Many people have to pay their dues to be great at their sport. What do dancers have to do?
With wanting to be good at anything, time is often compromised. Therefore you will have less time to do and try other things that you perhaps would have liked to do. I would say I had a pretty normal childhood as I didn’t train so intensively until I was in my teens. Some of my friends were sent off to boarding school away from their families to train when they were 11. Dance is also an art form where you have to be aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes dancers have to watch their diet, if they are not blessed with a good physique. Spending extra time outside work hours upping fitness levels is also something that we do.
What’s the holy grail for ballet dancers around the world?
Finding yourself and to be that unique individual when you dance. Striving to be as ‘perfect’ as possible is also something that every dancer works hard for, even though it’s impossible to be ‘perfect’. There is virtually no end point for anything. We do class and rehearsals daily to keep improving and refining our technique. You finish your career and you’re still not perfect. You just get better, develop artistically and are more of an artist than a technician or student, hopefully.
Who’s your greatest mentor?
I have been blessed with many great teachers and mentors so far and picking one out is almost impossible. Each of them has been vital in nurturing me at different stages of my training and career.
If you’d not gone down this path, what do you think you would be doing today?
At the moment I know that I want to be a physiotherapist for dancers or athletes in general when I retire or can’t continue dancing, for whatever reason it may be. If I hadn’t gone down this path, I would perhaps choose to do something related to the medical field. I have a great interest in the sciences, especially biology.
You trained in London for a few years. Is there anything you miss?
The one thing I miss a lot about London is the vibrancy of the arts scene and how people are very open, receptive and appreciative of the arts. I don’t think this is something we can emulate but needs time to cultivate and educate to change certain stereotypes and mindsets. Having said that, I feel that it is a lot better now compared to a decade ago. More money has been pumped into the arts and with School of the Arts (SOTA) around we are hopefully educating a generation that would be involved and appreciative of the arts. Things are moving forward, slowly.
Why should people see Romeo & Juliet?
Firstly, Prokofiev (Russian composer) is a genius whose score alone tells the story. Secondly, Romeo and Juliet is a timeless classic.
What do you have to say to up-and-coming dancers?
Work very hard, work smart and work for yourselves. Be humble and receptive to learning. Lastly, lots of determination.
Elaine Heng performs in Romeo & Juliet on Mar 13-16, various times. $30-70 from Sistic.
