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The advent of a ballet prodigy is rare, but Paloma Herrera, the Argentine-born dancer, has been a prodigy since the age of 11 when she astounded audiences with her performance as Cupid in "Don Quixote" at the Teatro Colon in her native Buenos Aires. From that moment to the present, Herrera, now just 20, has proved to possess all the elusive components that define the bona-fide ballerina.
An extraordinary technician, she consistently offers performances infused with musicality, dramatic fervor and charismatic presence. Not since the young Gelsey Kirkland or Baryshnikov at his peak has a dancer captured the love and adulation of vast audiences through her magnetism and charm. Paloma Herrera's great love of dancing informs her every role, and every role she undertakes is touched by intelligence, technical brilliance and, above all, lustrous artistry. In a somewhat arid moment in ballet, Paloma has happily returned us to the Golden Age of ballet when Nureyev, Fonteyn, Fracci, Bruhn, Baryshnikov, Kirkland and Makarova reigned supreme. {Text did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Pathfinder Moderator: Greetings, everyone! And welcome to tonight's Chat, brought to you by LIFE magazine. Tonight's guest is 20-year-old ballet sensation Paloma Herrera. Just back from American Ballet Theatre's run at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Paloma is joined by John Gruen, senior editor at "Dance Magazine." His writing often appears in "The Sunday New York Times" and "Vogue."
Question from Audience: Do you dance the traditional dances of your country such as the tango? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Paloma: No, I always dance ballet with the company. I dance a lot of different styles, choreographers, but always in ballet. I don't know how to dance it (the tango) yet.
Scott1: I'm also curious whether Paloma ever had the opportunity to work with any of the New York dance legends--Agnes de Mille (of ABT) or Martha Graham, specifically, though I think she may be too young to have worked with either.
Paloma: Yeah. I'm too young to have worked with them. I have seen works by de Mille at ABT, but I never danced her works because I was very new to the company.
Johngruen: Paloma, you are so in love with dancing. How did that start? Why did it happen?
Paloma: I'm not really sure why. Probably because my parents used to listen to classical music, and I used to dance all the time at home. But when I was seven I asked my mom to take me to ballet classes. I think the magic for me was point shoes. Even when I was dancing at home, I always wanted point shoes. From the first day I loved it. Since then I have never stopped. I still feel exactly the same way. I love it.
Johngruen: At the tender age of 15, you came to study in New York at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. You were still so young, Did your parents worry about you? Tell us about your family.
Paloma: I think family is very important in a dancer's career. I feel very lucky that my family was always very supportive. I'm sure it was very hard for them, as it was hard for me, to be 15 in New York. But they knew that ABT was always my dream. I think it's great, it was very important that they let me go. I can see them often even though they live very far away. I feel very close to my whole family.
Question from the Audience: What is ballet's value to society? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Johngruen: Society should be grateful and delighted that an art form such as ballet is a part of our lives. To see ballet done beautifully the way Paloma Herrera does it is to experience unadulterated joy! It just fills your heart.
Question from the Audience: As a ballerina you do not lead the normal life of a 20-year-old. How do you feel about this? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Paloma: It is completely different. And I realize that, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I know I didn't have a "normal" life, but I've been through an experience that I wouldn't change for anything, and I think that's the wonderful thing about it. I think I feel very lucky that I am doing what I always wanted to do.
Scott 1: Ballet tickets are very expensive for families to afford. How can one afford to attend the ballet? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Johngruen: There are inexpensive prices for seats to the ballet. You have to check and see what you can afford. Orchestra seats are very expensive, but you can see an amazing amount of dance from the balcony. It's a different experience, perhaps even a fuller one than from the orchestra and those seats are cheap.
Question from Audience: Is ballet as popular in Argentina as in the United States? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Paloma: Now in Argentina, maybe because of Julio Bocca and Maximiliano Guerra and maybe myself, too, ballet in Argentina is growing in popularity. I feel very happy because of that. But of course it's easier here in America. I feel that there are more opportunities, longer seasons, more companies, so it's easier for the audience to enjoy ballet in North America.
Johngruen: Paloma - What is the life of a ballerina? What is a typical day for you?
Paloma: Probably for a lot of people it's very hard. But for me it's a pleasure. We're all day in the theater when we are performing. When we are rehearsing, we rehearse from 10, class from 10 am until 7:30 sometimes. And then we are on tour, we visit different cities in the US or we go on tour in Europe. Probably for everybody else it's hard, but for me it's very very exciting.
Johngruen: Does ballet leave you time for a personal life?
Paloma: Not really. But I try to enjoy life as much as I can. For example, I try to go home to Argentina as much as I can, whenever I have a chance. Sometimes I go for a week, sometimes for a month. It depends. I try to see all my friends and my family there. They are always waiting for me. And of course when we are on tour I try to enjoy the different cities as much as I can.
Question from Audience: What are your favorite cities? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problems.}
Paloma: Buenos Aires and New York. Of course it's because of my heart. I love Buenos Aires because it's my hometown. And I love New York because it gave me all the opportunities. And it's a great city, too!
Johngruen: You could probably have joined the New York City Ballet, but chose ABT instead. What made you come to that decision?
Paloma: ABT was always my dream since I started ballet. I used to watch videos all the time and maybe because of Misha. He was always my idol and he was in ABT. And of course because of the repertory. ABT has everything. The classical ballets that I always wanted to dance like "Romeo and Juliet," my favorite ballet, and "Don Quixote." You have some Balanchine ballets, too. We also have choreographers visiting ABT who choreograph new ballets for us. So you have the opportunity to dance different styles and to be very open as an artist.
Johngruen: One of your dream ballets has always been Kenneth MacMillan's evening length "Romeo and Juliet." Finally, New York will see you in the role on June 17th. Please describe what it is like dancing this difficult emotional role.
Paloma: It is very important for me because I think it is very unique from all the other ballets. That's what I like about it. It's about trying to give a lot of yourself to the audience. That's a great experience, when you can feel that you can really touch the audience with what you're doing.
Question from Audience: What would you do if you were not a dancer? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problem.}
Paloma: If I were not a dancer? Right now I cannot think about anything else. I don't plan my life. I take one day at a time. I know I would love to teach. I know I might want to choreograph. When it's time to think about something else I will. I'm 20 right now so I don't think I have to think about what I'm going to do later.
Johngruen: Paloma- a ballerina such as yourself has to have great partners. But sometimes partners can let you down, so to speak, or drive you to give ever greater performances. Can you speak about partnerships?
Paloma: In ABT we don't have exclusive partners. We dance with different partners, and I think that gives me an opportunity to experience different approaches. A partner is not there only to partner you. He has to be always there for you. He makes you feel very secure, so you don't have to worry about him. You can just communicate with your partner and take from each performance a different experience.
Question from Audience: Is becoming a dancer worth the time and commitment from early childhood? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problem.}
Paloma: If you really like what you are doing, if you really like dancing, go for it. But if you 're not really sure, it's not worth it. Because I always say that you can't lie on the stage. The audience can see if someone is really enjoying it, or not. You can really tell if someone really loves what they are doing.
Johngruen: You will open the American Ballet Theatre New York season on April 29 at the Metropolitan Opera House which is an enormous theater. The ballet that opens the season is "Don Quixote" and you dance the role of Kitri. What is the opening night experience? Are you nervous? Are you thrilled? Talk about that.
Paloma: I am very excited about doing opening night at the Met, especially because it's "Don Quixote." I love performing that role. I don't think I'm nervous about it. I'm actually excited because it's the beginning of a wonderful season where I will be able to dance in a theater that I love, in a city like New York. The Met season is about being able to dance so much and so many different roles.
Question from Audience: What do you do when you are not performing in New York? {Question did not appear on transcript due to technical problem.}
Paloma: When we're not performing in New York, we are on tour or rehearsing. I also perform as a guest with other companies and at different galas around the world. To relax I go home to Argentina to see my family and my friends.
jkao: Paloma- are you going to perform with the Boston Ballet anytime soon?
Paloma: I would love to, but ABT has no plans right now.
Eternaut: Down south in Buenos Aires, Marisa, Marisita, Alberto, and Diego Carro are following your conference through Internet. We send you lots of kisses.
Paloma: To my mom, my dad, my sister, and Diego - Los quiero mucho y gracias por ser como son!!!!
Johngruen: Paloma - you are becoming an international ballet star. Does that scare you?
Paloma: No I'm just doing what I always wanted to do. Dance!
Paloma: Goodbye to everyone and thank you for joining me.
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