Today I am beginning a new series! Interviews with dancers, authors, choreographers etc. to be presented on select Saturdays - I'm calling them Saturday Specials. If you are interested in being featured, simply email me with a request.
Today's Saturday Special features Eva Maze, author of the fascinating memoir "With Ballet in My Soul: Adventures of a Globetrotting Impresario". Here is a synopsis of the book:
A life spanning close to 100 years is
noteworthy, if only because of its longevity. The rich life of a woman
committed to a professional vision ahead of its time, filled with glamour,
excitement, and adventure, is truly remarkable. Narrated in her own words, this
is the story of such a woman, Eva Maze, who, from the time she left Romania as
a teenager in 1939, dreamed of being a ballet dancer, and through a series a
circumstances, became instead one of the most successful theatrical impresarios
in Europe – with a career spanning more than 40 years.
Now in her nineties, Maze looks back at
the path and passion that led her from Bucharest to the United States as an
immigrant, and then, as a married woman, back again to Europe and Asia, where
she found her professional calling.
Set against key historical events of
the 20th century, including the building of the Berlin Wall, the massacre at
the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, as well as the rise and fall of Pan American
Airlines, Maze’s fascinating past is brought to life through a combination of
serious commentary and amusing anecdotes about the risks and rewards of
the business side of theater and dance, some of the personalities who were
part of those worlds from the 1940s to the 1990s, her own motivation for being
an impresario, and her personal life. Her narration is supported by more than
250 captivating historical and modern images going back to her birth in
1922.
Representing artists and companies
abroad from a vast array of talent in the performing arts of the time –
including The Alvin Ailey Dance Company, The Living Theatre, and The Swingle
Singers – this unique woman became a prolific producer of more than
100 different types of theatrical programs from the world of dance, music,
mime, cabaret, and drama.
Interview with Eva Maze
(1) What motivated you to write
this book?
Life doesn’t always turn out the
way you intend it to, but I can say that the one
I have led has been very long and
fulfilling, and that I am grateful for having lived among so many wonderful
cultures around the world. I just wanted to share my own personal experiences
(and their historical context) with others – beginning with my life in Romania – in the hope of inspiring young people of all
types and backgrounds, and especially women, to believe in themselves, set
goals, pursue their own dreams, but also to remain open to other options when
things don’t turn out professionally the way you want them to. Beginning with
my childhood days in Bucharest, my dream was to become a ballet dancer, but
though I studied ballet in New York and London (at an advanced age) and did
some performing on stage, those days were numbered. Through a series of
circumstances that began with my love for ballet and led me back to Europe as a
married woman after immigrating to the U.S. and graduating from college, my
professional calling instead became that of a successful European impresario
(theatrical producer). For more than 40 years, I ended up touring and representing
some of the most fascinating 20th century performing artists, companies,
and productions from the world of dance, theatre, music, mime, and cabaret, including
The Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Broadway’s West Side Story, the Living Theatre,
and the Swingle Singers. It was important to me that their stories also be
featured in the book.
(2) What is your earliest memory
of ballet?
Seeing my first ballet, Swan
Lake, at the Bucharest Opera House in Romania at the age of seven. I was mesmerized.
3
You seem to be fearless and
completely unafraid to try new things. Why do you think this is?
As an only child, I was a bit
spoiled, but was encouraged by my parents to try different things, especially
by my mother who was a very positive person, and always supported me in whatever
I wanted to do. Though we lived a middle-class lifestyle in Bucharest, I was
also exposed to the arts, including music, ballet, literature, languages,
concerts etc. at an early age – very much in keeping with a European upbringing.
Also, I was a naturally curious child with a vivid imagination, and always
interested in new experiences. It was this curiosity in other cultures that
finally convinced my parents to move to the United States shortly before World
War II broke out in Europe and the Nazis marched into Romania. My insistence to
visit the World’s Fair in NY at the time probably saved our lives.
4
Are ballet dancers are more
difficult to work with than other artists? If so, why do you think that is?
Yes, because ballet is an
extremely precise and demanding art form – and it is grueling. To be admitted
into a ballet company (and rise to the top levels), ballet dancing requires
talent, motivation, and total commitment – often at the expense of a “normal lifestyle”,
which, at times, can lead to loneliness. Much is expected of dancers from their
teachers, choreographers, and the audience itself, and, as the perfectionists
they are, they, in turn, demand much from themselves and others. Being a ballet
dancer requires a certain type of personality that is tenacious and driven. While
the end results can be extremely fulfilling when successful, the frustrations
can also lead to difficult interactions with others.
(5) What do you think is the
most difficult aspect of starting ballet again in adulthood?
Molding your body to the
demanding discipline of the ballet poses and steps, and getting your body to
respond. As a young child, muscle memory and basic steps become engrained into
your body and mind if you start early enough. They become second nature to you,
and you build on them as you get older and advance with the difficulty of the
steps and choreography, especially on toe. Starting later than your early teen
years becomes more difficult, though there are some highly talented ballet
dancers who began in their mid to late teens (Misty Copeland comes to mind, who
started at 13). I also think developing a personal style becomes more of a
challenge the later you start, and you tire more easily.
(6) What advice do you have for
others who want to go back to ballet as adults?
I would say to keep your body very
flexible, to be driven, and to maintain a passion for it. Also, to leave your
options open for other opportunities and types of dance forms, such as modern or
contemporary dance, in case ballet proves to be too much of a challenge. I was
advised to take up character dancing because I was already in my early twenties
when I started ballet in earnest. That, however, lasted only for a few years and,
through a series of circumstances, my short ballet career took a turn for what
led to a new – though related – profession: that of an impresario/producer,
where I ended up touring many ballet companies myself.
(7) What memories do you have of
Margot Fonteyn, Moira Shearer or other famous dancers you worked with?
I remember training with both of
them in class in London just after the War, and exchanging conversations with
them as we waited to take turns at the bar. Margot Fonteyn was a very elegant
woman and always very pleasant. Of course, she was a beautiful dancer as well.
Moira Shearer was very pretty and a good dancer. She had just completed the
ballet movie, The Red Shoes.
(8) What rituals, habits,
routines or superstitions did you have or observe in other dancers?
Some rituals/ superstitions I
remember are the ones of wishing dancers a successful performance by telling
them “merde” in French, or “Hals und Beinbruch” (break a leg) in German prior
to going on stage. I also noticed at times that some dancers made a point of
putting the right or left ballet shoe on before the other. Also, there were some
dancers with whom I interacted who were self-conscious about the shape of their
bodies, and when photographed, had the habit of asking a photographer or
cameraman not to focus on those parts of their bodies they deemed to be a
problem or less attractive – such as over-muscular calves, under-developed insteps,
or poorly aligned backs. Because of the nature of ballet, dancers are unusually
self-conscious of their bodies.
(9) Is there a country you
haven’t been to that you would like to visit?
I have had the wonderful
opportunity of traveling and living around the world my entire life, both
because of my own work as a producer and impresario, and that of my husband’s,
who was employed by Pan Am for close to 50 years. Besides living in the U.S., I
have been to all of the countries in Europe, South America and Asia, as well as
North and West Africa. Two countries I would have loved to have visited – and
didn’t – are Australia and New Zealand.
(10) Do you have any regrets, or
anything you wish you done differently in your life?
No, I set specific goals in my
life and achieved everything I wanted to achieve,
including having
children.
(11) What advice would you give
students hoping to pursue a career in dance?
To be very disciplined,
perseverant, and goal-oriented. Also, not to be afraid of failure (which is
often momentary), and when things do not work out the way you want, to accept
the disappointment without dwelling on it too much, learn from it, and then
pick yourself up and try again. I think this can apply to anything you do in
life. Never give up, and don’t be afraid to go in a different direction. If you
remain open and positive, you will create your own path and a path will be
created for you.
(12) What are some of your
favorite ballet movies and books?
Besides Billy Elliot, which takes place in an English coal town, and White Nights, with Mikhail Baryshnikov, set
in the Soviet Union, my favorite ballet movie would be The Red Shoes with Moira Shearer (whom I had the privilege of
knowing from my London ballet classes in the late 1940s). A fairy tale based on
the conflicts of a young ballerina, who falls in love with the composer of a
ballet, and an impresario who represents the ballet company, it is reminiscent
of the Nijinsky-Diaghilev scandal of the Ballets Russes era, and leads you to a
very surreal and sad ending. I especially remember Moira Shearer’s fiery red
hair…
(13) What do you hope readers
will learn or take away from the book?
That it’s OK to be different and
pursue your dreams, even when facing obstacles; that it’s important to set
goals, challenge yourself and applaud your uniqueness; that patience is a
virtue and will be rewarded; that, when one door closes, another will open; and,
above all, that you maintain a healthy sense of self and passion in whatever
you decide to pursue.
or on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Ballet-Soul-Adventures-Globetrotting-Impresario/dp/0983498385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487949844&sr=8-1&keywords=Ballet+in+My+Soul
