MARIA ILIEVA: BALLET AS A WAY OF LIFE

The effortless elegance of a ballerina, her smooth movements, impeccable posture and beautiful costumes, the music... There is hardly a girl or a woman who had not dreamed of being a ballet dancer at least once. Many have tried it, only to discover that all this beauty is possible only after rigorous training and countless sacrifices.

Maria Ilieva, the charismatic prima of Sofia Opera and Ballet, knows all about the glamour and the hardship of this enchanting art. Masha, as she is also known, graduated from the prestigious Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in Sankt Petersburg and then started working in the Sofia Opera and Ballet. She was the prima there for the following 20 years, performing all leading roles in the troupe's repertoire: Gizelle, Odette/Odile, Kitri, Marie in The Nutcracker and Marguerite in The Lady of the Camellias.

Maria Ilieva also pursued a teaching career. She became a professor and got a PhD degree, and teaches in the National Academy of Music in Sofia. She is still actively engaged in the work and life of Sofia Opera and Ballet, where she is the producer and choreographer of the superproduction The Sleeping Beauty and other shows.

In 1995, Maria Ilieva opened her private ballet school. There, she still teaches her art to girls and women.

What did ballet teach you about success?

Ballet is an art. To be successful in it, you need to go through a lot of challenges. Let's start with the everyday trainings as a child, the traumas and the doubts whether you are going to make it. It sounds banal, but it is true: behind a ballerina's gorgeous appearance lies endless labour... Of course, each ballerina dreams about dancing the White and the Black Swan and performing the leading parts in all ballets. But this happens to just a few of us. Some decide to give up while they are still at school, others persevere and dance in the corps de ballet. This is still a very hard task as you need to be synchronised with the others, to be correctly aligned, to carefully calculate each of your steps.

What do you feel when you are on stage?

The goal of our art is to enter the stage, face the audience and then show them how beautifully you can dance, while completely forgetting all the hardships you had to overcome to achieve this beauty. The feelings before meeting the audience are mixed: fear, joy, doubt... but once you step on the stage, they all melt away! On stage, you are yourself, but in a different aspect or, to put it another way, you are wearing another person's skin. This is how ballet is different from sport. Yes, the more you train in the gym, the better you become. But while you are on stage, you have to create a believable role and you have to convince the audience to feel your joy and sadness, to share these emotions!

How do you apply these lessons in your current work?

Currently, I am a tutor for the ballerinas at the Sofia Opera and Ballet. I am training the prima ballerinas and the corps de ballet for shows such as Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, 1,001 Nights and the rest. I am passing my experience to the next generation and I am trying to keep myself updated by following how the world ballet troupes are developing.

What does working in the ballet school give you personally and professionally?

I started working with children over 25 years ago. It was hard, but also fun! I gained a lot of experience with these little girls. Some of them are ballerinas now. I always work with them professionally, it would not make sense otherwise.

Why should children dance ballet?

Ballet teaches discipline and gives children the opportunity to listen to classical music, to dress in beautiful costumes, to dance in front of an audience. They are not obliged to become ballerinas, of course.

What are the benefits for women? Why should we opt for ballet rather than yoga, fitness or Zumba to keep fit?

Every adult woman is free to choose how to spend her free time! Some time ago I created a course for women who got very enthusiastic about ballet. Now other ballet schools are offering this as well. I am happy that more people are getting interested in ballet lessons later in their lives.

Why, in your opinion, is it important for ballet students to dance on stage?

The stage channels the human's spirituality! Nothing can compare with this feeling! This is a fleeting moment, but the feeling that you have been on the stage stays with you for long!

BALLET SCHOOL MASHA ILIEVA

Sofia, 75 Marie Louise Blvd

phone: 089 844 3194

mashailieva@abv.bg

www.ballet-bg.eu