Momchil Mladenov
Momchil Mladenov (Principal) born in Bourgas, Bulgaria, trained in the Vaganova Method and danced with The National Ballet of Bulgaria. In 1997, he earned a B.A. degree from the National Academy of Music in Sofia. He began his career in America as a dancer and Ballet Master at the University of Texas, El Paso under the directorship of Ingeborg Heuser.
Momchil Mladenov (Principal) born in Bourgas, Bulgaria, trained in the Vaganova Method and danced with The National Ballet of Bulgaria. In 1997, he earned a B.A. degree from the National Academy of Music in Sofia. He began his career in America as a dancer and Ballet Master at the University of Texas, El Paso under the directorship of Ingeborg Heuser. He assisted choreographer Kathryn Posin and danced the lead in her production of Scheherazade at Milwaukee Ballet. In 2001, he joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. To date, Momchil is the only company member to dance the title role in The Suzanne Farrell Ballet’s restaging of Balanchine’s Don Quixote. Momchil founded Cultural Bridges Association and presented The Suzanne Farrell Ballet and the National Ballet of Bulgaria in a shared program titled "Balanchine and Farrell: American Ballet for Bulgaria" at the National Opera House in Sofia, Bulgaria in June 2011.
What is your favorite role to dance and why?
Every role I’ve danced in my career is a favorite of mine. It is difficult to say which one is my most favorite because each and every one of them has different characteristics that make it unique. One role that I certainly would place among my favorites is Albrecht in Giselle, the most romantic ballet of all time.
What do you like to do when you are not dancing?
There is not much to do because my days are pretty much filled with dancing and after a day like that I like to rest and recuperate for the next day of dancing to come. But I do enjoy many different things like going to the movies, dining out, meeting up with my friends, traveling the world, and exploring all the places I haven’t been and revisiting places that I consider my favorites like Japan, France, and Italy.
How do you prepare yourself for the physical challenges of rehearsing, performing, touring?
Every dancer has their own way of preparing. Ballet is a very physical art. A dancer needs to have a very strong mind to be able to meet all the challenges. What keeps me going is the thought of performing, being on stage, and learning something new every day.
What is it like to work with Ms. Farrell? Any fun and memorable stories or anecdotes about working with her?
I have worked for Ms. Farrell for nearly a decade. There are so many stories to tell, I could write a book with the many, many memorable stories about what it is like to work with Ms. Farrell.
What music do you like to listen to when you warm-up?
Mostly classical but not the same music that I’ll be performing. Bach, Grieg, Mozart, Bruch, there are so many of them.
What do you think is the most common myth about being a ballet dancer? What do you wish people knew about what it’s really like?
I wish people, and particularly the young, would have more knowledge about what it is like to be a ballerina or a ballet dancer. When I was a student, the school that I was in organized an evening of theatre, opera, or ballet performance every month throughout the school year. This way we were familiar with the challenges an artist has to meet and had an appreciation of their hard work and artistry.
Do you feel an affinity for any particular choreographer?
There are many great ones! I couldn’t possibly choose just one because I haven’t yet danced in the ballets of all of the great ones, whether classical or modern, so I don’t yet know which would be a favorite.
What is the biggest reward in your career?
As I am still dancing, the biggest reward is to have a great performance. After I stop dancing there will be many other big rewards through my students and dancers.
(11/2010)
