Dance Quotes

In no other art can one find a comparable gap between what the world thinks of a star and what the star thinks about himself or herself, between the adulation that pours in from outside and the relentless dissatisfaction that goads one from within.

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^{Susan Sontag, Dancer and the Dance, Vogue 1986}

Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.

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^{George Carlin (1937-2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, and author.}

We cannot, should not, dance everything. Ballet must remain closely linked to dance itself: ballet cannot be the illustration of any other art. Ballet should not borrow its rhythmic shape from music. Ballet can freely exist without musical accompaniment. When a ballet is closely linked to its score, the rhythmic base must be dictated by the choreographer and not the composer. The choreographer must not be the slave of the painter/designer. A free and independent choreographic theatre must be created.

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^{In 1935 Serge Lifar published Le manifesto du chorégraphe his confessio fidei (“confession of faith”), proposing laws about the independence of choreography.}

I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.

I had to find a music that thinks like a body, not a mind. You allow it to breathe; it’s a very graceful thing to do as a composer, to go in one direction as long as you like.

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^{Thomas Adès on composing Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project}

In a society that worships love, freedom and beauty, dance is sacred. It is a prayer for the future, a remembrance of the past and a joyful exclamation of thanks for the present.

Today I see young dancers who think they are doing well because they have a million followers. But the followers have seen snapshots, short videos. Ballet is about a full narrative. You need to tell a story to people in real life. That is the art.

Leaving the ground always feels amazing to me. In some roles I am like a sprinter, a muscle machine. In others – like Giselle – I can be a cloud, a ghost. When I am in the air it can feel like time stops for me. I can feel everything in the room.

There’s a proverb, ‘if you talk to a man about himself, he will listen for hours’, and I think that’s key. If people feel represented onstage, they’re going to be leaning in.

Aren’t all ballets sexy? I think they should be. I can think of nothing more kinky than a prince chasing a swan around all night.