A season of firsts: Ella Persson
Swedish dancer Ella Persson joined the Mikhailovsky Theatre ballet company just one year ago, but she has already performed several solo parts. Her most important debut was the title role in Giselle, ou Les Wilis. We spoke to Ella to find out more about her journey from Stockholm to St. Petersburg.
“I was 13 when I really began to take ballet seriously. That was quite late, but I never dreamt of becoming a professional ballerina — I just loved to dance”, Ella recounts. "I watched so many videos, awestruck by all the different things ballet dancers could do. After that, I began to study under a Russian teacher at a special ballet school in Stockholm, where I mastered the basics of classical technique. But it got to the point where I wasn’t satisfied with the progress I’d made. The standard of ballet in Sweden isn’t so high, and I ended up setting my own goals.
"I got into the Vaganova Ballet Academy without an audition, even though I’d initially thought that getting in would be almost impossible. Do they really let you study in Russia if you’re a foreigner? I went to Finland, where the Academy was holding workshops, and was invited to St. Petersburg — I didn’t even have to ask. And that’s how my dream came true. My teachers were not particularly pleased when I announced my decision to go to Russia, but my friends and family supported me. I do miss Sweden, of course, but I don’t want to go back there. The standard of classical dance just isn’t the same, and I want to work with the very best.
"Settling into the Academy was a challenge. I find it quite hard to talk to new people. I’m very reserved, and this makes it more difficult to make friends with my classmates. Add to this the fact that the ballet world is quite tough — cruel even — and you have to be mentally strong to survive. So I spent my early days at the Academy devoting all my attention to ballet. Learning Russian didn’t come naturally to me either, and my teacher didn’t speak English. I couldn’t even ask her about the things I didn’t understand, or get her to translate them for me.
“I studied at the Academy for two years, finishing last year, after which I auditioned for the Mikhailovsky Theatre and was accepted. When I joined in September 2015, nobody promised me anything, and there was no mention whatsoever of solo parts. But after my first two months, Mikhail Messerer offered me a pas de trois in Swan Lake. I was completely shocked when he said he wanted to try me out for the part of Giselle. I’ve adored Russian ballerinas since childhood, so at first I was just very surprised. Why me? Why not one of the Russian girls? It was like a fairytale for me. I didn’t want to become a ballerina just to dance in pointe shoes and fancy tutus, I dreamt of performing solo parts. I really love what I do, and I’m ambitious.
“Giselle was the main event of the season. I also danced the pas de trois in Swan Lake, and debuted as the Street Dancer from Don Quixote and the Duchess in The Sleeping Beauty. But the part which I have always dreamt of, and am still dreaming of, is Nikiya. La Bayadère is my favourite ballet, and I’m always drawn in by its Eastern magic.”
