Ballerina at the Opéra National de Paris
How did you begin your career?
I was 4 years old, and I was a classical music fan. I never stopped dancing when I heard beautiful classical masterpieces. I naturally entered the Suresne dancing school. I went in for fun, and I came out with a passion.
What were the marking steps of your career?
The golden medal I got when I was 11 at the Caen international contest. I was impressed and happy to dance for José Martinez, my favorite ballet star back then. It gave me a lot of confidence. Discipline is based on hierarchy. I learned a lot during these training years: ballet corps, to coryphée, to sujet, then Première Danse…it all went really fast… The most intense step was my appointment as a Prime ballerina in 31 December 2016. What a great feeling! Such happiness!
How did you handle success?
Since I became a prime ballerina, I started working with a psychologist to help me preserve my inner balance. My life has changed radically. The pressure, the stakes, the looks are all different and augmented. Working on my state of mind has helped me set aside the social networks that tend to amplify or distort relationships . I have my friends who support me, as well as professionals such as my ballet master Clothilde Vayer, my mother and all these people watching over me.
We don’t know you very well, what kind of person are you?
I am a simple young woman. I go out, I live with my generation, and I appreciate dancing on beautiful music. Professional kindness is important… I prefer constructive criticism to an opinion based on non-professional conditions.
By Médina KONÉ
