Since January 2023, Even Capitaine has been working with the Mariinsky Ballet as a first soloist. We learned the details about his intriguing path in the world of ballet and in Russia. You can find the Russian language version of this interview here.
You have a unique story. How did you enter the world of ballet?
I attended a typical academic school and my mother wanted me to do something other than school. First I took fencing classes for 2 years, from ages 5 to 6, but then it ceased to be of any interest to me. At age 8, since my younger sister took ballet, I decided to try it. I went to a non-professional school after academic school once a week. For two years I did that, and then said I wanted to study more professionally. I was living in the French countryside in the small city of Sistelle near Toulouse. There aren’t many people there.
And so you had to travel to Paris?
Yes. At first they didn’t accept me. I continued to study ballet and did home school so that I could devote more time to ballet classes. I continued that way until I was 13 and the second time I applied, they accepted me in Paris.
Were the lessons in Paris different?
No, because prior to that I had studied from various pedagogues (teachers), including some from Paris Opera school. Some pedagogues agreed to give me private lessons so I knew what was waiting for me and it wasn’t overly difficult.
What was the schedule like?
We had academic classes from 8 a.m. to 12 noon: math, French literature and so forth. Then a long break until 1:30 pm followed by classical ballet, character dance, the history of ballet, anatomy, music and all that is associated with it. But our acting classes were combined with music. There was no pure acting class as they have in Russia. I spent 3 years studying there.
You left after that. Why?
At the end of each year there is an exam, just like at the Vaganova Academy, when they dismiss the students. They dismissed me after my third year there. We had just 12 boys in our class, but they still dismissed me. They didn’t give a reason, but it seems to me it was due to a growth spurt. During that year I grew a lot, my coordination wasn’t good, I was very thin. And so I faced a decision, either to go study at CNSM, the Conservatory in Paris which is the second best ballet school in the city, or study abroad. They accepted me at CNSM buy I decided to go to Belarus. A friend who I knew had suggested I try Minsk.
Why not stay in France?
I always really loved Russian dancers and their training. It seemed to me that I could study in Minsk like they did. And from that, there would be the chance of joining Russian ballet company. The Russian ballet theaters are still significantly different from European theaters.
Did you travel to audition?
I sent a video in which I showed my feet, stretches, the splits, various positions, plieé. I sent the video but not a full class, and they accepted me.
You travelled without your parents?
I went with my younger sister because they had also accepted her. The first time my mother flew with us, my sister and I stayed on and my mom left.
Did the classes differ there?
There was a difference. Although the school in Minsk it isn’t the Vaganova Academy, the training is considered to be Petersburg training. Classes in France include a lot of focus on the arms, but the head remains in a simpler, straight position. In the Russian system, the head, shoulders and back, the épaulement is stronger and more mobile.
In France, the pedagogue changes every year but in Minsk we had one pedagogue until the 9th class. Then in the 10th year (called the first “course”), we had a new pedagogue, and for the last 2 years a different one. In other words, the teachers do not change as often in Minsk as they do in Paris. And in the Russian school, each year there is a definitive program, some specific steps that you must master.
My pedagogue during that first course (year 10) was Alexander Markovich Furman. We learned double saut de basques with him. Then Alexander Kolyadenko for our last 2 years. Both Igor Kolb and Ivan Vasiliev graduated from his class.
At the end of the school year was it clear you would remain on and work in the theatre there?
Yes, during the last year the director of the Belarus Ballet Theater immediately accepted me into the theatre. But I didn’t think I would stay there long, maybe try it for a couple of years. I spent just 1 month in the corps de ballet and then immediately received the status of soloist. If I had remained in the corps de ballet I probably would have left earlier.
You danced leading roles right away?
No, a soloist there does not perform leading roles such as Siegfried. My first role was the Spanish Dance in “Swan Lake” and then Paris in “Romeo and Juliet”. My first solo part was the poet in “Les Sylphides”, when I had already worked for 6 months in the theatre. Then during the second year, I was already dancing leading roles like Siegfried, Vatslav from “Fountain of Bachchisarei”, and Conrad from “Le Corsaire.”
You spent 7 seasons there. Why did you leave?
I wanted to leave sooner, but it was during Covid and it was difficult. They have a large repertoire there, but it repeats and there are few opportunities, I felt limited and wanted different roles and a different repertoire. They had modern ballets such as “Petit Mort” and “Six Dances”, but the theatre didn’t extend those contracts. I wanted variety, and to grow as a dancer. I wanted more.
I sent a video montage with clips from different performances to the Mariinsky They invited me as a guest artist to dance “La Bayadère” with Maria Iliushkina. This of course was unexpected. I thought like usual there would be an audition in a morning company class and here they invited me to perform.
You arrived and immediately started rehearsing?
Yes, we had 4 days to rehearse Bayadère together.
That isn’t much.
No, it isn’t much. But I had already danced Bayadère in Minsk. There are some nuances but the variation and duet sections are the same.
And they offered you a contract right away?
No, I danced, Fateev [the head of the ballet troupe] congratulated me, said he would keep me informed, and I waited a long time. I danced in July and at the end of October they told me I was invited to join the company. They said they would take me as of January in the coming year.
Who is your pedagogue/coach?
Nikita Vitalievich Sheglov. I rehearse almost everything with him, I even rehearsed Bayadère with him when I came here the first time. He is very demanding, knows exactly what he wants, and loves to repeat things.
I watched your debut in “Marguerite et Armand”. Do you see yourself more in princely or romantic roles?
It’s difficult to say, because Armand is a completely different character. If I were to really think about it, then princely roles suit me more, but I also like roles such as Solor and Basilio, more dramatic, temperamental characters. But probably it’s harder for me to perform those roles because they’re not “in my body” as much. I mean, the figure of a prince, that softness and gentleness may be. But –well at least earlier it was this way – now it seems that I can differentiate my roles to a greater extent. If previously that was difficult for me to do and I was only a Prince in Minsk, then now I’ve learned to be other characters as well.
Do you prefer when there are more emotions in the role?
It depends on what kind. It’s intriguing to perform in productions where there are various emotions during the performance, and I like Armand in that way. You have to live through the story, the libretto.
Is that harder to do?
It depends on the choreography.
What if it doesn’t coincide with your actual personality?
It’s not difficult even if the role differs from my personality. I often will see a role that would seem not to be suitable for me, but I feel it in my body. It’s difficult when you cannot feel the character, you give the impression that you do, and it turns out to be unnatural. When a part is unnatural, that’s a lot more difficult.
What are your favorite roles? Solor, Albrecht and Armand.
Do you see Albrecht as a bad guy?
When I dance him I don’t think if he is bad or not, but it is a conscious betrayal on his side. He honestly deceives her, knowing that he has a fiancée. But he likes her. At the end he understands that his actions have led another person to their death and he feels a deep sense of guilt. Personally, when I dance Albrecht, more than his love for Giselle – when he sees her as a ghost and can’t believe it – he feels pain and guilt.
And unlike Act 3 of Swan Lake, he is also guilty, but it is a coincidence, they deceived him and then in Act 3 he feels remorse, he’s honest about it. But in “Giselle” it’s not exactly like that. Youc an compare Siegfried with Albrecht, but both roles contain a sense of guilt. If we speak of Albrecht, then he feels pain more about what he did. He loves her too but… it’s almost as if he wants to be punished. It’s a difficult role, you have to always consider what it is really about.
What role would you like to dance?
There are lots. Basilio, Ferkhad in “Legend of Love” and if we were to speak of those that are not here [at the Mariinsky], then Bejart’s “Bolero. Also “Le Jeune Homme et la Mort”. And if Grigorovich’s “Spartacus”, then both Crassus and Spartacus.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Ballet is a difficult, physical profession and often things hurt. The hardest thing is when you have to rehearse a lot and then recover, but you don’t always manage to recover, we often dance through pain in our knees, ligaments, back. The physical condition, as in any sport, or any physical art form – that’s the most challenging.
What’s the best part?
The performance, when all of this work has accumulated, all the emotions and effort. I like when you can feel that everything that you’ve done, all the challenges you’ve overcome, as a result of them a performance has been done and you’ve grown as an artist. The sensation of choreography and emotions all in one.
You danced with Maria Iliushkina in the “Bolshoi Ballet” competition on television. What experience did this give you and how does it differ from being on a regular stage?
Yes, there’s a big difference. Here the filming and the stage were unusual, the wings, the floor, the backdrop are all different and so you get a different feeling. In the theatre, we never dance 6 different works in 10 days. We had three days of filming in a row and then every other day. This gives you a great amount of experience because we cannot rehearse every six days 6 different roles, physically that’s impossible. I can’t say that we did it without rehearsing. Usually in the theatre, we rehearse 1 production, dance it, and then work on another. But here simultaneously, immediately after the first production or piece you have another one. And the stage is unusual. Then when we returned here to Petersburg, you feel the space, it’s all balanced. There, the lights were bright, you can’t tell where the stage ends, there’s no separation. Here you feel concretely that the viewers are here, the backdrop is there. And on the sets, we don’t know where we are, what the angle is.
Do you like the city here?
I really like Petersburg, it’s a beautiful city, but it’s true that I actually don’t go outside much. I’ve been to the cultural/amusement park on Krestovsky Island a few times, it’s very large. I don’t miss Belarus, I just never have really missed a specific place, including France. I live in the theatre, and I don’t go out, I’m a homebody. And likely due to this I can’t really ever miss a concrete city.
Have your parents visited you here?
They would like to but haven’t managed to yet. When we have vacation, I will fly to visit them.
Do you have any stage-related superstitions?
No, first I do my makeup, warm up, and put on my costume, the usual stuff. I don’t listen to special music or anything else.
What advice would you give others?
Warm up well! When we’re young, we feel our bodies less. At least that was the case for me, and for example my ankles weren’t in the right position, but they didn’t hurt. And with age they do. So you have to always warm up well and watch experienced dancers.
Do you believe in fate? That your path was already created in the world of ballet?
Well yes. I think that everything happened as it needed to as concerns my career. IT could not have been otherwise. It’s good that I left Paris and went to Belarus and then came here.
Your dream?
My dream was to join the Mariinsky. The next step is to dance many different roles and become a principal.