This week’s profile Maria Lucia Violo, a 31 year old from Rome, Italy, who started ballet back in 2010.
When did you start doing ballet as an adult?
I started in 2010, when I was 28 years old.
Did you ever take lessons as a kid?
Yes, I’ve loved dance and ballet since my very first childhood (I used to improvise dances at home, to watch avidly every TV show about dance and even to dress up my dolls as ballerinas and made them “dance” as a play!), so I actually ended up taking lessons, which I did approximately since age 9 to 12; it was never a serious thing, however. I was living in a small town then, and we didn’t even have a proper classical training, it was more of a casual mix of modern dance and ballet. I didn’t like the classes very much, plus I didn’t enjoy them really (sadly, I felt very insecure of myself in those days). Even my family wasn’t very encouraging (sadly they believed the old doctors’ tale that “dance can do harm to the body”). So, the mix of all those causes made me eventually quit.
Why did you decide to take ballet as an adult?
It had to do with the beginning of kind of a “new life” for me. It happened when I had recently past my mid-twenties and I was reconsidering a few things about my life, making new choices and especially allowing myself to let my desires free without succumb to others’ opinions and decisions, like I had frequently done in the past. So it was kind of natural for me, I guess, to come back to my old love too (as I said before, I was very fond of dancing as a form of expression since my very first childhood). But it wasn’t easy: I knew I wanted to dance, but I didn’t know even where to start from. Italian society can be very conservative sometimes and adult ballet is not so popular here still, so I had to research quite a lot till I could finally find the right place to study and to feel myself at home.
Where do you take classes?
At a dance studio here in Rome, where I live, called “DART”. I like very much the teaching there, it’s very deep and serious, but in the same time it’s very respectful of our not-so-young-anymore bodies (mine is an all-adult beginners course). And the teachers truly teach us to dance and not to execute mere technique exercises!
What is your favorite part about ballet?
Definitely the fact that it can transfigurate everyday gestures and experiences (I think that all choreography draws on everyday life) into something ideal and poetic. It’s like a way of telling things not just as they actually are, but as good and beautiful as we would like them to be. But I guess this can apply to all forms of art 🙂
What is your least favorite part?
Seriously… I can’t find anything bad or wrong about ballet in itself. (Maybe in the way people can take it or teach it, but it’s another story…)
If I had to choose one bad thing, however, I’d just mention the way my adult body reacts to it. I’m not naturally flexible (I need to stretch quite a lot if I want to attain decent results even in the simplest postures and movements), plus I have a few little but bothering postural issues that are really annoying, because they can make my body ache while and after exercising. But I’m learning how to cope with and correct them by means of ballet itself (in conjunction with Pilates).
Who/What is your ballet inspiration?
I’m very fond of ballet history (actually I’m kind of a history freak in general!), so my first inspiration as an adult, which made me want to know more about the art in itself, were legends such as Vaslav Nijinsky and the entire “Ballets Russes” thing. Several years ago I read as much as I could find about their history, their productions, and the novelties they brought in the ballet world. The choreographies Michel Fokine created for them incarnate perfectly my conception of ballet. He knew how to re-create a ballet language “from the inside”: while preserving the traditional academic language, he managed to create pieces that are still true to life, very expressive, full of genuine sensuality and that leave small or no place to mannerisms (my absolute favourite is “Sheherazade”.)
Coming to nowadays, I can’t help but mention one of my biggest living ballet inspirations, who, maybe a bit surprisingly, is actually a male ballet dancer: ABT and Bolshoi principal David Hallberg. I like him so much. He’s one of the most lyrical, intense and intelligent dancers of our generation, a true artist not just according on what he can do on a stage but also on the base of what he reveals to be off-stage (he’s a very active on social media, and I love to follow his writing and interviews, finding the views he shares about ballet, art and life in general always very inspiring.)
What motivates you to keep dancing?
Actually I’ve never even considered quitting, so… 🙂
Do you take any other dance classes?
At the present I don’t, but in the past I practised bellydance and took occasional historical dance workshops. Nothing’s like ballet to me, though.
What are your hobbies outside of ballet?
I love all arts and humanities (I actually graduated on that subject, and I work in a library, so you can guess the type I’m), so most of my hobbies are related to that, from going to museums and art exhibitions to listening to music (especially classical and opera), going to the theatre, visiting new places and towns, keeping myself informed on the art and literature scene.
What advice would you like to give to those who want to start ballet or have just started?
Just do it. Taking always your own time and pace. And never, NEVER allow the others to bring you down. Be serious, dedicated, respectful of the teacher and of your fellow students, Â give the 100% of yourself (no matter how much it actually is), and that’s all.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Sorry if I sound cheesy but I would like to say a big hello to all my ballet fellows from Rome (and to the special one who is currently in NYC!). Love you all so much!
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