1 The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
I have danced two different versions of this. The first was the Nijinsky version at the Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro, which was an amazing experience because the music was originally created for that ballet. I fell in love with it because it’s so progressive. I was the kind of dancer that never needed to count anything – but this music, you have to count, there is no way around it. When I moved to Europe, every time I saw an orchestra was playing this work, I would go. I loved watching orchestras play: you can’t see them when you dance, so it’s a completely different experience. I’m not one of those dancers that remembers every step of a choreography – more than anything, I remember the feeling. In The Rite of Spring you feel so rooted to the earth, so grounded – you merge with the music somehow.
As a choreographer, I have not had the urge to approach Rite because it’s just too big, too important. It’s almost sacred.
2 Clarinet Concerto K622 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I danced to this in a ballet by the American choreographer Lar Lubovitch, so I got very familiar with it – the clarinet solo is gorgeous. Again, I started watching it: I saw it in Holland and in the UK. Watching the soloist play is just so beautiful. I love the sound of the clarinet – Mozart uses the instrument in a way that I find very poetic. It is so dreamy and peaceful.
3 Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns
I absolutely love it. It’s got this sort of scary feeling, but not bad scary. It’s like a fun scary. I think it’s my childlike side that likes this piece – like going to a funfair and taking the ghost train. This piece has something dark in it, but also humour – you could make a good cartoon to it.
4 Piano Concerto in G Major by Maurice Ravel
I became familiar with this through concerts in Amsterdam: I went to watch orchestras in the Concertgebouw a lot. I didn’t know the piece, but fell in love with it. This is one that, for me, is not danceable. It is not one that I want to choreograph, but it’s really nice to watch live.
5 Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev
Romeo and Juliet is a masterpiece. The music does a great job of telling the story, and it’s so beautiful. I danced it, so I have my memories. But even if you’re not a ballet lover, there’s still so much value in it. Will I make my own Romeo and Juliet? Maybe one day.
