Dame Monica Mason, artistic director of Britain’s beloved Royal Ballet, is quietly intimidating. She’s is impeccably poised and gracious, but behind her soft voice lies the strong backbone that got her into the Royal Ballet School at 15, an offer to join the company at 16 and the leading role in Kenneth MacMillan’s Rite of Spring at 20.
She’s in Taipei, leading the troupe on its first visit to Taiwan, even as she prepares for what will be her final season as director with the company that has been her home for 53 years. When she was still a principal dancer, she became an assistant to company director Norman Morrice and his successor, MacMillan. After Sir Anthony Dowell took over the company, he made her assistant director in 1991.
At a press conference at the National Concert Hall on Tuesday, she praised National Theater Concert Hall artistic director Huang Pi-twan (黃碧端) for her boldness in agreeing to a mixed bill program as well as a classical romantic ballet.
Photo: Diane Baker, Taipei Times
“In our London season, 12 ballets, six are full length, usually three are 19th century and the others are modern. It’s been one of my ambitions as director to make triple bill/modern productions more popular ... People like both, the chance to see modern and classical,” she said. “Part of our policy is to show new audiences a wide range of what we can do. Very often other places, I won’t name names, refuse to have a mixed program, so I would like to thank the National Theater for being brave enough to do so.”
However, she also mentioned that one way the company attracts audiences to mixed bill programs at home is to offer lower priced tickets than for a traditional classic like Giselle.
In an interview with the Taipei Times, Mason said it was easier to travel with pieces that are in the current repertoire, like Giselle, but she really wanted to bring over two works, one by Wayne McGregor, the other by Christopher Wheeldon.
“The Mixed Bill is not in use this season, but Chroma and DVG premiered on the same program in 2006 and are an excellent opportunity for new audiences to see the direction we are moving in. Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon come from such different backgrounds: McGregor is all contemporary, Christopher started at the [Royal’s] ballet school and the Royal before going to New York City Ballet, while [Sir Frederick] Aston was a genius choreographer and founder of the company,” she said.
“[Ashton’s] Rapsody epitomizes British style, the virtuosity skills for men, lyrical styling, fast footwork, beautiful use of shoulders and heads. He set the standards,” she said.
When I made the mistake of wondering if it might be difficult for today’s male dancers to live up to the standard set by Mikhail Baryshnikov, who originated the male lead in Rapsody, Mason was quick to defend her dancers — and others who tackle famous roles.
“The two men who are dancing [the role], Steven McRae and Sergei Polunin, are very different, and they faced a challenge, but in my estimation they met that challenge,” she said.
“Audiences who have never seen Baryshnikov cannot make comparisons,” she said.
“One of the ultimate challenges, the great joys of this job is that new talent can discover what they can do,” she said.
When asked what she plans to do after she retires in July next year, she appeared bemused.
“I will have been with the Royal Ballet for 54 years then. I have no plan to walk out of this job and into another. I’ll be 70. It’s time for a little bit of rest. I don’t want to hang around and be a nuisance for Kevin [O’Hare, the company’s administrative director who will succeed her as artistic director].”
One other bit of news from the press conference was that Spanish ballerina Tamara Rojo did not make the trip. She had been scheduled to dance in Chroma.
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