Anna Maria Prina: «You need intelligence to dance»

TOthe “Scala bar” something stopped. Maybe it’s the name, because this is the place but the sign reads: The Foyer. Or maybe it’s the red velvets of the chairs. There is a table Anna Maria Prinadecided to be interviewed here, next to a place that was his world, the Teatro alla Scala from Milan. And there, for 32 years, she was the director.

It was 1974 when, one late summer evening, Paolo Grassi called her on the phone to ask her to direct the most prestigious dance school in the country. She accepts. She is 31 years old. You will teach first in the headquarters in via Verdi and then will open the one in via Campo Lodigiano.

“popular” memoir

While Milan changes its face at a frenetic pace, she, born in Milan, innovates the world of dance. She does it with grace and firmness, the same with which she appears today that she is 80 years old, deep eyes and a pendant on her chest that combines the initials of Bruno and Gaia, her children. The way in which, when speaking, he moves his neck on his straight back finally resembles a lesson, or perhaps thatEncounter with dance (Gremese) which is the title of his latest memoir. An encounter with the Seventh Art “necessary” for her. «Often the kids arrive at the theater without anyone ever explaining anything to them. To understand those dances you need to know a world, that’s why I wrote the book».

risk of anorexia

At the age of nine he began studying at La Scala, then trained at the Bolshoi in Moscow. And when the “nomination” arrives, she wants to put into practice what she has learned: discipline and respect. Today, in the name of discipline, many gymnasts sacrifice themselves too much, losing touch with reality. And her students?
The task of a dance teacher is to educate. I wanted them to be good but first of all they had to be upright people. I’ve also had girls at risk of anorexia but the problem there is that after class they looked at each other, confronted each other in the mirror. I would say that the spirit of sacrifice required in this world has never been inspired by unreal standards.

But one must have ideal qualities, perhaps.
Nureyev did not have them. She or she had a poor instep and stiff muscles. But he had a personality, that is, he knew how to make sense of what he was doing. If you don’t have physical skills you can have others: it’s the famous intelligence for dance.

That is to say?
Immediately understand the combinations of steps. For example, I didn’t have great skills but I could enter the ballet at any moment from both the right and the left on stage and I was able to insert myself. “Intelligence” is also understanding the movement, the intention. Finally be musical, which is not the musicality of the ear (raises arm, breathes and turns head): this is how you introduce musicality. In essence, it is personal sensitivity that marries technique.

“My Six Revolutions”

But she went beyond intelligence. She made six “revolutions” by making the dance come out of the glass bell.
Yes, I entered two diplomas. One in classical dance and the other in contemporary dance. I wanted to give an extra chance to those who had inclinations other than the classic ones. It was 1975, at the beginning no one had any idea what I wanted to do and they saw it as a scandal. But the world was changing and nothing could be ignored. My luck in this field was that I had great teachers but also great composers, Ivan Fedele was with me at the time. So in 1991 I entered the double diploma.

And then the course for pianists and accompanists, the pilates course reserved for students. Finally she legitimized the course for male dancers.
When I was a student, I remember auditions for dancers, usually they came from Naples or Rome. But one day there was panic. There were fewer and fewer of them and it would have been a problem. Then I went to Russia and I saw that things were very different there…

So as director she created the mixed classes.
Yes, for the first two years of school, but after that we separate. The gesture changes, it must be masculine, different classes are needed. Sometimes it wasn’t easy to explain it to families. There were those who feared that if they continued in separate classes, their children would become homosexuals. Today is different, fortunately. I have seen it at Friendswhere I have been several times to the selections.

Dancers forever

The school lasts eight years and starts in sixth grade. But you also introduced the preparatory school accessible during elementary school. A long road.
Every now and then I meet beautiful girls at the airport who approach me and say: Signora Prina, how are you? They are former students who have become managers, lawyers. And they all thank me for rejecting them along the way. I’ve always been honest and tried not to let those who weren’t gifted go too far. If you don’t have a naturally arched foot it is very difficult to study because you will never stand on pointe. Do you know why they thank me? For the setting received with the dance which later came in handy in the work.

What is dance?
Art but also technique. The one where you learn to turn your head and look, where you develop coordination. Dance is following rigor, or rather leading a balanced life. Stand up to greet adults, raise your hand if you want to ask a question. After that: dancers are forever. In posture and kindness. I remember my first speech as director. I looked into those children’s eyes and thought about how they got wild during the break in the elementary school where they went… So I said that even just to give a caress or a kiss to a classmate you had to ask permission.

What did she do as director?
Everything, I also took care of the canteen. If the security alarm went off at night, I’d rush to school. Yes, in my day there was boarding school and the girls slept there. Many were not Milanese, I followed them since they had no family. I remember a Japanese woman who at one point didn’t want to leave the room anymore. So one evening I go to see her and after a while she tells me that she was missing her food. I called the concierge, I made her buy some sushi and she changed from this to this…

From Murru to Roberto Bolle

School was free, not today.
A change that took place when I was already there. It has led to the current doubling of subscribers compared to my times.

And his were the times in which at least three generations of dancers were trained who landed in the corps de ballet of La Scala and in the main companies of the world as étoiles, choreographers or teachers. From Davide Bombana to Renata Calderini, from Maurizio Bellezza to Marco Pierin. From Christian Fagetti to Mara Galeazzi. From Marta Romagna to Massimo Murru and Roberto Bolle.
Yes, in the end I also created master classes for teachers. They mostly came from Paris because in Italy people are reluctant to spend money to perfect themselves, to invest in themselves. A great pity. I see that some take courses that last a weekend and go. I hope that in the future trained teachers will come out who are above all former dancers, not all teachers at the National Dance Academy are.

Do you still dance?
No. That is, when I give lessons I do something, but it’s the body that leaves you. Out of La Scala, I worked with the disabled and the elderly. I was a volunteer with dance, we also gave performances at the Triennale. In the meantime I have dealt with consultancy, competitions and master classes on port de bras, the movement of the arms, my specialty. I came out of the glass bell too.

In a second life?
I go back to La Scala and do it all over again. It was tiring because I was gifted but not very gifted. But that’s okay. Things are not done by divine grace.

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