Along with many feminist sayings like “ A Woman without a Man is like a Fish without a Bicycle” one could probably ad that becoming a principal dancer at 35 is an unlikely as the announcement of a female Pope.
Yet it happened to Kizzy Matiakis, the English dancer, who has made Royal Danish Ballet her home since 2003:
“ As a young dancer – like any other dancer – I have had my dream roles, and although a lot of them never happened, I was happy and satisfied in my career, hoping that at 35, I would be able to continue, keep some of my roles, and maybe still be selected for new productions.
I had absolutely no expectations of a promotion. The company has a large group of very talented young dancers with impeccable technique, some already soloists and principals. Everything pointed at a generation change over the next seasons.”
The Raise of the Understudy
When Silja Schandorff and Nikolaj Hübbe created their big scale production of “Swan Lake”, Kizzy Matiakis was happy to be an understudy for Odette/Odile as well as dancing the Pas de Trois. With no less than six cast, the chance of getting on stage was minimal. However, during rehearsals Nikolaj Hübbe must have seen that Kizzy Matiakis had found the core of Odette.
“He put me on the cast list for a combo evening here Act two would be performed with a new modern ballet on The Old Stage. I ended up performing the role twice in that run”.
When Nikolaj Hübbe brought back the full “Swan Lake” this season, Kizzy Matiakis was the last of fifth casts.
“Dancing the full production is joyous and also problematic. My game plan was to build as strong an Odette as possible, as I felt technically challenged as Odile”.
What Kizzy Matiakis did not know was that she has uncovered the best strategy to make the role come alive. My own review said:
“Almost as soon as Kizzy Matiakis entered the stage it was clear that Odette was in the building. She presented a character driven heart-rending performance. Making Odette matter creates the right platform. Her musicality and understanding of the style embellished the performance. It also brought out the home truth: “Swan Lake” is not a ballet with two equally leading roles. It is all about Odette. Odile is but a supporting character.
Getting Odette right makes the whole picture comes together. Kizzy Matiakis could not only use the experience of a long career. She also somehow found expressions not seen from her before.”
However, more was to come. During the applause, Nikolaj Hübbe entered the stage and appointed Kizzy Matiakis to Principal, met by cheers from the audience and cast.
New Firm
With a company retirement age of forty, and an experience of many dancers struggling to perform to standard in their late thirties, making an appointment of a 35 year old can look either a hazard or a charity.
Neither is the case here. Mainly because it is Kizzy Matiakis, who was appointed. She is probably the dancer who has worked the hardest to become an RDB dancer and contributor.
“My hope is that I can continue to do my best. I am not choosy. I gladly take on minor roles as it is important for me to be an active dancer”.
Like her Siegfried, fellow Brit Principal Gregory Dean, Kizzy Matiakis has to go the hard way to become a professional ballet dancer and to be RDB stars.
“Neither Greg nor I, came through the leading national school, The Royal Ballet School. We had to make our own ways through the secondary institutions. We had to build our own way, using what we could pick up here or there”.
In spite of the untraditional road both Kizzy Matiakis and Gregory Dean are beautiful representatives of the English style and their fine performances in “Swan Lake” is related to that tradition. The performance is also enhanced by what they have picked up in Denmark, which help them makes the roles full-fledged.
Finding her Place
Actually, Kizzy Matiakis started her relationship with RDB as a mere 12 year old, when her older sister Josee Howard Bowman joined the RDB as part of the group of dancers, Peter Schaufuss brought with him from Berlin when he became Artistic Director of RDB. The Schaufuss reign became short and disastrous. Nevertheless, some of the dancers he brought in became RDB stars with Marie Pierre Greve and Jean Lucien Massot as the most outstanding.
“I was enchanted by the company, the style, the dramatic content, the dancers, but they did not want me when I auditioned.
Instead, I went to the Royal Swedish Ballet, where I worked for three seasons. It was not a happy time. I became very ill with anorexia and could not continue in Stockholm.”
At that time, Frank Andersen has returned as Artistic Director at RDB. He had signed my then boyfriend, now husband, Tim Matiakis, then a soloist in Royal Ballet, and he took me on as well. For the first three years, fighting to recover from anorexia, hailed my progress in the company.
"However, when I got better, I started to get roles and I was casted broadly in both classical, modern and character roles. I was lucky to get the The Sugar Plum fairy in Kenneth Greve’s production of “The Nutcracker”, partnered by my brother in law, Principal Andrew Bowman, whice was a nice experience”.
In 2008 Nikolaj Hübbe retired from dancing and returned to Copenhagen to become Artistic Director of the RDB. His first appointments was to make Kizzy Matiakis and Christina Michanek Soloists.
Going Places
As a soloist Kizzy Matiakis got a broader repertoire. Nikolaj Hübbe placed her in the central role as Birthe, the troll girl in his production of “A Folk’s Tale”, which place more weight on the psychological side of the character. She did not participate in the Great US tour in 2011, as she was pregnant then with her son, Milo. She has since taken part in company and break out tours, including the successful Bournonville tours last season, arranged by Principal Ulrik Birkkjær.
Another highlight came as Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty” in the version created by Christopher Wheeldon for the RDB. Around these bigger roles, Kizzy Matiakis was busy in second leads in Bournonville, Balanchine and modern productions. With the in-house company Corpus, led by Tim Matiakis and Esther Lee Wilkinson, Kizzy Matiakis took the main role in the opening performance “We are not Waving – we are Drowning.”. She also was the lead in “The Death that Best Preserves” created by Natalia Horecna for the RDB..
“I have danced many modern roles, but sees myself more as a classical dancer. However I am game for most challenges and tries to get something out of everything.”
Kizzy Matiakis takes a great interest in everything to do with her favorite company; she is as knowledgeable about décor and design, the development of the younger - and older - dancers, the repertoire policy and the audience response.
She is a role model for the company and one can only hope that though her time as a Principal will be short, it will also be fruitful.
Photos:
1. Kizzy Matiakis and Gregory Dean in "Swan Lake" by Costin Radu (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet)
2. Kizzy Matiakis by Natascha Rydvald (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet)
3 Kizzy Matiakis as Birthe in "A Folk's Tale" by Per Morten Abrahamsen (Copyright(c) Royal Danish Ballet)
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