Entrevistas

Version Española

Although many people know her as "the sister of...” Carmen Corella is much more than the elder sister of one of the most important dancers of the world.
Associate Artistic Director and Principal Dancer at Corella Ballet, she has been dancing with her so talented brother since they both were child. Like him, she has spent most of her career at one of the most prestigious companies of the world, the American Ballet Theatre. Today neither she nor her brother will be dancing at Odette/Odile & Sigfried’s rhythms, but they will be, on the stalls him, and behind the scene her, keeping fingers crossed so that the refined work they have created shines on stage with Swan Lake.

Neither Ángel nor you will be on stage and nevertheless tickets for the five performances were sold out... At the end that desire about people going to see the Corella Ballet, no matter if his founder will be dancing or not, come true.  
Yes, the truth is that there aren’t any tickets left for the five days and today there even was a queue at the box office in case any season-ticket holder wanted to sell at the scalping. People have responded very well. These two years of running have allowed people to be aware of the category and quality of the project. People have very well realized that Ángel has bet for a high level company and not for a group that only surrounded his participation.

Ángel and you have been dancing together from your early childhood.
Yes, we have been together from the beginning, as well at school as at the company here in Spain and at the ABT later on.

Ballet is a very competitive activity, how has the fact of being brother and sister influenced you on this? 
What has helped Ángel and me much has been that we are boy and girl and this means that there is not any competitiveness as roles are completely different. On the other hand, the fact that Ángel was born with such a so great natural talent has made it easy for me to develop my own career; I have been lucky enough to be able to see through him the nice side of dance and not only the sacrifice. In addition, I guess I have also contributed to help him to get ready to weak up to go to class. In that sense I was a bit more conscious, as I was not born with his conditions; on a certain way, we have been a point of support for each other.

Herman Cornejo y Adiarys Almeida, in Swan Lake

It is the first time, after 22 years, that Swan Lake will be staged by a Spanish company. Being as it is a so emblematic ballet, what are the difficulties why any other company has, up to now, dared to undertake it?
Swan Lake is a very easy ballet to stage, but it is very difficult to be staged well, and mainly it is a rather expensive production. Nobody finds it interesting to undertake so much effort and sacrifice. And well, here there are a group of crazy ones that have dared to do it.

I have read somewhere that Ángel has included a bit of contemporary on this version.
No, it has not. Basically it is about the pure and classical Swan Lake history without any change. I think that the greatest risk has been about one of the production posters, I do not know if you have seen it. We have made different posters, one on the white swan, another one about a woman turning to a swan and the last one about black swan.
I think that the boldest -a part from that present vision Ángel has had on choreography, staging and dressings- has been that poster as it was me who was transformed, me who at the end have not been able to dance, as the dancer who was due to be my partenaire has had a personal problem and has had to return to his country. So I decided not to dance at the premiere. But this is the most neoclassical of the production,
because I am naked on the poster, but as for the rest it is totally classical, a Swan Lake at its most pure style

So, neither you nor Ángel will be dancing these days?
No, each of us because of different reasons, but no, we will not be on stage any of these five days.

And what about other cities?
Ah, yes, yes, for sure, both Ángel as I are active. Ángel circumstances are related to the hypoglycemia he has had these latest months. And till they are properly controlled he can not undertake such a complicated process of being choreographer, director and dancer at the same time. My situation is different. Ángel not being so much in rehearsal studies I had to take his place, what lead me to be away from my role as ballerina,
and the situation got more complicated with my partenaire’s problem. I’m quite tall and because of this I have to dance with a dancer who also has a certain height. My circumstances have lead that I can not be on stage because of that and because me replacing Ángel; both of us have bet for the project above our personal situations.

So, this time both aside…
Well, yes it could be seen this way. Ángel logically is who takes care of the general image and what concerns staging and what audience is going to appreciate, I am more behind the scenes, looking for all running properly so that changes are made at the adequate pace etc.

Where do you feel more nervous, on stage or behind the scenes?
This is one of the good things that doing my career besides Ángel has brought to me: any of us feel nervous being on stage. We both think that dancers are dancers because they like it and enjoy doing it. The sensation of responsibility is more for the day by day work,
because one always want to improve technique and try to do things better day by day, but at the very moment you are on stage you are there to enjoy, it is a moment you have been dreaming for all that working process long.  More that nerves what you have is concern so that all works well, that dancers feel comfortable and that audience enjoys the show. I will not call that nerves but responsibility.

Both brothers Corella and Herman Cornejo in a essay in La Granja (L.R.)

You also know what is bench taste, in your case because of injuries. Have you felt fear any time about not being able to dance again?
Several years ago I had a very important injury that nearly made me unable to dance again. It is not that they said me that I will not be able to dance, but they did not ensure me that I could reach the same level I used to. Dance is a very hard and demanding job and if I am not able to do it at one hundred per cent it does not interest me. I had some rather bad years until I could rehabilitate well. Two years ago I broke my knee ligaments again and it is true that you think these are injuries that if you have to face once more you will not be able to cope with, but if it happens you keep on fighting as what you like most is to dance.

Are you going to tour abroad with Swan Lake?
No, not for the time being, this is a production we have tried to adjust to Spanish theaters so that we can tour as much as possible here. What sells best abroad is blood and Spanish dancers; it is a repertoire easier to move mainly at economical level. On the other hand, it must be offered to Spain what other countries have, which are classical ballet productions, that here we are lacking.

I do not know if you are aware of the proposal the Ministry of Culture has made to Nacho Duato...
That about including classical repertoire in his company? Yes.

What do you think about?
Well, if we want to keep on inventing ideas without seeing the reality.... Ideas can raise and it can be many card’s to lay on the table, but if we really want to do things properly, one has to think a bit more about what is being offered. Not looking for a replay we want to hear but searching a solution which is feasible by everybody.

When will we see Swan Lake in Madrid?
I think soon. Tickets sold out very quickly and among theaters this was quickly known. What will happen on stage today will help very much. Audience will see the quality Ángel is working with his company and what we want in Spain which is to not making second class works but that people going to see the company can be sure that it is a matter of total guarantee.

And what is happening with Santa Cecilia’s project?
Santa Cecilia is a development phase of this project that needs a strong economical budget and the budget now has to be devoted to the company. Santa Cecilia’s Palace is a donation of Patrimonio, and the renewal of the site means a figure with many zeros.

We will have to push the Ministry...
yes, I think so, if we carry out the already existing projects there is no need to invent others neither to create surrealistic ones, then all will run better for all of us, but, well, all will come. One has to do things well, step by step, and keeping on demonstrating,
not promising but demonstrating.