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 An
Interview with Otto Neubert and Ariana Lallone
A Husband
and Wife team Make Their Artistic Mark with Pacific Northwest Ballet
by Dean Speer & Francis Timlin
August, 2003 -- On a recent, sunny Seattle
day, we interviewed Pacific Northwest Ballet balletmaster, Otto Neubert,
and principal Ddancer Ariana Lallone in the gallery conference room of
PNB's beautiful home in the Phelps Center in Seattle.
This conference room overlooks Studio "C"
-- the largest company rehearsal space, it replicates the size of the
stage at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, the "new" opera house). It
was fun, inspirational and energizing to look down and see co-director
Francia Russell rehearsing the corps for the premiere of the new PNB production
of Swan Lake which opens in a few weeks. All the spaces at the Phelps
Center are great as they remind visitors of dance throughout, due to lots
of windows in walls and doors. In fact, several staff members were kidding
that, due to "Swan Lake," there were "feathers everywhere!"
Both Neubert and Lallone were on break from rehearsal, he having just
put two casts of Prince and Jester through their Act I paces.
I'm curious about your career journey - how you made your way from
Bavaria to the New York City Ballet and then to PNB, and what differences
have you found, both as a dancer and a balletmaster?
Neubert: I actually began my dance training and performing
career in Stuttgart and was there for 8 years before coming to New York.
The bulk of the repertoire at Stuttgart were the ballets of John Cranko.
And, actually at that time in Europe, there were more Robbins ballets
being done than Balanchine. Many of the works at Stuttgart were ones,
like period pieces, that required being at the theatre 1 1/2 hours early
for makeup/hair. I was looking for a change and heard from a distant relative,
Kay Mazzo, that NYCB was looking for men and I auditioned for them while
the company was on tour in Paris, having a private audition with Peter
Martins, and was invited to join the company which I did in September
of 1984.
I found the repertory to be very diffferent in NYCB, the vocabulary, the
way of moving (mostly faster!) and with totally different expectations
then in Europe. PNB has far greater variety of styles. At NYCB, only recently
has the company really opened up to "outside" or other choreographers.
At NYCB, there is very close timing between rehearsals and performances.
In some cases, it was learn and perform a ballet in the same day!
The dancers were very supportive and helpful,
as they are here. NYCB now in fact, has 7 balletmasters to cover the sheer
number and variety of ballets and usually each are assigned to certain
areas only. Here at PNB, we share the workload and what ballets we are
responsible for depends on the season and how busy we are. For example,
on one repertory program later this year, I'm supposed to be responsible
for each of the three ballets on the mixed bill. I'm not sure how it's
going to work out having to do this and be in more than one studio at
a time! I'm sure we'll work it out!
W hat roles and ballets are you particularly looking forward to this season?
Any favorites?
Lallone: Really everything -- and it is going to be wonderful,
particularly in our new home. It's a totally different experience than
the old opera house. I'm glad PNB is bringing back "Brahms-Schoenberg
Quartet," as I last did it while I was a student in the school in
the corps while on tour to DC.
What do you do with your time during company breaks?
Lallone: I like to work on fine-tuning my technique and
take classes where ever I can, sometimes back in my home state of California.
I've tried teaching and I love it and working with children and have had
some great experiences but have found that I needed to prioritize my immediate
professional goals and need more to dance and to focus on it right now.
I have plenty of time to teach later!
 How
did each of you start dancing? What are your stories?
Lallone: I was the only girl in a family of five and started
in gymnastices. And if you can believe it, was the smallest girl there!
They kept having to adjust the equipment down for me!! (Laughs.) It was
suggested that ballet would help with my coordination and I started lessons
in a local school. I came to PNB the year I graduated from high school.
I was so fortunate that I felt welcomed here and my first summer in the
school I fondly remember as being one of the best. I always took extra
ones! The company, then as now, is known for its diversity of sizes. I
really like taking class and intensly love to perform. We are lucky here
that at PNB, everyone gets adequate time to prepare, even though we may
feel nervous before going on stage! I've been given many opportunities
and much support.
Neubert: I had bad posture. I was really good at sports
and did the decathlon. A neighbor suggested to my mother that I take ballet
to help my posture. I began with one class each week at about age 15.
I auditioned for the John Cranko School in Stuttgart and was taken. Like
Ariana, I was lucky to be there at a good time and accepted, due to my
later start and incomplete eduation. Alex Ursuliak took me under his wing.
I learned the entire Vaganova system of teaching, for example, and this
helped a great deal in my current job.
How did you find your way to balletmastering?
Neubert: I had had an ankle injury and was looking around
for something do to that would keep me in the field. I had heard that
Kent and Francia were looking for someone and came out and taught my first
Company class here. 12 years later, I'm still here! Both Kent and Francia
have been very supportive; instructive and helpful when and where I've
needed it. I've learned some by trial and error and also by observing
how a master like Francia runs a rehearsal; how to structure them and
conduct them.
Teaching the Company class must be a little tricky. How do you plan
for class and balance everyone's needs?
Neubert: Well, it's impossible to make everyone happy. I
try to have a couple of key exercises and to pace the class so it's not
too slow or fast but yet be a little demanding. It helps to know what
people have been doing the day before.
Do you find that being husband and wife present any particular work
issues or problems?
Lallone: Actually not a problem! We each recognize that
our careers are so important. And we find that we're able to separate
our personal and professional lives. It's fantastic to have a career in
common; that's been great. And, I don't get any special treatment for
being married to the balletmaster!
Any last comments?
Lallone: I've had lots of wonderful opportunities to dance
many ballets and many different roles. It was wonderful having "Merry
Widow" and "Carmen" as my first opportunities to carry
the entire evening in a full-length ballet. Each went way too fast! Someday
perhaps I'd like to do the Siren in "Prodigal Son."
Neubert: I'm very proud of the company. The level has been
very, very high for a long time but has risen incredibily even more, especially
for the men. I have to credit our touring for this. Tours have enhanced
our credibility and we are at a totally different place after our tours
to Australia, New York. Our company looks like the U.N.! Many, particularly
in the ranks of the men. We can now do 5 casts of our big ballets like
"Don Quixote" and "Swan Lake."
Edited by Mary Ellen Hunt.
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in our forum.
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