THE FIRST TIME I SAW
FRIEDEMANN VOGEL
FRIEDEMANN VOGEL on dancing at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre
I WANTED TO be a dancer since I was three. Growing up in Germany, where it was – and still is – uncommon for little boys to dream of dancing ballet, I was always fascinated by Russia, the epicentre of ballet, where the artform is held in the highest regard.
One of the best parts of my job is getting to travel, discovering vastly different cities and cultures and dancing in some of the world’s most iconic theatres where so many amazing artists have left their mark on history – you can almost feel their spirits in the walls.
Last year, I had the privilege of performing at the World Ballet Stars Gala, held in the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, to celebrate the bicentenary of legendary French dancer and choreographer Marius Petipa. The theatre is one of Moscow’s most distinctive landmarks, just 10 minutes from Red Square.
I will never forget my first time dancing there. It was in 2005, to perform at the Prix Benois de la Danse with prima ballerina Polina Semionova. While rehearsing onstage, I looked up with sudden disbelief that I was actually going to perform in this sacred space that had received dance greats like Vaslav Nijinsky, Maya Plisetskaya and Mikhail Baryshnikov. It was an absolute dream come true. Till this day, the lavish Bolshoi Theatre remains one of my favourite places in the world to perform.
Friedemann Vogel is principal dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet. friedemannvogel.com我三歲時就已經想當舞蹈員。我在德國土生土長，這個地方向來都很少有男孩子會夢想當芭蕾舞蹈員。但我一直對俄羅斯十分著迷，那裡是芭蕾舞的重鎮，當地人對這種藝術推崇備至。
身為舞蹈員，其中一個好處是有機會到處旅行，在不同的城市內漫遊，探索各地文化特色，並在全球多個著名大劇院內演出。數之不盡的優秀藝術家曾踏足這些劇院的舞台，展現曼妙的舞姿，為觀眾帶來難忘的精采表演，你幾乎可以感到他們的精神在劇院的四壁之間迴盪。
去年，我有幸在莫斯科大劇院舉行的《世界芭蕾巨星匯演》中演出，這個節目特別為紀念著名法國舞蹈員及編舞家佩蒂巴誕辰200周年而設。這座宏偉的劇院距離紅場只有十分鐘路程，是莫斯科極具特色的地標。
我永遠不會忘記自己首次於莫斯科大劇院的演出。那是2005年，我在貝諾瓦芭蕾舞大獎中與首席女舞蹈員Polina Semionova同台表演。當我在舞台上綵排時，抬頭環顧四周，對於自己即將在這個神聖的地方表演，突然感到難以置信。這個舞台上，曾經有Vaslav Nijinsky、Maya Plisetskaya與Mikhail Baryshnikov等偉大舞者的身影。我覺得我的夢想已經實現了。直到今天，莫斯科大劇院仍然是我非常喜愛的表演場地。
FriedemannVogel是史圖加特芭蕾舞團的首席舞蹈員。friedemannvogel.com