Sobre mim/ About me

09.2015 – 04.2017 Dancer with Bayerisches Staatsballett II (Munich, GER) Director: Ivan Liska Repertoire: George Balanchine; Nacho Duato; Richard Siegal, etc... Participated in Paquita, Sinfonie in C and La Bayadere with the main company (Bayerisches Staatsballett).

https://www.staatsoper.de/staatsballett.html

EDUCATION:

08.2012 – 08.2015 Student in Tanz Akademie Zürich (CH), University of the Arts ZHdK; Directors: Steffi Scherzer and Oliver Matz

Main Teachers: Tina Goldin, Udo Kersten, Bojana Nenadovic, Sylviane Bayard, Marco Volta, Duncan Rownes, Natalie Wagner, Gisela Rocha, Eva Zmekova, Jochen Heckmann and Arlette Kunz

09.2006 – 07.2012 Student in Escola de Danca do Conservatorio Nacional (PT) Director: Pedro Carneiro Main Teachers: Hiroko Nishikawa, Ulrike Ulla Caldas and Catarina Moreira.

STAGE EXPERIENCES:

(Worked with the following choreographers)

Helena Waldmann Gute Passe Schlechte Passe; Corps Gaetano Posterino Ballet movie, FREMDE;

Solo part Richard Siegal Matinee 2016, Tour Hong Kong Quartet, Solo part Norbert Graf Tour 10.2015, BSB II; Solo part Maria Barrios Tour 01.2017, BSB II; Pas-de-Deux Davide Bombana Matinee 2015, BSB II; Solo part Dustin Klein Tour 09.2016, BSB II; Duet part Filipe Portugal Fussspuren XI (2014), taZ; Main Pas de Deux Duncan Rownes Fussspuren XI, taZ; Solo at the End Jean-Guillaume Bart Fussspuren X, taZ; Main Pas de Deux Kinsun Chan Fussspuren X, taZ; Pas de Deux Matjash Mrozevski Fussspuren IX, taZ; Solo as the Opening Arlette Kunz Fussspuren IX, taZ; Girls Trio

Entrevista:/ Interview:

Revista de Maio 2016 /May 2016

https://issuu.com/creativeroom4talk/docs/creativeroom4talk_may_2016/132

Name: Margarida Neto

Where do you live: Munich, Germany

Known for: Dancer with Bayerisches Staatsballett II

Currently working with: Bayerisches Staatsballett

When did you realize that you were going to work with this/in this area?On the last year of studies in TanzAkademie Zürich (taZ) I have done at least 5 auditions in Europe, either private or public and one of them was here, in Munich. I did class (training) with the company and right after I had a meeting with the director, Ivan Liska to decide if I would get the contract or not. Happily, I got a place in the Junior Company. As soon as I got the contract at home in Zurich I realized that next year I would be working for the first time in a ballet company, and I would be a member of the Bayarisches Staatsballett, which is for long time a company known for an incredible ballet repertoire and great ballet quality. I signed the contract and sent it immediately to Munich.

If you could choose one place only to live, where would that be and why?

If I could choose a place to live that would definitely be Amsterdam! I always loved this country and it’s still not so far away from my first and original home, Portugal. There is as well in Amsterdam, a dance company that I always wished for. The Netherlands Dance Theatre (NDT) is a really famous modern dance company known worldwide that really suits for what I am searching for in the future. I hope in some years I will be working there as a professional dancer.

How would you describe your creativityI think my creativity is based from all my life experiences, my growing up process, all the risks that I take, all the rules that I broke, all the mistakes I have made and in the end, all the fun I have had.

How and when did you start to work with this in a serious manner?I have always done improvisation. Improvisation makes you work on your creativity. By improvising I got to know my body and my personality as well. Ever since I went to Zurich, I am improvising a lot, more than I was doing in Portugal to be honest. I guess it all started in Zurich in a serious manner.

What do you do at the moment?At the moment, a choreographer came to set a new piece for the Bayerisches Staatsballett II repertoire, called 3 Loves. Maria Barrios is rehearsing with us every day. She will not stay in Munich for long so the learning process has to be quite fast, since we will have the prémiere in April this year. Lately we are also participating in some performances from the main company, like Sinfonie in C from George Balanchine and Paquita from Ratmansky.

Tell us how it all started.It all started when I was 5 years old. My father registered me for the ballet classes in the afternoon without my wish. When I knew that I wouldn’t be able to play with my friends outside in the garden from that day on, I got really sad…. To be honest I didn’t want to start with ballet but my father insisted. However he had a reason for that. Every time my father would play one of his CD’s I would start to dance/run around/ etc.… In a way I would immediately react to the music. With the time I started to enjoy ballet.I was practicing gymnastics as well at that time. When I was 10 years old I had to decide what to choose, ballet or gymnastics.Entering in EDCN, a professional national conservatoire for dance in Lisbon made me quit gymnastics forever. After six years of studying professionally in Lisbon I went to Paris to the semi-finals of a competition called YAGP (Youth American Gran Prix). There I stayed on the top 12 and I won a scholarship for TanzAkademie Zurich. I accept the offer and after three years of studying in Zurich I graduated. Then I had to find my first job as a professional ballet dancer, and for that I needed to do many auditions and that’s how I end up where I am now.

What is the most important thing in a workplace/studio for you?Collective work and a respectful relationship between all dancers of the company (big or small) is necessary. You can and will develop a lot by watching and listening to others’ opinions.

What is your favorite film?I do not have a favorite film, because I think it’s hard to decide, but I really liked The Tourist (with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie).

Who would you like to invite for a dinner and why?My idol or figure that I always wished to be like is Sylvie Guillem. Why not get to know her better by having a dinner with her? My father always said: “Spend time with people that you can learn a lot from… Especially the people you admire the most… In time, you become like them!”

How do you like to spoil yourself?I love to spend time with my friends. Once in a while we cook together, we go outside to enjoy the weather (if it’s good weather…) Or we watch movies at home from Netflix. We basically enjoy each other’s company every day.

What is luxury for you?Luxury has many meanings in my opinion. Luxury can have the meaning of “fancy”, “expensive”, “rare”,etc.… In my life, luxury is also related to opportunities. For me, since I have grown up in a poor country, it’s a luxury to have studied in Zurich for three years with just my parents’ financial help; it’s a luxury to be independent now living with my own money at just 19 years old.You can always bring luxury in to your life, you just have to be grateful and realize the good things that happen to you and of course, give them value.

What is the nicest compliment you’ve received for your creative work, and from whom? When I improvise alone at the studio I normally record myself. I showed too many people my short videos and they all liked a lot. The comments are basically: “So cool, how you move!”; “So groovy!”; “Nice dynamics!”; “I never saw someone moving like you do!”

What do you fear most? Disappointment is what I fear the most. Getting disappointed from other people’s behavior or attitude towards me, or even the feeling of being disappointed with my own actions can make me feel unhappy. Disappointing friends and family is the worst.

What is a happy life to you? A happy life for me is a life with success, health and love from family and friends.

What does a regular day look like for you?Depending on the month, my day can be either busy, regular or easy. A normal/regular day starts always with a coffee in the morning, a fulfilling breakfast and music. At 10, we begin our training/warm-up class and after the break of 15 minutes we start our first rehearsal of the day normally at 11.30. After finishing the morning rehearsal at 14, we have got a lunch break of one hour. At 15, we restart again rehearsing a different repertoire. In a normal day we are suppose to finish right after this rehearsal at 17.30. Afterwards I go grocery shopping or I go home to watch something on Netflix. I have dinner around 19.30 and at 23 I go to sleep.

Tell us about your dream project.For now I am happy to dance in just one company but my wish for the future would be working as a guest dancer in many companies and later on become a choreographer or a ballet master.

Who is your professional role model/inspiration? My professional inspiration is Sylvie Guillem.

How would you describe your work style (academic field or fashion style, or both, or something entirely different)?I word as hard as my body allows and I enjoy the free days when I have to.

Which is the one thing you can’t live without?The one thing I can’t live without is actually, dance. Anyway even if I’m at home after work I start to listen to music and later on the dance part comes automatically, without any order or pressure… just comes.

What inspires you?Music.A book that has changed/made the most impression in your life?“IT’S NOT HOW GOOD YOU ARE, IT’S HOW GOOD YOU WANT TO BE.” (Paul Arden)

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