Sorry if it sounds strange - but what do you think makes a ballerina successful? Why do some technically gifted, expressive and artistic dancers never rise out of obscurity?
It’s a great question! I often think about it, because I have been trying to apply what I have learned from ballet dancers to my own life and work. I have been reading and listening to famous dancers talk about what makes a successful career, and I think it comes down to a combination of three elements:
This TED talk about the power of GRIT is very interesting and applicable to both ballet and our everyday lives:
The reason I’m stating my answer by sharing this video is that I believe that when it comes to success grit, ultimately, trumps talent. This is something I’ve learned from listening to Nikolai Tsiskaridze and Diana Vishneva.
Both Diana and Professor Lyudmila Kovaleva have said multiple times that Vaganova Ballet Academy did not expect much from Diana when she was admitted into the first grade (having failed the audition once already). Diana didn’t meet the VBA requirements and was accepted merely because Professor Kovaleva had a hunch. Grit was what immediately distinguished Diana from her classmates and quickly propelled her to the top of the class. Grit is also one of her significant characteristics to this day.
On the other hand, we have Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who was tailor-made for ballet and achieved extraordinary success very early on. In fact, he was so successful, that by the time he arrived at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy at the ripe old age of 13, he was convinced of his own superiority (by his own account). Nikolai also admits that he was very lazy and did not see the point of hard work since he was already better than everyone else. This attitude would surely have ruined him, no matter how naturally gifted he was if it wasn’t for Petr Pestov. Pestov saw the boy’s extraordinary talent, but he also saw his vanity and laziness, and he proceeded to, quite literally, beat the latter two qualities out of Nikolai. Grit didn’t come naturally to Nikolai. It was instilled in (beaten into) him by Pestov.
So there you have it: grit was what made Diana, and lack of grit could have destroyed Nikolai.
Next, we have PERSONALITY. The photo above is of a very young Deborah Bull. Before I discovered Nikolai Tsiskaridze, Deborah Bull was the centre of my ballet universe. You may find this surprising, but Tsiskaridze and Bull share many qualities, most notably - their intelligence, knowledge and dedication to the arts sector as a whole. The significant difference between them is their personalities. Bull is reserved and plays by the rules, Nikolai approaches career and work with the subtlety of a runaway freight train.
I read most of Bull’s books and many of her interviews. What has stuck with me the most is her dismay when, towards the end of her career, she realised that playing by the rules and doing what she was told has seriously held her back. I remember reading that, looking back, she wished she had rocked the boat more and had fought for what she wanted.
Lastly, we have LUCK. Sadly, this is the one thing that no one can control. So much of the dancer’s success depends on the people around them and the timing. The priorities of the company’s artistic directors play a HUGE role…
Tsiskaridze is probably the best example of an extremely fortunate person. His career happened solely because several very powerful people had taken note of him and decided to help and protect him.
It didn’t matter that Nikolai was the best student in his year at BBA, he never would’ve been hired by the Bolshoi if Grigorovich hadn’t unexpectedly appeared at the state graduation exams that day and overruled the Bolshoi committee, ordering them to hire Nikolai.
He never would’ve survived at the Bolshoi had Semyonova, Ulanova and Grigorovich not taken a very active interest in him and had spent years fighting his battles for him. It really, really didn’t matter that Nikolai was the best BBA graduate since Malakhov. Company life, especially during those times, is largely about politics.
[EDIT] I hope my answer is helpful. I didn’t include talent on my list because by the way the question was posed, I take it as a given. My aim was to look at why certain gifted dancers may not be succeeding in their careers. I have also left out PRIORITIES because I don’t think it applies to too many dancers. I was thinking of Olesya Novikova, and how she would’ve advanced further in her career had she not chosen to concentrate on her family. No judgement there, by the way. I admire Novikova and her commitment to staying true to herself and making choices that make her the happiest.
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