GTP: Paul, welcome back to Singapore. I understand you have been away during the holidays. Where were you and did you do anything special over this recent break?
PD: Yes, I was married on December 19th, just after finishing performances of La Sylphide. My wife Sakura Shimizu (who dances full-time with SDT) and I went then on our honeymoon in Krabi (Thailand), one of our favorite places.
Then we went on to Hong Kong, where I was guest teacher with the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and the Hong Kong Ballet.
 GTP: Career-wise, you seem to be traveling along a very progressive line that has taken you from professional dancer to ballet master, and now to directing the staging for Coppelia. Will you be bringing anything different to Coppelia that is something audiences should look out for, especially if they are familiar with the work and have watched it before? Can we expect any surprises?
PD: I have been involved over the years in a few different versions of Coppelia, from way back with the London Festival Ballet, and I was an original cast member of the restaging with Dame Peggy Van Praag of the Australian Ballet and then Ballet Master of the Australian Ballet when it was restaged again later. I am now looking at different versions such as De Valois' Royal Ballet production. I want to keep the traditional version that Van Praag obviously learned from De Valois but also I want to put in a lot more mystery and fun into the second act where all the dolls seem to come alive. I would also like to experiment a little with the Dr. Coppelius character, as the Australian Ballet did with its version.
GTP: How would you describe Coppelia to a parent who has children between the ages of four and twelve, and who is considering whether to come and attend the performance with the kids?
PD: I would describe it as a view into a traditional classic ballet, just like when one reads a child a traditional fairy tale such as Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel – Fun to watch and also easy to understand.
GTP: Some people may consider Coppelia a lightweight ballet. Do you agree or disagree?
PD: Well it has been choreographed as lightweight by man but the real story from T E Hoffman ( The Sand Man ) is quite dark. I think there can be a good mix of both but it still remains an entertaining story. 
GTP: Can you share some interesting trivia about Coppelia with us, for instance, things that audiences never get to realize despite having seen the show more than once?
PD: Yes, most people think that the spelling of the lead girl is Swanhilda, but in fact it is Swanilda. The role of Franz the lead male was always danced by a woman, even as late as the 1950s, because the French men who attended the ballet only wanted to see women dancing.
GTP: How different is it to deal with the dancers when you are Ballet Master, and now, when you are directing the production?
PD: It's the same; I find this more fun for all of us. I enjoy working closely with the dancers and this is a good chance for them to give their immediate feedback to me. When it is other people's ballets I am working on, I am committed to do the very exact version and this allows for a more communal feeling.
GTP: How many years have you been working in the field of dance? What first inspired you to take up dance, and what then helped you decide to pursue it as a career?
PD: I have been dancing professionally since I was 14 years old. I started at the age of 8. I always knew that this was what I wanted to do. Fred Astaire inspired me and of course Rudolf Nureyev, whom I eventually worked with.
 GTP: Do you think that dancers today have it easier compared to dancers who were starting out during your time? How has the international dance scene evolved, in your opinion?
PD: In some ways it is harder for the dancers now as choreographers are more demanding (and ask) for more athletic and body crunching moves, but it is still hard in the classics as the classical technique has always been hard work. In our day, we did many more performances with little rest and little money and no physiotherapists or massage privileges. We were on the road a lot but life is what you make of it!
GTP: As Ballet Master, how would you like to see SDT continue to grow, and do you think there are areas where the company can improve in order to meet the current and coming challenges?
PD: I would like to see the company grow in size to about 30 dancers. Then we could  do bigger productions. I would like to see that official acknowledgement that we are a flagship company and for sponsors to support us realistically for what we do. Overall, I hope for more performances and more tours overseas.
GTP: In just a few sentences, tell us why we should come and see Coppelia if we have seen it before, possibly even a production of it staged by SDT in previous years.
PD: This will be an almost 100% new production, so it will be refreshed. There will be humour, laughter, and the beautiful music of Leo Delibes, Everyone can understand and enjoy the story and will go out humming the tunes.
Coppelia will be performed by the Singapore Dance Theatre from 23 to 25 March, 2007, 8pm, at the Victoria Theatre. Tickets are available from SISTIC on 6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg. You can also purchase tickets and make corporate or group bookings at special discounts from SDT via ticketing@singaporedancetheatre.com or by contacting us on 6338-0611. |
