Defying astronomical forecasts, which placed the last star shower of the year during the night of Tuesday, December 26, a group of stars from the world of dance will descend on the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts for two nights on Friday, December 29, and Saturday, December 30.
In a celestial star shower, all the meteors that make it up seem to have a single point of origin, but the origin of the stars that will participate in the ballet gala “Holiday Season with Ballet Stars” — an initiative of the Ballet Support Foundation (BSF) — is varied: 14 dancers of nine different nationalities associated with seven companies that cultivate different dance styles from France, Great Britain, Israel, and the United States.
BSF is a New York-based nonprofit organization founded by producer and former Bolshoi Ballet dancer Lola Abigail Koch with the mission to support young dancers and dance projects internationally.
One of the premier dancers who will be performing is Argentinian Ludmila Pagliero. She joined the corps of the Paris Opera Ballet in 2003 and, in 2012, was named danseur étoile for the company. Her performance in the “Holiday Season with Ballet Stars” will prompt her first visit to Miami. New Times was scheduled to speak with her via Zoom for an interview, but a scheduling conflict arose. Considering that it would be a challenge to coordinate a new appointment (there is a six-hour difference between Paris and Miami), we decided it was best to send the questions in writing.
New Times: Ludmila is a girl’s name of Slavic origin, meaning “love of the people.” Is Ludmila your birth name or your artistic name?
Ludmila Pagliero: It is my birth name — also the name of my grandma, born in the Czech Republic. Like many South Americans, our origins are a mix of the two continents.
How much do you know about the dance happening in Miami?
I always hear about the Miami City Ballet, and I know that many great dancers went there to dance with the company, which has a great repertory, such as Balanchine, Robbins, Tharp, Taylor, and many others.
What are you going to dance at the gala?
I will be dancing two pas de deux with Mathieu Ganio (also a danseur étoile at Paris Opera Ballet). The first one is from Manon. The ballet by Kenneth MacMillan, created in 1974, is inspired by Abbé Prévost’s book. The Story of Manon, and is the vision of the tragic story of the Chevalier des Grieux with its heroine, an implacable young woman attracted by the pleasures of life. We will dance its second pas de deux, which takes place in the Parisian bedroom of Des Grieux and is a moment of intimacy between the two lovers of pure shared happiness.
The second one is from Le Parc. The piece created by Angelin Preljocaj in 1994 for the Paris Opera Ballet dancers questions the journey of passions and the war of the sexes. The pas de deux that we will interpret, “L’abandon,” is the culminating moment of the encounter between a libertine and an idealist (Mathieu and Ludmila) in a final kiss. It is another love story with a language that involves classicism and modernity.
Photo by Ann Ray/courtesy of Ballet Support Foundation” class=”uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle”>
Ludmila Pagliero and Mathieu Ganio in Mayerling by Kenneth MacMillan
Photo by Ann Ray/courtesy of Ballet Support Foundation
What is your favorite role?
Tatiana in Onegin from John Cranko. I love the ballet itself. Made on a medley of excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s music, it is one of the masterpieces of the romantic ballet. John Cranko is here at the pinnacle of his storytelling. He recounts with scrupulous fidelity the drama of Pushkin without, at any time, giving way to the pantomime, which, as we know, can quickly become as boring as boring can be. It’s a two-hour ballet life story.
Do you prefer classical ballet or contemporary ballet?
I enjoy dancing everything: classic, neoclassical, and contemporary. I love exploring different forms of expression of the same idea. For example, talking about love is very different in 1841 with Giselle or doing Another Place with Mats Ek in 2022. The feeling of love is the same, but the way of living it is not, besides discovering in all those styles the different physical abilities that my body can perform.
Do you dance tango?
Not really. I had classes at the beginning at the ballet school, but until today, I never had the time to go deeper into the tango language.
What is your advice for a young ballet student who wants to dedicate his or her life to dance?
Passion and commitment.
There are a considerable number of ballet lovers in Miami. Do you have a message for them about your Gala participation?
It is my wish to experience a magical moment during these two galas. And I hope it will be the same for them.
– Orlando Taquechel, ArtburstMiami.com
Holiday Season With Ballet Stars. 7 p.m. Friday, December 29, and Saturday, December 30, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $43 to $224.