INFINITE BEAUTY

It is not a secret that getting into the world of ballet, let alone holding on there, is quite hard. But it is unlikely that the general audience observing the stage from behind the orchestra pit ever thinks about this, enjoying the magic unveiling before its eyes. When the music adds up to the effect of artistic plasticity and gestures on stage, where it is impossible to hide any false...

Once again the art of dance confirms that only through personal sacrifice can a true artist reach the hearts of those who discover the world of ballet for the first time. The art offered to audiences by the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan, academician and professor of the International Academy of Choreography Samir Samadov. For years, the audiences of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre have watched with fascination that the word-gesture born on stage by their favourite dancers seemed to end at artists' fingertips, while having been addressed to everyone sitting on the other side of the stage, which hides the hard realities of ballet magic from the outside world.

"I once came across a definition of ballet as 'a colourful labour camp". It is true that the world of ballet is different for everyone, as everything depends on the degree of immersion. Some regard it just a set of routine dancing moves repeated at every other performance. For others it is building tasks for each day, fine-tuning one's body like a super-precise machine. The world of ballet is as complex as any other professional sphere. What is it like for you?"

"Undoubtedly, ballet, like any other form of art, requires total dedication, sacrifice and renunciation. Ballet is a hellish labour day in and day out. For the first category of people you described, they love themselves in it. There was, is and will be no place in history. But sometimes even those who sacrificed themselves to Terpsichore get swept into oblivion. My long artistic journey has gone through thorny paths; it's been like walking on a tightrope. Nevertheless, ballet has always been the meaning of life for me..."

"Ballet is beautiful. But we have to admit that each artist can interpret the same production in his own personal way, since everyone looks at the same object from a different angle."

"The undisputed success of a particular production largely depends on the interpretation, on the personality of the artist. While some dancers can veil the worthlessness of a production thanks to their professional performance, others will indeed fade into the oblivion pretty soon, like one-day creations. Especially when the production is a world classic masterpiece..."

"Unlike painting or music, ballet has no canvas or score. The dancer can only use his own body. He conveys the music to it, while the music tells us what we want to see. Does it mean that the human body is like a tuning fork in ballet?"

"Yes, if the Almighty has endowed a certain person with all the necessary gifts. A dancer with boundless plasticity and perfect coordination can easily tune his body in line with his needs."

"It is hard to argue that male ballet dancers are always beautiful thanks to their grace and muscles combined with charismatic movements on the stage. But few people know that behind it there is a hell of a lot of labour. Injuries are quite a common thing in ballet. Are there limits to overcome personal abilities?"

"I am a perfectionist by nature. But over the years I have realised that the beauty can be infinite. It is impossible to achieve perfection. There will always be something you want to redo, to refine."

"To the best of my knowledge, being a ballet dancer means letting inner self go free to some extent. But physical freedom begins with the freedom of individuality. How can one find freedom within the rigid constraints of ballet?"

"By being a strong personality!"

"Everyone learns about the ballet as art in different times. While it is easier for children to learn about it thanks to their unclouded perception, which performance would you recommend to get the adult audiences learn about ballet?"

"It's very individual. People and tastes are different. But I would highly recommend Minkus's La Bayadere staged by Petipa for the first time."

"Do you remember the first ballet you saw on stage?"

"Yes. It was Adam's Giselle performed by my first teacher of classical music, Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan, the charming Olga Arifulina."

"It is well known that it is simply impossible to imagine a ballet dancer not taking lessons in classical dance. It is part of his daily routine from the early years, from the moment they enter professional schools. How important for you is this of kind of a bad habit - taking classes every morning?"

"As you rightly pointed out, it is a bad habit. It's even more important than brushing your teeth and washing your face. You can't do it without this classical dance lesson!"

"How psychologically important is compatibility with partners on stage?"

"It's very important and largely contributes to the success of any performance. But a professional artist should be able to dance with partners he is completely incompatible with. I have done the same throughout my professional dancing life."

"Some people think that the most important thing for a ballet dancer is to have a good jump and be a good partner for his dancing partner."

"There are dancers with a high jump, but they cannot present it in all its glory. There are ideal and strong partners unable to convey their feelings and awe. And there are dancers with an average low jump, fluttering across the stage like free birds. They may be not as strong as their counterparts, but they can attract the partner and the attention of the audience."

"Do you think dancers are still regarded as an auxiliary element for the ballerina to help her shine on stage?"

"If the dancer has a strong personality, the pair will shine. Like our great and inimitable People's Artists, Chimnaz Babayeva and Vladimir Pletnev, who complemented each other on the stage. But if a male partner is just a porter, then the ballerina will also demonstrate a mediocre performance."

"Do you ever have dreams with you dancing?"

"Yes, very often. Especially after I had to leave the stage..."

"Is it possible to express a dance verbally?"

"Yes and no."

"For some people dancing is like a therapy. Is it true in your case as well? Does it help you to overcome problems outside the ballet stage?"

"While I was on stage, dance was my biggest therapy, escape. It helped me cope with everything outside of it."

"There is a lot of debate in the ballet world about rethinking standards, as ballet is increasingly turning into gymnastics. Are we going to see changes in the classical ballet? Does it mean that the spirit that once gave ballet a flair of magic is going away? What about the plots of classical ballets? Does the new generation understand them?"

"Take, for example, the famous and inimitable portrait of Gioconda. Is it possible to reinterpret or remake it? Absolutely not! It is the same with ballet. The classics must remain intact, as were intended. We should cultivate in the generations-to-come the perception of heritage established over centuries. But at the same time it is necessary to create works that keep up with the times. This is the way to keep the masterpieces of the past alive and to give birth to new artistic creations."

"May I suggest that it was your commitment to the heritage of the classical ballet that made you a director?"

"Absolutely! I promote reanimating and preserving the classical heritage. It was the classical repertoire that helped me create my own works."

"The Gipsy Girl, The Polovtsian Dances, Le Corsaire... Why did you choose them?"

"Actually, I have staged more than 20 productions, including the reconstructions of world classics and author's productions. But I have only had a chance to stage three productions in my home theatre. The Gipsy Girl was a tribute to the first performer of the character of the Gipsy Girl, my greatest teacher, People's Artist of the USSR, Professor Leila Vekilova. It was completely an author's work. The Polovtsian Dances is a tribute to one of my favourite choreographers, Mikhail Fokin. And Le Corsaire is another work of classics which I reconstructed musically and choreographically to preserve one of the masterpieces of the genius Marius Petipa. The premiere of Le Corsaire in Baku was a great event in the history of Azerbaijani ballet. First time in the last 25 years..."

"What does the classical school of ballet give to our contemporaries?"

"In all times and centuries, the school of classical ballet has been and will continue to be the foundation!"

"In classical ballet, there is a notion of a noble dancer. I believe it is you for the audience of Baku."

"Nobility is a gift from birth coupled with the contribution and labour of your masters, whom I have never forgotten and will never forget, for without them there would be no Samir Samadov. If the precious audience of Baku gave me this honourable title, it means I owe this to my great masters, People's Artist of the USSR Leila Vekilova, People's Artists of Azerbaijan Chimnaz Babayeva and Rafiga Akhundova, who sculpted me from that noble material. It means my thirty-year dedication and service to my native theatre was not wasted."

"Your unwavering position on ballet resonates with the following phrase I heard in the video by Secret Cinema: "For me, ballet is a religion, and as its follower, I would rather die for my art". It most clearly describes your relationship with ballet. Do you consider ballet your craft and business? Do you like what you have been doing for many years?"

"Ballet is my life, period."

"Many people firmly believe that corps de ballet is just a backdrop for the principal dancers. But we know that many great dancers started there. So it's not like that. As an ordinary spectator, I think corps de ballet is almost the most important thing in the theatre. There is no performance without it. It fills the whole performance with energy and strength, helps to create a complete, living picture. What is a corps de ballet in your life and how do you develop your relationship with it?"

"Corps de ballet is a rigid, military regime. All distinguished artists have gone through this regime. It fosters a clear sense of responsibility and unwavering order. It is in the corps de ballet that dancers prove their strength and value. I am one of those lucky guys who went through the entire corps de ballet repertoire of our theatre."

"Actual artists argue that classical ballet is totalitarian by nature, because it is built according to immutable canons. So, with the death of totalitarian societies, classical ballet must also die. What do you think?

"The totalitarian nature of classical ballet is undeniable. Any nation needs strong native personalities and their successors in order to keep the classics and heritage of a nation alive. Not the nomad gypsy tabors with a criminal past."

"It is no secret that for a dancer, one of the pinnacles is to be recognised as an étoile, or a star. What does it mean to you?"

"The meaning is in the concept and the word itself: Flawless, Perfect, Untouchable!"

"Are you a star?"

"I would not say this of myself. I am what I am recognised by my masters, the giants of Azerbaijani ballet, as well as by my incorruptible, loyal, native audience! I bow to all of them."

PS: As an interviewer, I almost never finish my interviews with an afterword. Not this time though. Because I have experienced the magic of Samir Samadov's ballet art myself for many times. Thanks to his always recognisable handwriting and attractive aesthetics his characters will not let you seek for something different outside. Many people can prove my words true after watching Samir's productions. For me, however, the étoile of our ballet company has always delighted me with his interpretation of Rothbart from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake: the evil genius each time presented as if the whole plot would lack the structure of narrative without him. I was genuinely surprised when I saw the following written note from the Russian ballet dancer, teacher and choreographer-director, Artistic Director of the Bolshoi ballet company in 2009-2011, Chief Ballet Master of the Samara Opera and Ballet Theatre since 2017, Honoured Artist of Russia Yuri Petrovich Burlak, the author of the book series Ballet: "To my dear friend Samir, the inimitable von Rothbart of the Azerbaijani ballet, the connoisseur of musical masterpieces of the great Russian ballet. I wish you long creative work and peace of mind!". One cannot but agree with such an opinion expressed by somebody who knows the art of ballet really well.