{"id":31777,"date":"2019-01-04T13:09:31","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T13:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/?p=31777"},"modified":"2019-01-04T13:12:53","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T13:12:53","slug":"becoming-myrtha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/becoming-myrtha\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming Myrtha"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alessandro\nBizzotto<\/strong> follows Valentine Colasante<\/strong> through\ndressing rooms, passages, make-up and hairstyle studios and the Foyer de la\ndanse of the Palais Garnier. To find out how she gets ready to play the fierce\nqueen of the Wilis in Giselle<\/em>. An\ninformal chat with the lovely premi\u00e8re danseuse at the Paris Op\u00e9ra Ballet. That\nshows us the backstage of (her) performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is not stressed at\nall. Or, at least, she doesn\u2019t look so. In her dressing room at the Palais\nGarnier, flooded with light and soft colors, Valentine Colasante talks to me\nwith a luminous smile. Tonight she is dancing Myrtha, the merciless queen of\nthe Wilis, ethereal men\u2019s killer ghosts, in Giselle<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Du samedi 28 mai 2016 au mardi 14 juin 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am not nervous,\u201d she\ntells me. \u201cI might have been slightly tense before the opening night, last week.\nHowever, I feel totally calm now. It is almost three hours to the beginning of\nthe show. And, as Myrtha, I have the whole first act off: further time to\nconcentrate and warm up.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She will start to get\nready for the show in a few minutes. As we chat, she is slowly sewing a pointe\nshoe. \u201cI normally do it here in my dressing room, or at home, watching a\nmovie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valentine won her last\nand most important annual competition, at the Paris Opera Ballet, just a few\nyears ago: at 23, she was promoted to premi\u00e8re danseuse. This season has been\nfilled with important debuts for her, from the leading role in Balanchine\u2019s Theme and Variations<\/em> to Gamzatti in La Bayad\u00e8re<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"<\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"

    Valentine Colasante with St\u00e9phanie Romberg<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>
  • \"\"



    Valentine Colasante, Backstage of \u201cGiselle\u201d \u00a9 Alessandro Bizzotto <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    It is not yet five\no’clock when we stand up and leave her dressing room. Her white, winged dress\nis hanged just out of the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI\u2019ll start whitening my\nneck and arms,\u201d Valentine explains me while we walk along a long passage, \u201cthen\njust the first part of the make-up. You\u2019ll see\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The make-up room, when we enter, is almost empty. \u201cLook at how white I will turn now!\u201d she smiles. A make-up artist applies an extremely light base on Valentine\u2019s neck and shoulders and arms. The atmosphere is friendly, relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Just a few dancers from\nthe corps are already in the room. I can have a seat close to Valentine, so, as\nshe begins having her face make-up done. \u201cSometimes I like to make-up on my own,\u201d\nshe tells me, \u201cbut, in order to become Myrtha, they have to transform me a\nlittle. My face will look much more severe in the end\u2026 and even a bit older,\nsomehow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cAnother villain role\nthis season, a few months after Gamzatti\u2026\u201d she says. I clearly remember her\nbrilliant technique and her glittering stage presence as the fierce princess in\nLa Bayad\u00e8re<\/em>. \u201cMyrtha is different, of\ncourse,\u201d she explains. \u201cMany jumps. But, at the end of the day, less chances to\nmiss something. Whereas, as Gamzatti, you can make mistakes\u2026 anytime!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After the base, it is about her eyes. That start being subtly defined. \u201cI will even apply false eyelashes, later on\u201d she explains as she shows them to me.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It seems it is not a problem\nfor her to talk during the make-up. \u201cMy nature is easy going,\u201d Valentine\nexplains. \u201cWhen working I am serious, really dedicated, but I don\u2019t like to\ncreate problems or make dramas. I am not quarrelsome: in a studio I need\npositiveness and concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She stands up and she catches Myrtha\u2019s crown. \u201cTime for the coiffeur, now,\u201d she tells me, inviting me to follow her. \u201cWe\u2019ll be back later: in order to finish my make-up, they need me to have my hairstyle completely done.\u201d The hairstyle studio looks quite crowded. As she takes a seat in front of the mirror, Valentine points at her ears. \u201cThey did not covered them with the white base. Now they are about to hide my ears with my hair: in a few minutes my hairstylist will be framing my face with my hair.\u201d
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Valentine Colasante \u00a9 Svetlana Loboff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    As waves of hair start\nbeing moved to frame Valentine Colasante\u2019s face, we go on chatting. \u201cI don\u2019t\nread reviews that much,\u201d she reveals to me. \u201cI don\u2019t look for them. Sometimes\nit is interesting to read something on our shows. But I wonder how I would feel\nif I read a bad review on a performance of mine while still having some shows\nto do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is (almost) all about personal tastes, we agree. \u201cThat\u2019s so true!\u201d she exclaims. \u201cMany things are in the eye of the beholder. Everywhere. In ballet as well: I met people crazily in love with an artist and people that hated the same artist\u2019s way of performing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI like turning, doing\nthree or four pirouettes on stage, to give an example\u2026\u201d she adds, \u201cbut that’s\nnot my ultimate goal. You can appreciate the technique, but beneath that lies\nthe heart, the soul of a dancer: I hope my audience appreciates my personality,\nmy honesty as well on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Myrtha\u2019s crown is put on\nher hair. \u201cThe Statue of Liberty\u201d, she jokes. We both laugh. Then, as hairspray\nfills the air, her hairstyle is ready after about half an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We are about to leave\nand get back to the make-up studio when we meet premi\u00e8re danseuse St\u00e9phanie\nRomberg. She is going to be princess Bathilde tonight. \u201cI have been working on\nalmost all my roles under her guidance for the last two years,\u201d Valentine tells\nme. A quick chat, then it is time for make-up again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The studio is filled\nwith people and voices, now. \u201cMy favorite role so far?\u201d she answers me. \u201cNo\ndoubt: Kitri in Don Quijote<\/em>. I have\nbeen dreaming about dancing it since when I was a little girl\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More eyeliner is applied. Then the false eyelashes. Valentine scrutinizes herself in the mirror. Her youthful beauty is more imperious, almost threatening.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cLet\u2019s go to choose my\npointe shoes for tonight,\u201d she tells me as we say good-bye to the make-up\nartists. She leads me to the Foyer de la danse, the sumptuous \u2013 thought a\nlittle dark and dusty \u2013 hall behind the stage, reserved for dancers preparing\nfor performances. \u201cI am going to try on my pointe shoes and to warm up a little\nthere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She looks concentrate,\nbut yet serene. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be totally swallowed by ballet,\u201d she tells me.\n\u201cI love my job. But I try to keep a balance in my life.\nMy boyfriend, just as an example, has nothing to do with ballet: we seldom talk\nabout steps or performances. He helps me to leave everything behind me, when I\nknock off, and to experience real life in some way. And, as a consequence, to\nhave something more to give to the audience when I get back here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Foyer de la danse is empty and silent. \u201cIn less than\nhalf an hour many people will fill the Foyer,\u201d Valentine explains me as she\nsits on the floor and takes some pairs of pointe shoes out of her bag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She tries them on, one after the other. She keeps silent\nfor a few minutes. \u201cThese ones!\u201d she tells me then. \u201cThe ones I marked with\nnumber 5. My lucky number!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She stretches a little. \u201cI will have time to warm up properly when the first act begins. The Foyer will be empty: during the first act I\u2019ll wear my earphones listening to my music, alone, and will do some barre and warm-up exercises\u201d.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It is almost time for me to reach the stalls of the\nPalais Garnier and take my seat to see Giselle<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Valentine brings me on stage. The curtain is down, the\nset ready. Then, as dancers start crowding into the Foyer de la danse, she shows me the way out.\n\u201cIt won\u2019t take that long!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cI\u2019ll have time to eat something,\u201d\nshe says, leading me to an elevator. \u201cThen the barre\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I don\u2019t wish her good luck, of course. Just \u201cMerde<\/em>\u201d. \u201cAnd I shouldn\u2019t thank you!\u201d she answers smiling, while the elevator doors close slowly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This Interview was published Spring 2016 in Dance for You Magazine printed issue<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Alessandro Bizzotto follows Valentine Colasante through dressing rooms, passages, make-up and hairstyle studios and the Foyer de la danse of the Palais Garnier. To find out how she gets ready to play the fierce queen of the Wilis in Giselle. An informal chat with the lovely premi\u00e8re danseuse at the Paris Op\u00e9ra Ballet. That shows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":31788,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-performance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31777"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31777\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31790,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31777\/revisions\/31790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danceforyou-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}