Carlotta de Mattei vorbește despre disciplină, muzicalitate, balet clasic și libertatea pe care o găsește în dansul contemporan. În acest interviu, povestește despre formare, procesul din spatele scenei și despre emoția care transformă tehnica în artă vie.
Your artistic journey has taken you through different places, influences, and stages. How have these experiences shaped your identity as an artist?
My artistic identity has remained essentially the same. I feel that I have simply added color to what was once a blank page. Each place I have worked has brought new influences, textures, and ways of understanding movement and expression. However, at the core, my essence as an artist has not changed. What has stayed constant is my connection to music, my discipline, and the way I communicate emotion through dance. Rather than transforming me into someone different, these experiences have expanded me, allowing me to bring more depth and authenticity to my work, regardless of the country, language, or company I am part of.
Looking back at your training, what did those years give you beyond technique?
I owe them my ballet formation, my training, and my technique, but they also instilled in me a deep sense of discipline and sacrifice. Those years shaped not only how I move, but how I understand dance as a constant pursuit that requires commitment, patience, and respect for the art form. They built the foundation that continues to support me in every stage of my career.
What happens behind the curtain when you prepare a piece like Paquita, and how does that work transform once you step on stage?
It takes many hours in the studio, repetition, corrections, moments of frustration, and a lot of focus. Preparing a piece like Paquita requires refining every detail until it becomes second nature. But once I step on stage, everything shifts. The corrections and the technique are already there, so it becomes about letting go and enjoying the moment. Especially in a gala setting, where everything passes so quickly, I try to embrace that sense of joy and share it with the audience.
How does discipline shape your daily life as a ballerina?
I am a very perfectionist person and I thrive on routine, so I follow a structured daily schedule quite strictly. I usually start with a one hour warm-up before class, preparing both my body and mind. Before rehearsals, I also do my daily “Marachok” workouts to build strength and stability. My day is a balance between discipline and listening to my body, constantly working through fatigue and repetition while maintaining focus and consistency.
What draws you to contemporary dance, and how does it relate to classical ballet within your artistic world?
I love the freedom and the sense of letting go that comes with dancing contemporary pieces. It allows me to explore movement in a more intuitive way, and I often find a deeper emotional meaning in it. Even though classical ballet and contemporary works feel very different in structure and approach, I don’t see them as separate worlds. For me, they complement each other and meet in a deeper place within myself as an artist, where technique and emotion can coexist.
Romeo and Juliet seems to hold a special place for you. What do you feel when you are inside that story on stage?
Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite ballets. It is a beautiful tragedy. When I am on stage in the second act, I feel as if I am part of the audience as much as the performance itself. I sometimes find myself moved to tears by the story, fully immersed in the emotions of both Juliet and Romeo, and experiencing their heartbreak as if it were my own. It is a very powerful and human experience every time.
What did a production like Notre-Dame de Paris teach you at that stage of your life and career?
Notre-Dame de Paris was one of the first neoclassical pieces I performed, and it was definitely a challenge. I was younger at the time and had not yet experienced as much, both personally and artistically. Being part of such a large and emotionally intense production pushed me to grow quickly. It taught me how to project more and how to give more of myself as a performer. Looking back, it was an important step in shaping the artist I am today.
If you could leave one thing in the hearts of the audience after a performance, what would you want it to be?
I would hope the audience leaves with the desire to come back, having truly felt something. Beyond technique or aesthetics, I want them to experience a range of emotions, moments of joy, sadness, laughter, and even tears. If they leave the opera house feeling moved, connected, and touched in some way, then I feel I have done my job as an artist.
Looking back, is there one moment on stage that filled you with joy and another that challenged you deeply?
One moment that filled me with excitement was my debut in the Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle this past November. It was an experience of pure joy on stage, where everything came together and I could truly enjoy the moment. A more challenging experience was my debut in the “Small Swans” last season. Despite all the preparation, one of my pointe shoes slipped off on stage! At the time, it was difficult for me, as I hold myself to very high standards. With some distance, however, I have come to see it differently. It reminded me that mistakes can happen to anyone, even in the most disciplined environments. In a way, it helped me grow, accept imperfection, and understand that what truly matters is how you continue in the moment.
