Q&A
Q&AWhen did you start dancing?
At 4 years old.
Why did you start dancing?
As a child, I was always dancing around the house so it made sense.
What's your favourite role?
Giselle.
What role have you never played but would like to?
I would love to dance the role of Baroness Mary Vetsera in Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling
Who is your favourite choreographer?
I could never pick a favourite!
Who is your favourite director?
I love Scorsese films.
Which is your favourite city?
The one where I live, Toronto.
What do you like most about yourself?
Loyalty.
When and where were you happiest?
Right now.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family.
What is your greatest fear?
Being buried alive.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To have more patience.
Greta Hodgkinson: photo by Sian RichardsWhat do you consider your greatest achievement?
Balancing a career and a family.
What is your most treasured possession?
My health.
On what occasion do you lie?
To avoid hurting someone unnecessarily.
If you hadn't been a dancer what would you have liked to do?
A chef or a musician.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Humour.
What quality do you most value in a friend?
Loyalty.
What quality do you most value in a colleague?
Integrity.
Which living person do you most admire?
My 98 year old grandmother.
What do you most dislike?
Ignorance.
What talent would you most like to have?
To be able to play the cello or piano.
How would you like to die?
I wouldn't, but if I had to, painlessly in my sleep
What is your motto?
“This too shall pass.”
Greta Hodgkinson – a biography
Greta Hodgkinson and Aleksandar Antonijevic in Romeo and Juliet – photo by Sian RichardsBorn in Providence, Rhode Island and trained at the Festival Ballet of Rhode Island and Canada's National Ballet School, Greta Hodgkinson joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1990 and has been a Principal Dancer since 1996.
Ms. Hodgkinson has performed every leading role in the classical repertoire to critical acclaim and her talents extend to the contemporary repertoire as well. She has had numerous roles created for her by world renowned choreographers and has worked closely with William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, James Kudelka, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor and Crystal Pite.
As a guest artist, Ms. Hodgkinson has appeared with The Kirov Ballet (International Ballet Festival Mariinsky), Teatro alla Scala, The Australian Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Munich Ballet, Teatro Comunale di Firenze, Opening Gala of the Royal Opera House, The State Kremlin Palace, Gala des Étoiles and international ballet galas in the USA, Canada, Russia and Europe. Ms. Hodgkinson was invited to tour Japan dancing Swan Lake with K-Ballet, partnered by Tetsuya Kumakawa and she also performed at The World Ballet Festival in Tokyo, Japan with frequent partner Roberto Bolle. Her partners have also included Carlos Acosta, Marcelo Gomes, Massimo Murru, Laurent Hilaire, Federico Bonelli, Robert Tewsley, Jason Reilly, Evan McKie and Steven McRae.
In 2000, Ms. Hodgkinson was nominated for the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse for her role as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. In 2000 and 2001, Dance Europe voted her Best Performance by a Female Dancer for her interpretation of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and for Summer in The Four Seasons.
Her film credits include the title role in Roxana, based on the novel by Daniel Defoe, the title role in The Firebird, Summer in The Four Seasons, A Dancer's Story – 50 Years of The National Ballet of Canada (dancing The Sleeping Beauty pas de deux) and a featured role in The Rings of Saturn, directed by Moze Mossanen. In 2009, she appeared as Margot Fonteyn in the Bravo! TV docudrama, Nureyev and in 2010, made a guest appearance on the premiere of the Canadian comedy television series Baxter.
Top photo: Greta Hodgkinson by Sian Richards
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
We share a name, but that’s about all unfortunately. She was wonderful as Juliet in London.
I’ve been privileged to see Greta dance many times. Besides her talent and grace, she is a most reliable dancer, always giving a beautiful performance with a little more than one would expect. She is one of the National Ballet’s greatest treasures.