I knew Ken from London Festival Ballet, where he’d been a principal dancer before he joined Houston Ballet. I was very pleased to see him. He was Scottish, older and more mature, and somewhat reserved. We were on a very tight timeline: I had to learn every step of the full production of Swan Lake in five weeks with Ken as my new partner. I also had to learn Ben’s Peer Gynt, which I’d be dancing with Li. Another new partner to get used to. And then we would perform in New York. So I switched on, focused, and worked and worked.
Although I had danced Swan Lake before, I had to learn Ben’s choreography, which was full of his renowned flair and drama. In one part I had to throw myself off a three-metre-high rock. To achieve this, I had to run up to the top of the rock, do an arabesque en pointe, fall into the arms of four strong male dancers and then onto a mattress (all hidden behind a raging lake), and roll off quickly because the prince was diving right behind me. Years spent jumping on the trampoline with my brothers was going to pay off.
The tour to New York City would be historic. Houston Ballet had been invited to perform at the City Center Theater. For a small company from Houston to be invited to New York to perform Swan Lake was thrilling. There’d been a lot of work behind the scenes to make the tour affordable for the company. I was beyond excited. I’ve really landed on my feet here, I thought. I hadn’t danced in Swan Lake since 1983, and to perform it again in New York would be a dream.
Houston Ballet was really making a name for itself under Ben’s direction. He was committed to training local talent, but also brought in exceptional dancers and choreographers from around the world. By the time I arrived, he was already world famous for several full-length ballets he had created there, winning gold medals for his choreography at international ballet competitions. He was also widening the company’s repertoire by adding world premieres of his original works. Working with Ben was going to offer me lots of new opportunities to learn and grow.
Houston Ballet had a totally different feel to London Festival Ballet. One of the first things I noticed was that the dancers were all quite young. I’d become accustomed to working with experienced artists like Rudolf Nureyev, Patricia Ruanne and Eva Evdokimova. I realised with a jolt that I was now one of the more mature dancers in the company. My artistry would carry the lead roles and guide others. I had to really open up to all these responsibilities and possibilities.
But initially, after rehearsal on that first day, I attended to basic things with Ben’s assistant, like pointe shoes, photos for marketing, and bank details so I could get paid.
‘How many shows does the Houston Ballet perform each year?’ I asked.
‘It varies, Mary. Fifty, sixty or maybe seventy sometimes – it very much depends on how much we tour.’
I was shocked. At London Festival Ballet, we performed over 180 shows a year. I was used to dancing eight shows per week; Houston Ballet only did five shows a week, with fewer seasons. And being a principal, I would be sharing these shows with Janie and other dancers, so I would have to get used to being on stage much less. This would be difficult for me, as performing on stage lifted my standard of dancing and energised me.
After the first few weeks, I began to miss London, my friends and the life I was used to. I started to have second thoughts about my decision to leave London Festival Ballet, but then remembered that at twenty-seven, I didn’t know how to live a normal life because I had been touring and performing so much. Perhaps now I would find a better balance, with a decent salary and less touring. Finally I felt like I had a job and could afford a good lifestyle. You just need to come to terms with all the changes, I told myself.
What saved me was the busy schedule. I had little time for anything except rehearsing, sleeping and eating. Peggy and Patrick Oxford from the Houston Ballet Board hosted a welcome barbecue for me. Matz had flown over to visit, and I was so happy to have him with me. Peggy and Patrick were fun people and had two small daughters. Peggy had been a fashion model and Patrick was a partner at a prestigious law firm, and they lived in a huge, beautiful home. They were both very glamorous, and I warmed to Peggy immediately, with her wonderful Southern drawl and charm.
It was a joy to return to Swan Lake, and Ben’s production was beautiful. I enjoyed this rehearsal period with Ken. He was a quietly spoken and gentle person, and partnered me with care. The main pas de deux and solo parts were similar to the version I’d danced in London, except the Act Four pas de deux. It was so tender and sad that it made me weep even rehearsing it. However, the best part was Ben’s coaching. He was incredibly inspiring and knew exactly how to pull the best out of me emotionally, technically and dramatically. It was exactly what I was looking for. This time, I really got to understand the story and enjoy the breadth of musicality and storytelling. My technique was now strong enough that I could focus on my artistry. This was exactly why I had come to Houston.
Peer Gynt would be performed in New York in the week after Swan Lake closed. Li Cunxin would be my partner, which I was looking forward to. I liked him immediately – his open face, his wide smile, his enthusiasm. I hoped we would be a good pairing, and I soon discovered that he was an incredible partner. In dance terms I felt we were made for each other. He was the perfect height for me and we were matched in maturity and experience as well as musicality and work ethic.
Li was familiar with Peer Gynt, and was very patient with me as I learned it. Based on Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 play, with beautiful music by Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt is such a romantic story. Li was Peer, the village boy, and I was his love interest, Solveig, the pure and innocent priest’s daughter he meets at a wedding. Peer falls in love with Solveig but then leaves her to go on an adventure. When he finally returns to her, she is old and blind. Solveig has never given up on him and the lovers are reunited. There are two amazing pas de deux in the ballet and a romantic and heart-wrenching parting at the end of the first act that involves a kiss. I loved this story.
It was fall when we arrived in New York City, and the trees in Central Park blazed with delightful autumn colours. The air was crisp and so refreshing after the intense heat of Texas. Our hotel was close to Central Park, within walking distance of the theatre. It was a treat to walk around the theatre district, past Carnegie Hall and the Russian Tea Room. The Art Deco City Center, where we were to perform, was a beautiful theatre but the stage wasn’t large.
I got unpacked at the hotel and enjoyed having a room to myself. Coralie was to arrive the following day – I was excited. She made her own way to the hotel as I was rehearsing. When she arrived, Ben took her under his wing. Somehow, he still had time to be a wonderful host and presented her with tickets to the ballet. Ben had bought me a glamorous red evening dress shimmering with sequins for opening night. Just stunning! Coralie and I watched that performance together – Janie and Li were performing the Swan Queen and the Prince; Ken and I would perform the leads the following night. Ben had created his Swan Lake in 1977, an update of the much-loved classic. It combined Acts One and Two, and Three and Four, to create a shorter, more condensed ballet with greater emotional impact. David Walker’s design looked expansive, elegant and magical, and Ben’s choreography flowed effortlessly with Tchaikovsky’s sublime music. The dramatic dive from the high rock at the end created a tragic yet satisfying emotional climax. I loved it.