[Interview] The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi: a time to reflect（３）
https://www.gramilano.com/2020/08/interview-the-royal-ballets-yasmine-naghdi-a-time-to-reflect/
長い間舞台から離れなければならないケガをしたことはある？
Have you ever had injuries that have kept you off stage for a lengthy period?
ケガについてはとてもラッキーなの。16歳の時にシンスプリントを痛めたの。トレーニングで症状を抑えて、身体が成長するとともに要求に応えられるようになったわ。ダンスをやめることはなかったけれど、向こう筋のねじれのために3週間ジャンプをやめなければいけなかった。若いときは戻るのも早い。ダンスをしているからなったケガだからある意味後戻りをしなければいけなかった。あちこちに軽い痛みはあるけれど1日か2日かで気にならなくなるし、深刻なものはないわ
I have been incredibly lucky with injuries. I had one injury, which was shin splints, when I was 16 years old, and I put that down to training at the same time as growing with the body having to keep up with the demands. I never stopped dancing, but I had to stop jumping for about three weeks because of the strain it was putting on my shins. As you’re young, you bounce back quite quickly. That was the only dance-related injury where I had to sort of take a step back. There have been other niggles here and there, which maybe took a day or two, but nothing severe.
だけど、去年の夏の休暇で岩の多い海岸を歩いていたときにバランスを崩して大きな岩が揺れて地面に悪い形で落ちてしまったの。少し高いところだって、左のくるぶしから落ちてしまって、信じないでしょうがグレープフルーツくらいに腫れたの。もちろん、休暇中に私はパニックになって足が折れたかと思ったわ。地元の病院まで車で行って、レントゲンを取ってもらって、折れてはいなかったけど思い捻挫だったの
However, last summer we were on holiday and I was walking on a rocky beach. I lost my balance when a boulder kind of shook loose and I landed really badly. It was at a bit of a height and I dropped down on my left ankle and, I kid you not, it swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. Of course, being on holiday, I’m panicking, and I thought immediately that I’d broken it. We drove to the local hospital, and I managed to get an x-ray which ruled out a break, but there was a severe sprain.
クレムリン宮殿で白鳥の湖を踊るまで5週間くらいしかなかった。とても興奮して楽しみにしていたけどフェッテは全部左足でするでしょう。それまでにそのときほどひどい捻挫をしたことがなかったから元に戻るまでどれくらいかかるかわからなかった。踊れなくなるほどのケガをしたのはその時が初めてだった。6週間から8週間くらいだったかしら。だけど、土壇場になって自分はとてもラッキーだと思ったの。ほかの多くのダンサーたちが経験している踊れない期間と比べたら長くない。前部十字靭帯を切ってしまったら復帰まで1年かかるし、精神面のダメージはもっと時間がかかる。だから私は本当に、本当にラッキーだと思った。ダンスと関係ないケガだったのがちょっとばかだったけど
I had something like five weeks until I was meant to do Swan Lake at the Kremlin Palace. It was something I was really excited about and looking forward to, but of course, you’ve got all the fouettés on that left foot. I’d never had such a severe sprain before, so I had no idea of how long it would take to get that strength back. That was the first injury I’ve ever had that took me completely off dancing for, I’d say, about six to eight weeks. But, in the grand scheme of things, I consider myself still incredibly lucky because that’s not long compared to what a lot of other dancers have had to go through. People that have had a snapped ACL need a year to recover and stress fractures can take a lot longer. So I still consider myself really, really lucky. It’s just silly that it was unrelated to dance.
こういうことは私が気を付けていなかったから起こるんだとたくさんの人に言われた。両親に何度も言ったのだけど、たくさんの難しいバレエを踊って、危険があって、ケガをしそうになる瞬間が舞台で起こって、だけど私はかすり傷なしに舞台から立ち去っている。そして休日にくるぶしから落ちてしまう。そっちの方が信じられないわ
So many people have said that to me that these things happen when you’re off your guard. I said to my parents over and over that I couldn’t believe the amount of difficult ballets I’ve done, the risks that I’ve taken, the near injury moments that have happened to me on stage and yet I walk away unscathed. And then on holiday I fall badly on my ankle and this happens. It’s unbelievable.
マノンのミストレス役を2回踊れなくて、クレムリンでの舞台はキャンセルしなくてはいけなかった。1月までかかったわ、痛みなく踊れるまで6か月かかった。ケガからの復帰の最初の舞台はライブシネマでのコンチェルトのパドドゥだったけどプレッシャーはなかったわ。次の舞台は眠れる森の美女の開幕の夜だったけど、それもプレッシャーはなかった
I missed dancing the mistress in Manon, two performances, and I had to cancel the performances at the Kremlin. It took me until January, so a good six months, to dance without pain. My first performance back from that injury was a live cinema relay when I danced the second movement pas de deux of Concerto, so no pressure! And then my second performance back was the opening night of Sleeping Beauty. So again…
精神面の強さと身体面の驚異的な強さが治癒に働いたのでしょうね。ケガをしたらどうなるか多く学んだことでしょう
The power of the mind and the amazing power of the body to heal… it teaches you a lot to have an injury like that.
この時期に何を踊る予定でしたか？デビュー作品を逃しましたか？
What should you have been dancing in this in this period? Are you missing out on any debuts?
シーズンで残っていたのはLive Fire Exercise、プロディガル・サンとコリンバスの遊戯のトリプルビルで、私はLive Fire Excerciseのデビューの予定でしたが、それはなくなりました。それとマシュー・ボールと踊る予定だった白鳥の湖の舞台が3回。白鳥の湖は大好きだからとても残念だったからそれからもずっと白鳥の湖の練習を続けて最初に踊ってから2年後の2018年にもう一度踊ることができた
I had a couple of Wayne McGregor works because what was remaining of the rest of our season was the Live Fire Exercise, Prodigal Son and Corybantic Games bill and I was meant to debut in Live Fire Exercise, so I’ve missed out on that. Also, there were my three Swan Lake performances that I was due to dance with Matthew Ball. That was quite sad because I love Swan Lake as I really connect with this ballet and I was revisiting it for the second time after having danced it for the first time two years ago in 2018.
今年の最初の舞台の予定だった日にケヴィンから電話があって、とてもやさしい声だったの。19:30で、通常なら舞台が始まる時間で、彼が「君のことを考えていたんだ。本当なら今、白鳥の湖の舞台の幕が上がろうとしていて、みんな舞台を観る準備ができていたんだよ。これが起こらないことが超現実的になってしまった」と言うの。それから私はその夜時計を見ては「20:30ね。白の場面が終わって幕が下りるわ」とか「最後に幕が下りてきた」とか「今地下鉄に乗って家に帰るところ」とか思っていた。全てが起こるであろうタイミングを追っていったの。そうせざるを得なかった
On the scheduled day of my first performance this year, I got a phone call from Kevin, my director, it was so sweet. It was 7.30, which is usually our start time, and he said, “I was just thinking of you. I can’t believe that now the curtain would be going up on Swan Lake, and we would have all been settling down to watch the show. It’s just so surreal to think that it’s not happening.” Then, for the whole evening, I was looking at the clock going, “OK, it’s 8.30, and the curtain would have been down after the white act,” and, “Now I would have been doing fouettés,” and, “Now the curtain would have been coming down at the end,” and “Now I would have been on the tube home.” I was kind of following it with the timings for everything would have been happening… I couldn’t help it.
電話をかけてくるなんてとても思慮に満ちているわね
It’s thoughtful that he called you.
とてもうれしいわよね。ケヴィンは手帳を見てその日が私の舞台の日だったと気づいたのですって。その夜に電話があって話ができたのはよかったわ
So lovely. Kevin said he looked in his diary and saw that it was our performance that night. It was nice to get a call from him and just have a general chat.
私はウェイン・マクレガーのダンテプロジェクトにキャスティングされていただろうと思うの。キャスティングには触れられていないけれど、そういう情報があった。それから7月にはドンカスターへのツアーがあった。そうたくさんではないけれど白鳥の湖ができなかったのは残念だわ。たくさんの舞台公演が失われたけれど、すぐに戻ってくる感じがする。素晴らしいバレエと観客を喜ばせるものがあるのだから
Also, I think I was going to be involved in the sequel to [Wayne McGregor’s] The Dante Project. No casting had really been mentioned, but it was in the pipeline. Some rehearsals were due to start during the first week of lockdown. Then we had a tour to Doncaster that we would have been doing in July. So not too much, but I felt bad about the Swan Lakes. I have a feeling it might return soon because we missed so many performances and it’s such a wonderful ballet and such an audience pleaser.
Why do you love Swan Lake? Some dancers don’t enjoy its challenges.
You know, you either love it or hate it, I think. I’ve always been someone that loves a challenge and pushing myself to try and achieve something that’s hard to reach. It then feels even better if it goes well, and you just think, “Oh, I’ve done it. I’ve achieved what I dreamed of.”
Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake are the two hardest classical ballets in the repertoire without a doubt. When you dance either of those ballets, and you feel that you’ve done them well, it’s the best feeling in the world to hear that audience applaud after all the hard work you put in.
In Swan Lake, I love the contrast of the roles; being two people in the same ballet. I love dancing very quietly, peacefully, and gracefully as the white swan.
With that wonderful music – especially played live in a theatre.
Of course, the music is so famous and, as you say, live music is just irreplaceable for the feeling that it gives you.
And then you morph into the black swan.
Putting on that costume starts the change, and then the headdress goes on, and the makeup becomes more dramatic, and then you see yourself in this stunning black glittering tutu and you have to be a completely different person. It’s really adrenalin-fuelled. You’ve got that balance in arabesque, and you’re building up to it and, although you’re tired, you have to contain yourself. Then you’ve got this very long solo with the menège at the end, and so you’re even more tired when you have to come on and do 32 fouettés well, so it’s a great challenge. I love that feeling when it goes well, and that’s why I really love this ballet.
Have you been watching some of the dance videos that companies have been offering online?
Yes, I have. It’s so wonderful. I was just thinking that during this time what’s really helping people is art. That’s why it’s so important for people to have that escapism through various means, be it through music or through movement. Having ballet streamed has offered people a little moment to forget about what’s going on in the world right now and allow themselves to be transported a little. I tuned in to all of the Royal Ballet screenings, the Mayerling from Stuttgart, and the various videos that are coming from Russian companies. I saw English National Ballet’s Dust, which was really beautiful, and Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns – that was really interesting.
Just dance?
I am not a ballet bunhead, so to speak. I’m not someone who watches ballet videos all day. I never really was. They inspired me obviously, and from time to time, yes, but I would never want to be completely immersed in it, day and night. I love having a normal life alongside my ballet life. It’s different for everyone, and some people need to be in it all the time, but for me, I love the balance, that work/life balance. And I think it makes me appreciate it more when I come back to it.
So in terms of non-ballet stuff, we’ve been watching a lot of Netflix – I heard that their shares have completely skyrocketed during this time. I really enjoy watching Killing Eve, which is on BBC iPlayer.
I also watched a documentary about Manolo Blahnik, the shoe designer [MANOLO: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards], which is fantastic. He’s such a character, really upbeat – the kind of guy you just want to be best friends with. I started Ozark because everyone was talking about it, but it didn’t click with me for some reason.
It’s very dark.
VERY dark. I wanted to like it so badly because everyone was just raving and raving about it, but unfortunately, no. We’ve also watched a Spanish series called Elite, which is fun, full of very good looking people at a school, but when three students from an underprivileged background arrive on a scholarship, someone gets murdered. It’s kind of a murder mystery. It’s definitely glossy, but it’s been great for quarantine, and it’s got a really nice soundtrack.
I also love watching Chef’s Table on Netflix. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of those.
I’m a fan.
Oh, I’m so glad, me too. I’ve been watching a lot of those because it’s really artistic. I said to my boyfriend that these chefs are artists expressing themselves through their food.
I remember you telling me that you love cooking.
I’m doing a lot of cooking, and this has been the perfect time because I’m not exhausted, and I’m not limited with time. At the end of the workday, when I finish at 6.30 and come home, I just want to make a really quick pasta to get my carbs, with some chicken for example, and I don’t have time or energy to experiment. Now, during this time, I’ve been experimenting with different cuisines: some Chinese fusion food and a lot of Italian food. I’m trying to perfect my spaghetti alle vongole which is really good.
I’ll believe you.
No really! We’re making fresh pasta, and we’ve bought basil plants. Having an Italian around the house has taught me to buy high-quality ingredients all the time, which I really appreciate. So that’s been something I’ve enjoyed. Dinner is being planned right from the morning.
You sound very positive and happy, but I imagine you’ve had some down moments too?
We’re only human. Yes, of course there are down days, most definitely. We’re all going through ups and downs and sometimes I kind of just wake up feeling a bit low and uninspired. On those days, I’ve learned not to get angry at myself at feeling that way, and if I want a day to just sort of be in a slump, I have to let myself and I shouldn’t fight that feeling. I shouldn’t try and push past it because then I irritate myself even more. I’m getting a really good amount of sleep every night, so I can’t blame it on being tired, but I’ve learned to understand myself and those days.
I think that quarantine time has taught me to listen to my body in a psychological way rather than just how it is feeling, like “Oh, I’m tired because I went from 10.30 to 6.30 yesterday,” or, “I had a late performance last night.”
On those days I just try and get out of the house and get some fresh air, because it can be hard staying in all the time. I know that with you in Italy it is even more strict than it is here. We’ve been so lucky being allowed to go up to the park, allowed to do exercise outdoors. So I’ll try and push myself to go for a run, which, you know, get those endorphins going.
Are you keep in contact with friends and share these feelings with them?
Oh yes. It’s been great taking time to call people and chat to people a little bit more. There was a time that I was calling my colleagues on a daily basis and I thought, you know what, I’m actually talking to them more than I would normally at work because I would be in rehearsal here and they would be there. It’s been nice to connect with people.
What other positive things will you take away from this quarantine period?
I hope that coming out of this will give people a lot of positivity. I think it will definitely change the way people think about life in general, about what’s important. All the material things are not as important as people thought, and I’ve been appreciating the simple things in life. Being able to go to the supermarket and then make a good meal is a simple pleasure. I found myself returning to some old ways.
For example?
We bought some board games and have been playing those together. You know, we’ve been playing Scrabble quite a lot. I’ve been really enjoying it, and I would never have done that. I think it’s taking time to do things that we used to enjoy doing back in the day.
It’s definitely made me far more appreciative about things that we have but usually took for granted. Being able to give your best friend a hug, you know, or being able to see your family regularly. It’s kind of crazy, but I’ve not seen my sister since January. She went on a skiing trip before the lockdown and then decided to stay in Normandy with her French boyfriend.
It’s been such a stressful time for so many – especially the key workers who are working to save people’s lives or the people who are ill at the moment. I think it’s made me grateful to be in my position, keeping in mind all of those who are really going through a difficult time. It is a great time for reflection in general.