Interview with Angelin Preljocaj

Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: Angelin Preljocaj, you present yourself as a choreographer and dancer, but also as a migratory bird. Why is that?

AP: "I was born in France but my parents are Albanian political refugees, so I was conceived in the Balkans. I spent my entire childhood immersed in this dual culture. On the one hand, especially at school, there was all the intelligence and enlightenment of France. On the other, it was a much more archaic world, with rather mysterious qualities and traditions. My work was built on this hybridization. I realized this quite late on, but it's obvious. That's why I call it a migratory bird. And also, because the very essence of my profession, live performance, is to go out and meet audiences all over the world. Of course, there's always a return to our roots, which is now the Pavillon Noir, which is a bit like our matrix. It's here that things are created and emerge, it's the place where lightning strikes."

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: You initiated the first edition of the European Junior Ballet Encounters. Why you?

AP: "I remember very well that training was a very important moment for me, and the fact that there were places for creation was already important at the time. Today, in the same way, I wanted to be a relay for the stages and moments I experienced myself as a young dancer. That's what I wanted when I created the Ballet Preljocaj Junior, to enable this transcendence, between the moment when you go from student to artist and performer. The Ballet Preljocaj Junior curriculum is a real bridge-builder, with young people arriving as students and leaving as artists.”

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: Does the creation of this event meet a need in the sector?

AP: "Yes, this Aix-en-Provence event is a follow-up to the meetings between schools that took place at the end of 2023 at the Cannes Dance Festival. The project was inspired by the existing theater project. The idea is to enable young companies and top schools to show their work to the public and meet each other. Creating an event will encourage audiences to discover them and see them as artists in their own right. I'm campaigning for the creation of permanent positions for contemporary dance.

And then, of course, on a broader level, the idea of bringing these young dancers together goes back to the notion of the group, of the artistic tribe. This is an important value for us.

Working in a company means connecting with others, working on the link, not just on individuality. For a young dancer, it's important to have this acute awareness of collaborative work and the link with others.”

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: What makes the Rencontres des Ballets Juniors Européens a unique event?

AP: "By offering performances, roundtables and master classes, this edition consolidates an entire network of training and professional integration, showcasing the work of all these schools and young ballets, and of course discovering the talents of tomorrow.

We note that 95% of the dancers who have passed through the Ballet Preljocaj Junior, since its creation in 2015, have found work in companies, whether in Europe or elsewhere. Information has spread, and we see young people from all over Europe arriving at every audition. This is an important guarantee for a young performer."

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: When you were a non-professional dancer, what was it like for you?

AP: "I was accepted at the Schola Cantorum by Karin Waehner, who took me in and practically trained me in contemporary dance. Then I went to New York where I discovered the work of Merce Cunningham, which was fantastic. When I came back, I went to the CNDC in Angers, then directed by Viola Farber. Then my encounter with Dominique Bagouet was very important for me, but more in terms of creation than training and apprenticeship.

I was a performer and his assistant, and I was able to work very closely with his creativity. It gave me my foot in the door and the pleasure of creating ballets myself. And that's what the European junior ballet meetings are all about: taking a step back. Even when you're in training, you're in a small world, so it's good to meet other small worlds. It's about gaining perspective.”

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: Can Ballet Preljocaj Junior students be selected to join Ballet Preljocaj?

AP: "Yes, every year one or two dancers are selected to join the Ballet Preljocaj. The Ballet Junior has become a sort of antechamber to the Pavillon Noir. ”

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: Is the Ballet Junior Preljocaj training a diploma?

AP: "Of course, and it's highly supervised. The training encompasses several parameters whose artistic and theoretical contributions are quantified and lead to a diploma. Ballet Junior students are on an 11-month apprenticeship contract, after which they receive their DNSP (Diplôme national supérieur professionnel de danseur) from partner school PNSD Rosella Hightower in Cannes Mougins. Guillaume Siard, Director of Pedagogy at the Ballet, will be able to tell you more about them."

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: Are the subjects that will be dealt with at the conferences, such as a dancer's well-being or possible career changes after a career as a dancer, sensitive subjects that are not usually discussed?

AP: "Up until now, I don't think we've put much emphasis on preparation and post-dance for young dancers. I think it's very important, because it also gives us serenity as we get older, to tell ourselves that at some point we'll stop.

At the same time, I've come to realize that you can also do a lot of things with older people. There's something very beautiful about the elderly body, a body inhabited by a maturity of life.”

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: What are your expectations of this first edition?

AP: "I hope it will be a success. I hope it will attract a large audience, as well as professionals, and that it will consolidate the training network."

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: How often do you plan to repeat the event?

AP: "I'd like to do it every year. It's a bit like the glue that holds the project together. These are chance meetings, but we'd like them to be annual events."

The Francis Kurkdjian ED: Is it important for the audience to be there to give the evening performances something to play for?

AP: "Yes, that's it! It's the lifeblood of live performance. It means putting on a show, in the best sense of the word. Showing an artistic experience and sharing it with an audience. The audience acts as a kind of developer, like in photography. All the contrasts appear, and then you understand the photo you've taken. It's much the same here. For the company, until we've given the first performance, we don't really know what we're making. When we're on stage, we don't know whether the audience is moved, interested or intrigued. It's only at the end, with the bows and the applause, that you see the intensity of what's happened.”

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