BWW Interviews: Dancer Sergio Diaz Talks About U.S. Premiere of French Story Ballet BLANCHE NEIGE

BWW-Interviews-Dancer-Sergio-Diaz-Talks-About-US-Premiere-of-French-Story-Ballet-BLANCHE-NEIGE-20010101

Sergio Diaz stars as Prince Charming in the U.S. Premiere performances of Ballet Preljocaj’s "Blanche Neige" (Snow White). Read BroadwayWorld's interview with the dancer below!

Blanche Neige is the first full length story ballet by French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj. The story is based on the Grimm fairytale and is set to music by Gustav Mahler with costumes by fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier and set design by Thierry Leproust.

Blanche Neige opened in France in 2008 and won the 2009 Globes de Cristal award for the best Dance Spectacle of the Year. The ballet has toured throughout Europe, and will visit the U.S. for the first time this spring. The company will be in residence for an entire week and it will take a full four days to load the immense and technically demanding production into the venue.

Describe the ballet for those who aren’t familiar with it.

Sergio Diaz: Snow White is the story of a young girl becoming a woman, and as her beauty is enhanced through discovering true love, her stepmother grows more and more jealous, leading her to try to get rid of her by any means possible, including murder. But fate saves the young princess, and of course the story ends happily for her...

How is this Snow White different from other versions?

SD: This version of Snow White is quite close to the version of the fairy tale by the Grimm brothers. Much darker and mysterious than the Disney version and with a psychological twist to it.

I know it’s a lot darker and more provocative with nudity and such. How do audiences typically take that? What’s the artistic reasoning behind it? And how does it enhance the ballet?

SD: It is a bit provocative, maybe through the S&M costume and character of the evil queen, and through her relationship with the king, and Jean Paul Gaultier's costumes enhance it. Also, Snow White's costume is as childlike as it is sensual, between a draped diaper/dress and the purity of it's white color and fabric. There is only one scene with part nudity, also brought by the deer's costume: a girl goes topless in a stunning jerky solo, with furry legs and hooves. There is no particular reaction from the audience, it is very well suggested, and, representing an animal, it seems quite natural. And we mustn't forget Jean Paul Gaultier's glamorous touch.

What’s it like being the only U.S. dancer in the company? How did you get involved with a French company?

SD: The company is very cosmopolitan. There are dancers from all over the globe, so it's actually interesting being a part of the ethnic melting pot. It's true that when I joined the company in 1999, I was almost the only foreign dancer. Now it just feels normal. I've been living in France since I was 8 years old. I went through practically all my academic education here, and I did all my artistic education here. I was planning to move back to the states when I finished school, maybe go to New York and join the Ailey company or work for Merce Cunningham, but when I discovered Angelin Preljocaj's work when I was 16, my goal was set. There was no other company and no other choreographer I would rather work for. After seeing his version of Romeo and Juliet, or other "Paysage après la Bataille" ("Landscape after the Battle" show created in 1997 based on duality between instinct and intellect, which I toured in the US with in 2001) I was absolutely amazed by his work. The musicality and sharpness of the movement, the acute precision, and the electric and animal energy emanating from the dancers on stage. I just knew this was where I was supposed to be.

Are you a principal dancer? What’s your role in the ballet?

SD: We don't have the hierarchy of classical ballet companies. So we don't really use those terms. Each and every one of the dancers that form the company are chosen for their own different values or qualities. So everyone is part of the team. However, it's natural for Angelin to develop a working habit with a few dancers that will be the same ones over a few creations. But in the end everybody gets their turn, and feels integrated.

On this show, I am lucky to be one of the principal characters. I play the role of Prince charming.

What does it feel like to dance on the stage in front of audiences?

SD: Dancing in front of audiences is one thing, being able to make them escape their everyday lives and dream is another. That's mostly why I chose to dance. It is one of the artistic choices I made that will have that effect on people. Bringing them dreams, questioning on a social or political subject, abstraction, minimalism or straightforward happiness or technical awe, that's what feels the best when you're dancing for an audience.

What’s ballet like compared to the other things you’ve done in your career?

Page 2 >>