| Rocio Aleman was born in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2008 she went to Stuttgart to train at the John Cranko Schule, in 2011 she joined the Stuttgart Ballet becoming Principal Dancer in 2021. |
Q&A
When did you start dancing?
I started dancing at age 9.
Why did you start dancing?
Honestly, I don’t have a particular reason. I just knew I wanted to do it and was super insistent with my parents (since age 4!) to sign me up for a ballet class. I had to wait until I turned 9.
Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
I grew up watching one of the very first videos, I think on YouTube, of Sylvie Guillem. I also loved watching Julie Kent and Paloma Herrera.
Which dancer do you most admire?
I admire Marcia Haydée and Sue Jin Kang. As legendary former stars of the Stuttgart Ballet, they left a mark that still lives in our company. Their artistry, presence, and human depth continue to move and inspire me.
What’s your favourite role?
It’s really hard to pick just one, but if I had to, I’d say Tatiana in Cranko’s Onegin and Marguerite Gautier in Neumeier’s The Lady of the Camellias. It’s such a gift to portray these characters and to bring everything I’ve experienced as a human being into those roles. I feel very grateful to have danced them. They were always a dream of mine.
What role have you never played but would like to?
I’d love to dance MacMillan’s Manon and Béjart’s Boléro one day. Who knows, maybe the chance will come.
What’s your favourite ballet to watch?
That’s also a hard one. I’d say any dramatic ballet. I connect deeply with them, and it’s beautiful to see how the same piece can be expressed so differently by each dancer. That’s the beauty of our art form.
Who is your favourite choreographer?
I’ll say choreographers: Cranko, the DNA of our company, John Neumeier, and Jiří Kylián. The depth in their work is incredible, and I love how each one focuses on the human side of the dancer.
Who is your favourite writer?
I really enjoy reading Miguel Ruiz for his depth, and Colleen Hoover. Her novels are more modern and light, perfect for when I want to unwind with some good fiction.
Who is your favourite theatre or cinema director?
I feel proud of my fellow Mexican directors: Guillermo del Toro, Iñárritu, and Alfonso Cuarón.
Who is your favourite actor?
I’d say Patrick Dempsey.
Who is your favourite singer?
Adele and lately Xavier Rudd.
What is your favourite book?
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz, and Ikigai. I’m drawn to books that invite reflection and offer a different perspective on life, but I also enjoy fiction, especially when I want something lighter and emotional, like Colleen Hoover’s stories.
What is your favourite film?
Life is Beautiful, The Pursuit of Happiness, and the whole Harry Potter saga.
Which is your favourite city?
Can I name countries? I’d say Switzerland, Italy, and of course, Mexico.
What do you like most about yourself?
My openness and ability to understand different perspectives. It helps me connect more with people.
What do you dislike about yourself?
Sometimes I can be a bit indecisive.
What was your proudest moment?
Being able to create an intercultural project between my old Mexican ballet school and the Stuttgart Ballet. It was a lot of work alongside my ballet career, but seeing how the students in Mexico responded made me realize it was all worth it. It also made me feel like I want to keep creating more in the future.
When and where were you happiest?
I had a beautiful childhood, and now as an adult, I’m happiest when I find myself being truly present in whatever I do.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My family.
What is your greatest fear?
Losing someone I love, not having done anything meaningful or helpful for others in life, and deep water.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Sometimes I take myself too seriously.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Dancing where I dance today. But I don’t see it just as my achievement. It belongs to my parents, my teachers, and everyone who has believed in me along the way.
What is your most treasured possession?
A very simple red bracelet from Mexico. Everyone who knows me knows I can’t leave the house without it.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Having my whole family, loved ones, and myself healthy. That’s the greatest luxury.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Multitasking. It’s something we tend to celebrate, but we live in such a fast-paced world that simply being fully present feels underrated.
On what occasion do you lie?
I rarely do. I don’t handle guilt very well.
If you hadn’t been a dancer, what would you have liked to be?
An architect.
What is your most marked characteristic?
My perfectionist side – it can be great and also not so great.
What quality do you most value in a friend?
Being there through good and bad times. Not necessarily physically – emotionally is enough.
What quality do you most value in a colleague?
Solidarity and respect. Being open to learning from one another.
Which historical figure do you most admire?
Frida Kahlo – for her raw honesty, her strength, and the way she turned pain into powerful art. She always stayed true to herself and her roots.
Which living person do you most admire?
My parents and the legendary Georgette Tsinguirides. They’re all true fighters in their own way. My parents gave everything so I could follow my dream, and Georgette, at 97, lives with the spirit of someone in her 40s. Her passion for dance is endless, but what inspires me most is how she, like my parents, reminds me that above all I’m human. And that’s where the art truly begins.
What do you most dislike?
Insincerity.
What talent would you most like to have?
Can I change talent to superpower? If so, teleportation.
What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
I’m learning (or still learning) that happiness is the perspective I choose to bring into every day, and every situation life puts in front of me.
How would you like to die?
If I could, I wouldn’t like to die. But since that’s unrealistic, I’d like to die without any regrets.
What is your motto?
Every morning when I wake up, I ask myself: How would I like to spend these next 24 hours I’ve been given?
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.