THE PULSE OF THE DANCE

"Dancing is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It is the rhythm of life. It is an expression in time and movement, in happiness, in joy and in sadness," the celebrated American dancer Jacques d'Amboise once said.  Azerbaijani People's Artiste, principal performer and choreographer of the Azerbaijani State Dance Ensemble, leader of the Odlar Yurdu ensemble, President of the Austrian-Azerbaijani Charity Society, head of the department of choreography of the Arts School, T. Muradova, began dancing when she was a child. Tarana MURADOVA spoke to R+ about how all this began, about the beauty of Azerbaijani dance and the future of this art form.

- Where did your love of dancing begin?

- When I was four years of age, my elder sister, who is 15 years older than me, noticing that I liked to dance, suggested to our mother that I join a dancing circle. I had the figure for it as I was thin and delicate. I adored dancing! While my friends were mad about fairy tales and cartoons I started to get interested in ballet. Of course, when my parents sent me to the dance circle they thought it would just be a hobby. They didn't want dancing to take over my life.  In the first class I shared my dream about a ballet school with my sister. She, who supported me in everything, spoke to our parents. Mother was against it. She wanted me to become a lawyer. I spent a long time trying to persuade her and eventually she gave in. And so I joined the ballet school's classical group. I didn't have the qualifications to be a ballerina, and so eighteen months later I was invited to transfer to the folk department at the same school. Later I joined the arts institute.

- As far as I am aware you also carried out your mother's wish and graduated from law school.

- Yes, I got a second graduate degree. A few years ago I got an extra-mural degree from the law faculty of Moscow State University. Sadly, my other did not live to see the day. She died when I was 19. My husband, who, incidentally, is also a lawyer, always wanted me to have a sideline. He was certain that I would need my legal education in the future.

- Did it stand you in good stead?

- Jurisprudence did not become my profession, but a knowledge of the law was very useful. The Lord works in mysterious ways - who knows, perhaps in a few years' time I might become a lawyer. 

- You direct the children's ensemble "Sayyah". Do you have many pupils? Is dancing popular these days?

- There are more people today wanting to learn to dance, especially adults. People have finally realized that you are never too old to start to learn to dance. Young couples about to get married come to me wanting to learn to do Azerbaijani dancing properly.

It would be nice if this art form was treated more professionally because the art of national dancing is part of Azerbaijan's image and I would love to see our people performing at international festivals at the highest level. I am pleased to see that attitudes to this art form are now beginning to change. That didn't used to be the case, and even my parents were against choosing this profession; they thought it was not serious, more a kind of hobby. I love my profession very much and I never tire of saying that if I had my life all over again I would still be a dancer. Of course, this profession has its pitfalls, too. When one graduates from ballet school, there is the problem of finding a job as there is a shortage of vacancies in dancing companies. Incidentally, dancers start to retire long before they reach pensionable age. Just to break even, some people have to carry on working while others stay at home waiting for their pension. Naturally, young people today have started to think about their future, and as a result the influx to the choreography academy has been sharply reduced.

- What do you think needs to be done to make dance as an art form more popular in our country?

- I think we need special programmes in which people talk about the history of dance and we also need to open more dancing circles. Azerbaijani dance is very beautiful and grand and it must be preserved for future generations. After all, it is part of our history!

I often attend Turkish weddings and I see the love they have for their folklore. When they play the "Yalli" everybody knows what to do as though they have studied this dance since they were children. I'd love to see our people dancing just as beautifully. 

- How much time do you devote to teaching?

- If a person has an ear for music and a sense of rhythm he can learn to dance in two-three months. If one wants to dance professionally, that takes years.

- When you were a child you dreamed about the ballet, but you stuck to folk dancing. Do you miss ballet?

- Yes, I did dream about becoming a ballerina, but the Almighty decided I wouldn't and so I devoted my life to folk dancing. But I did not neglect ballet. I often go to the ballet. For example, at the Maiden Tower I dance the part of a Georgian woman, and in the ballet "Love and Death" I am one of the tsarinas. My idols in the ballet are Leyla Vakilova, Gamar Almaszada and Maya Plisetskaya. I grew up at their school. Many people in my audience point out that there are elements of the classics in my dances. That's probably because I love the ballet.

- Have your children followed in your footsteps?

- No, both my son and my daughter were in my children's "Sayyah" group.  They studied hard and travelled all over the place, but I could see that they didn't have a love for this art form and they chose to go a different path. Zeynab became a lawyer, and Teymur first chose football and then served as a volunteer in the peacekeeping forces in Afghanistan. As a mother, I have always brought up my children in the spirit that after they reached 16 they could make their own decisions.

- You are always busy, always working. But what about your spare time?

- I don't have much of that. I have a lot of pupils, I run the chorography department and the arts school, as well as the "Sayyah" group. Every minute of my day is taken up. But if I do have a free hour I spend it with my family. Incidentally, my "Sayyah" ensemble recently officially changed its name. It is now called "Odlar Yurdu". It has about 70 members - dancers of different ages and musicians.

- You are always in splendid condition. Apart from dancing, do you work out as well?

- No, just dancing. Since I decided what I wanted to do at 16 I have carried on doing that. My figure has hardly changed at all. My secret is keeping busy. I rarely sit down. Twice a day I dance, work and teach.

- Are you happy?

- Absolutely. I am a happy person. Because everything I dreamed of doing has come true. The right doors have opened up for me and I have met people who when I was young I had only seen on the TV and dreamed of becoming friends with. I wanted to devote my life to dancing and that's what I've done. I dreamed of having two children in a close family and that's what I've got. The most important thing for me today is the happiness of my children and, of course, my work, into which I have put a lot of my soul to make sure it blossomed and thrived. I am a patriot and I'd love to see everyone in my profession represent their country above everything else.

Once when I was a child I promised my mother that our name would live and be well known all over the world. I have kept my promise. I regret nothing. Yes, I have had many difficult times but I wouldn't change anything. If I had my life all over again it would be the same.