Aleksandar Antonijevic

Posted on: March 2008

Questions & Answers

1. Aleksandar, you have been with the company for over seventeen years, danced all of the major classical male roles and have been showcased in a range of diverse choreography. How is your experience with Rooster different from rehearsing for classical roles?

My experience with Rooster is different in that its style is not something that I encounter on a daily basis. It is a modern choreography infused with some neoclassical and classical elements and a lot of gestures from everyday life as well as little bits of Mick Jagger thrown in. This ballet may not be physically challenging but getting the right feel and look of it is not easy. It was great to have Choreographer Christopher Bruce here and to learn first hand about his wishes and intentions behind the steps.

2. This winter's mixed programme makes use of characters and settings, but the characters are not as defined as in a full-length story ballet. How do you develop your characters in a ballet? What acting techniques do you find useful?

For me, regardless whether a role is based on classical ballet or modern movement the interpretation has to come from what the music is telling me. I believe that every choreographer wants to say something with their work and each movement says something specific. Most of the roles that I have danced in the past were approached instinctively. It has to feel real and true, otherwise it is quite obvious that the artist is searching for the meaning rather than just becoming the character. You have to find your own Romeo or Onegin or in this case Rooster Man (Mick Jagger). I believe that we all have this in us; it is just a question of being brave enough to find it.

3. What music do you listen to in your free time or during warm ups? Do you listen to more Rolling Stones music on your own since Rooster rehearsals began?

I listen to a truly wide range of music. Anything goes, as long as it speaks to me on an emotional level. I could be listening to the great Joan Sutherland or Maxwell or Etta James. The new K.D. Lang album is wonderful as well as Supreme Beings of Leisure. Two years ago I discovered Leela James, who is unbelievably soulful and I also adore our own Measha Brueggergosman, who I look forward to seeing perform with the Opera Atelier in the spring. The Rolling Stones are not my favorite band, but I find that the songs from Rooster are quite soulful and that appeals to me, so I might buy an album of their early work.

4. This season features some unusual music choices for ballets, from Leonard Bernstein to The Rolling Stones to Joni Mitchell. If you could dance in a performance set to any song in the world, which would you choose and why?

There is so much phenomenal music in the world that I don’t even know where to start, but I will mention some of my favorites: Montserrat Caballé singing Casta Diva, Jeff Buckley singing Hallelujah, Mozart’s Requiem, K.D.Lang’s interpretation of Joni Mitchell’s River, Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto, Cesaria Evora singing Besame Mucho and so on. All of these incredible pieces and interpretations connect with something very human in me. When I listen to them, I feel that I am a better person than I was, that I am closer to some divinity up there and that is the place all of us artists strive to reach.

Quotes

The Seagull

"Antonijevic's Trigorin presents a surprising new side of the dancer. He is not only dashing, but downright sexy."

- The Globe and Mail, 2008

The Four Seasons

"There was ravishing dancing throughout with Greta Hodgkinson and Aleksandar Antonijevic in outstandingly fine form..."

- The National Post, 2007

The Four Temperaments

"Veteran principal dancer Aleksandar Antonijevic continues to grow from strength to strength. His Melancholic Variations was mesmerizing - intense, passionate and beautifully performed. He moves in seamless patterns, making choreography a fluid flow of honey rather than a bridge between individual steps."

- The Globe and Mail, 2006