My memories constantly lead me to thoughts about the people who shaped my worldview in art, particularly those whose interactions influenced me as an artist and choreographer. Many of them, like significant moments in my life, are associated with musical pieces, and music transports me back many years.

In 1988, as a young but already experienced ballet artist and emerging choreographer, I arrived for summer courses at the Palucca School in Dresden, Germany. This opportunity was essential for me to explore the forms of contemporary dance schools that were completely absent in the USSR. Realizing this, I sought ways to study these directions, as the available pirated videotapes only provided a glimpse of an unfamiliar dance technique. I noticed that many young choreographers, like myself at that time, began to create choreographic pieces, poorly imitating movements seen on video, which was considered fashionable. I understood that to master the technique and grasp the internal world of this style, I needed to embody it through my own body.

With the support of the Union of Theatre Workers, who noticed the requests of a young choreographer whose works had already garnered praise, I was able to attend the Palucca School of Dance. The instructors at the summer course received me, a dancer from the Bolshoi Theatre, with surprise and respect. Two of my new teachers would play significant roles in my future life: Miguel López from the USA and Benjamin Feliksdal from the Netherlands.

Benjamin Feliksdal was a leading dancer with the Dutch National Ballet and the Royal Ballet of Flanders. After his dance career, he focused on dance education and became a contemporary jazz and tap dance teacher. Feliksdal created a modern jazz dance technique, drawing from the styles of Luigi, Mattox, and Giordano, blending elements of jazz, ethnic dance, ballet, tap, and modern dance. In 1975, he founded the Benjamin Center for Modern Jazz Dance, the European School of Jazz Dance, and a Theatre Dance Workshop in Amsterdam.

Years later, I would meet and work alongside one of the fathers of jazz dance, Gus Giordano. But back then, in Dresden, everything was new and intriguing. Tall, long-legged, and graceful, Feliksdal captivated me with the fluidity of his body, the ease of his transitions, and the danceability of his combinations. Despite having almost no knowledge of any language besides Russian at that time, I managed to communicate with my teacher, resulting in fascinating conversations that opened up new horizons in my understanding of contemporary dance. These classes marked the beginning of my exploration of jazz dance and modern dance techniques.

A few years later, Benjamin would come to Moscow, where he conducted a series of lessons at GITIS and later traveled to Leningrad for the Vaganova Academy. I also encountered my first jazz dance teacher in Bulgaria at the famous ballet competition in Varna, where he served as a jury member and gave master classes. We continue to follow each other’s work on Facebook to this day.

In that summer of 1988, at the Palucca School, Benjamin played a vinyl record featuring an amazing melody by Paolo Conte during our first class. Since then, I often listen to that melody in moments of contemplation.

Paolo Conte – Gli Impermeabili:

youtube.com/watch?v=DEH-ckKC_3U&feature=youtu.be

©️Konstantin Uralsky