BWW Interviews: Alexandra Meister, This Dancer's Life

Fresh out of high school, Alexandra Meister came to Nashville and went to work at Nashville Ballet as a company apprentice, quickly becoming one of the company's most promising young dancers. Last summer Meister, then 18, competed in the prestigious International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, an impressive achievement for someone so young.

"With each day I love dancing more and more," she says. "It's so fulfilling and I hope everyone can find a career they love as much as dancers love what they do." Obviously, Alex Meister has found what she loves to do and this week she took time to answer our questions and to give readers a look at her life and career in "This Dancer's Life." Read and enjoy...

What was your first introduction to dance as an art form? The Nutcracker with my mom when I was little. I didn't actually perform a full length Nutcracker until I was a senior in high school, though!

What was your first real job as a dancer? At Nashville Ballet.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in dance? I went to Nutmeg Conservatory's summer intensive and hated classical music by the end of the summer. Granted, I only took ballet about three times a week until this point. Then we went to Jacob's Pillow for a show and I saw Alonzo King Lines Ballet, and decided this was what I wanted to do the rest of my life.

Who is your dancing idol? This is a tough question. With the internet it is so much easier to see tons of performances of dancers you would have never seen otherwise. But I would say my first ballet teacher Ana Lobe. I only had the opportunity to see her perform live once, but it was spectacular! She also has a large collection of videos so I grew up with an amazing artist as a role model. I have a soft spot for Darcy Bussell, too. I saw her in a Gala performance in New York City and she did the pas de deux from Manon. I will never forget that performance. But I really could go on and on about dancers that I look up to!

Why do you pursue your art in Nashville? What are the best parts of working here? It was a good opportunity here when I was fresh out of high school. I have definitely grown to love Nashville and it is a great city that is full of artistic potential in all forms of art...not just country music!

 

 

What is your dream role as a dancer? If you could dance any role...what would it be and why? There are so many ballets that I would love to do! I think my favorites would be George Balanchine's Apollo and Giselle in the classical ballet Giselle--Apollo because it is just a breathtaking piece of artwork and the pas de deux is beautiful; Giselle because I love the story and Giselle's character. It takes such a range of emotion as an artist to create her, and it was my first full length ballet so I have a soft spot for it!

 

 

What is the brightest spot on your resume...what role/work is your most favorite? I think having the opportunity to compete in the International Ballet Competition has been one of my favorite experiences thus far. It gave me the extra push I needed artistically and mentally to grow into a more mature dancer. I also enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside Kim Ratcliffe in Swan Lake as a lead swan. She is an inspirational dancer!

 

 

What's the biggest misconception people have about dancers? A lot of people don't even have misconceptions because they don't know anything about us! I wish ballet was more available to the public and others didn't view it as an elitist art form.

 

 

Who would play you in the film version of your life story? I don't know.

What's your favorite work created for dancers to perform? Classical Ballets. They are so smart--perfectly created for the dancers, the stage, and for the nerves!

If you could have dinner with any figures (living or dead, real or fictional) who are a part of the world of dance, who would you choose and why? Marienela Nunez. She is an amazing artist and I would love to talk to her about her career and approach to her roles. George Balanchine. I would want to ask him his thoughts on technique and if his artistic vision has been distorted once he passed.

Imagine a young person seeing you onstage or seeing a production in which you played a major role coming up to you and asking you for advice in pursuing their own dream...what would you say? I would say go for it. Jump right in! You don't want to look back on your life and say I could have done that if I had only tried. So try it, and if you fail at least you can't regret it. Also, if it doesn't take schooling don't waste your time or money. You can always go back. My mom went back to school in her late 40s to change careers, so I have a good role model to show me that it can be done.

Alexandra Meister in Postcards From the Boys, part of Directors' Choice, Nashville Ballet's winter 2011 repertory series/photo by Heather Thorne

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