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Artists we love: Edina Pličanić
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Happy 2016!!! ’Tis the season when many of us flock to see the ageless holiday tradition that is Nutcracker, and another generation of little girls starts dreaming their sugar plum ballerina dreams. Alluring grace, enticing mystique, personal magic, instinctive expressiveness and the technical wizardry to draw the public with her into unvoiceable passions and dreams – these qualities separate the handful of true ballerinas from the legions of mere ballet-dancers. We’re very honored to chat with one of such stars for this installment of Artists We Love, Edina Pličanić is a principal dancer of the national ballet of Zagreb who combines talent, technique, brains, beauty, artistic ambition and interpretative brilliance in a single package. Read on for some twinkling inspiration.
Tell us a bit about your upbringing and early life–did you always want to be a prima ballerina?
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I had luck very early in elementary school – I took some classes of rhythmics and a teacher noticed my flexibly body and good physical predisposition and gave my mom advice to put me in ballet school. My mom told me the teacher said I could be a good ballerina and took me to the theater to watch Swan Lake. I said OK and from that moment I knew it – I will be prima ballerina, I had no doubts!
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What inspires you the most in day-to-day life?
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Nature inspires me the most, the trees and the birds, when I watch them I see perfect dance.
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You’re known for great musicality, line and grace on-stage, how do you achieve such balance of technique and expression and which do you think matters more?
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In some rare perfect moments when music guides your spirit and expression is coming from heart you are balanced and the technique becomes a powerful tool for your body’s expression. But that is a result of many many many tries, repeated steps and rising up after failure.
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What do you consider the most interesting, challenging work?
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For me the most challenging and interesting work is collaborating on original pieces. When I have a chance to be part of a completely new project. When a choreographer creates from the way I move and feel, making new ballet that encorporates my artistic feeling and creativity.
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How do you overcome nerves on-stage, if you ever get them?
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Of course I’m nervous every time before stepping on stage, depending on the day and the role. Sometimes I fight with myself and sometimes I just breathe deep…
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What do you think about when you dance?
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I try to not think, just feel and express. I’m catching the light.
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Which dancers/artists do you admire the most?
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The ballerina I admire most is the french dancer Sylvie Guillem. She is amazing, she is a goddess.
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Do you have anything new and exciting coming up that you’d like to tell us about?
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I’m looking forward to a new dance piece for me based on the music from the movie The Piano.
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Which person (famous or not) would you be most honored to have in your audience?
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I’m always honored when somebody comes back after seeing ballet for the first time. I think beauty can save the world.
Hvala, Edina! Please check out more beautiful work at edinaplicanic.com.
All images curtesy Edina Pličanić.
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PAINTED, PRINTED AND HAND ASSEMBLED IN THE USA | All Content © Masha D'yans Design 2024
