a different way of dancing, with new movements. If both of my proposals—Le Papillon and Luminous—are scheduled to be presented in one night, the audience would realize that they are different related to aesthetic and conception. Luminous is conceived for classic dancers who will carry out contemporary movements.”

“In 2010, I  fell hopelessly in love, though it was an impossible romance. That experience totally changed my life and inspired me to conceive this ballet, which deals with how we find the love of our lives when it’s too late. Luminous is a pas de deux but each dancer interacts with two partners, which gives the public the opportunity to know different facets of the dancers. Through a 24-minutes ballet, I intend the dancers are able to express all kind of feelings of a person who is madly in love.”

“Luminous was originally created for the Hong Kong Ballet. I was surprised to hear by a well-known English critic, who saw the premiere, that this had been the most important choreography of that company during 20 years. A month ago, I presented this work in New York with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. It had great acceptance on the part of the audience and the critics.”

During the premiere the press praised not only the beauty of the choreography but also the costumes...

The idea of designing those costumes came to my mind after seeing a model in a magazine who was attired in gold and silver pieces which seemed to be falling over. So, I decided to dress the dancers with leather suits of similar features. I shared my idea with designer Anne Armit, and then she looked for the suitable fabric to design the costumes.

I guess Cuban dancers made deep impression on you, and for that reason you decided to return to Cuba.

Yes, they did. A lot. I came back because I really wanted to talk to Alicia again, and work with these wonderful dancers one more time. This work gave me the opportunity to take the most representative features distinguishing Cuban dancers. On the other hand, I think, keeping communication among all dancers is the most important thing since the world of dance is limited.

Was it very difficult for you to select the partners who will be performing Luminous at the 23rd edition of the International Ballet Festival in Havana?

Certainly it was. It is very complex to choose best dancers in Cuba because all of them are very talented and I could only select four partners for Luminous. I confess I was astonished. I had brought several DVDs with the performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. I gave them to the dancers and they had already learned the dance before the rehearsal. I got really excited. So, working in Cuba satisfies me a lot, and give me much pleasure.

I also want those who read Juventud Rebelde newspaper know more about Peter Quanz.

Well, I have dedicated to create for 12 years. Actually, I danced for a very short time, only two years with the Stuttgart Ballet. Certainly, the choreography attracted me from the first moment. I had created some works for the Royal College Winnipeg Ballet, which helped a lot for the future. Then, I created works for others ballet companies: American, the Royal, the Kirov, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens of Montréal, and Pennsylvania Ballet ... and, of course, the National Ballet of Cuba, which pleases me a lot

Why did you choose the dance world?

I´ve always loved those fabulous choreographies since I saw the first musical show. After seeing them I said to myself: That´s what I want to do, creating. I immediately spoke with my teacher from primary school. - Do you really want to dance? She asked. - I answered: No, I don’t. I just want to create things for other artists to dance. Then she helped me to enter the academy at the age of nine.

Have you planned a new project for the BNC?

Well, I also want to bring the audience a pas de deux dance for the festival, which will be performed by the first dancers Viengsay Valdes and Dani Hernandez, which will be called Double Bounce. I wish the people like it.

Translation: Silke Páez (Cubarte)