You looked lost when you arrived at this school in Brussels. One year on, have you found yourself?I didn’t know my language – I discovered it here. The best way of putting it would be to say that my results are positive. Anne Teresa passed on her experiences and observations to me – a certain way of moving, lots of things…
Was there one key moment?
Yes – one stage in the tour, in Luxembourg. We were putting on a Steve Reich evening, showing what we had prepared in Brussels. As we were short of time, the work hadn’t been finished. And there, during a rehearsal, I felt something holding me back. As always, this problem with reading music...
You didn’t share the same approach…
My sense of music isn’t analytical, it’s instinctive. We noticed this difference in our approaches, and I offered to work at it on my own, but Anne Teresa said: “No, we’re going to do it my way!” She didn’t force me, but she steered me towards her way. I was absolutely delighted. From then on I began to find my own way, by reconciling the irreconcilable: taking the musical structure into account right from the start while at the same time following my own reading of the music.
What is the most important piece of advice Anne Teresa gave you?
There have been so many! Maybe when she told me to create my own codes and my own signs. Then I explained to her how I wanted to work with my musicians. Anne Teresa is someone who doesn’t talk a lot – she prefers to show you, to demonstrate. After that, you keep trying, you work and you tell yourself something has to come out of it, something you can’t predict. When you’re with someone who does rather than talks, all you have to do is open your eyes and take it in.
You were really left with no alternative…
By my situation as much as by her. I have everything here in Brussels: a structure, areas to dance, teachers, a studio, technicians, musicians… So, what’s missing when everything is there for you? Work.
What did she pass on to you apart from dancing?
Patience. You know what her favourite phrase is? “Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.” And she always does. I like that mentality. I know that, given the time she devotes to her children, the time she gives me is sacrosanct, so I really make the most of it. She’s a person who’s driven the whole time by constant dissatisfaction. She never feels something is finished, and I like that.
What are you still missing?
I still need time. I’m too impatient. When I came to this school I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew what I was looking for. Now I’m going to have to digest everything I’ve learnt. It’ll all resurface again all right, once things have had time to settle. Basically, I had the good luck to be in the right place at the right time.