Interview Directory 

ART/DÜSSELDORF

Name: Odsuren Dagva

Occupation: International principal dancer

Residence: Düsseldorf

Odsuren Dagva © Behnam Khoramshahi

"Creating this complex world with different roles, different atmospheres - all this has made me a completely different person."

What do you feel when you dance?

When I was young, I always wanted to jump around and express myself emotionally. Now, as a professional artist, I project the world around me into my eyes, into my brain, into my soul, into my skin. Creating this complex world with different roles, different atmospheres - all this has made me a completely different person.

Did you grow up in an artistic environment?

Not really. I was the only one who was interested in art. My mother is a teacher, my father is a statesman in the Mongolian government. They always accepted me as an artist, so I performed for my family every weekend. Eventually, they took me to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar to study ballet.

"It was sad for me, but this little world in my heart was so fulfilling."

So you had to leave your family?

The ballet school gathers all the children from all over the country. I left my family when I was ten and saw them once a year during the summer holidays. It was a sacrifice for the parents, but it was necessary for my artistic personality, my brain and my body. It was sad for me, but this little world in my heart was very fulfilling. 

"Martin Schläpfer made me an artist of the highest quality. He made me see the dance world in a completely different way, it was filled with colour."

I imagine the life of a dancer to be incredibly self-sacrificing.

As a student, I had to concentrate on becoming a professional dancer and not think about other things. It's not a sacrifice, it's a growth as a dancer. I also wanted to know where this culture comes from and decided to go to Europe. So I worked with a Canadian ballet company for a year. I went back to Mongolia and travelled again, this time to Germany. I was lucky again because when I went to a Rudolf Nureyev ballet competition, some important ballet directors saw me. So I got a contract with the Thüringer Staatsballett, one of the best middle ballet companies in the world at the time. I then went to the Düsseldorf Ballet am Rhein, where I met Martin Schläpfer with whom I worked for 5 years. I became a solo dancer in Deutsche Opera and Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf and Duisburg. Martin Schläpfer turned me into an artist of the highest calibre. His work is extraordinary, he is one of the greatest artists in the world who creates the quality of technique and expression of dance. He made me see the dance world in a completely different way - it was filled with colour.

What is your favourite role?

All the roles are my favourite because I put all my research, my mind and my emotions into them. Every step makes me love the play.

"Now all the exercises make me a different person - a person full of joie de vivre and happiness. My brain and my soul are boundless.“

What does life as a ballet dancer look like on a daily basis?

If you really want to become an artist, you have to have a guide to help you grow emotionally, mentally and physically. Every day we have one and a half hours of ballet classes. As a solo dancer, you have to work 6 to 8 hours a day. This is followed by various exercises to train the muscles so that they can become stronger and withstand all the ballet without hurting themselves.

It used to be hard work that I sometimes didn't enjoy. But now all the exercises make me a different person - a person full of joie de vivre and happiness. My brain and my soul are boundless. 

That sounds fulfilling, but what does your life look like in terms of food?

I would like to eat a lot, but I need certain vitamins and proteins to give me energy. It's necessary to research which vegetables and meat are suitable. Eating time is also important so that you can quickly adjust your energy intake. As long as you do all this, it is not necessary to follow a diet.

It seems that discipline is fundamental in your life?

Absolutely. At ballet school, being disciplined was fundamental. I myself was always a very disciplined child, I wanted to finish everything and I always wanted to be different.

Are you a freelance artist now?

I worked with Martin Schlüpfer for six years, then I joined the Koblenz company. Now Now I'm an international principal dancer and perform in ballet theatres all over the world. I will soon be taking on the leading role in the Rotterdam Ballet.

"I want children to see that every day has a different colour and that you can create that colour."

I heard that you have also opened a coaching school?

Dance and art can change the health of young person's brain. It is a psychotherapeutic method to find your own personality. I work with a lot of children, especially young girls. Most children are connected to their mothers - mothers are the image of life. Women are the key to the future. If women can't find themselves, how can they bring the future to their children?

The programme will be online all over the world. I can show my students how an artist can create a piece from the imagination and how to create a life and a future that way. I want the children to see that every day is a different colour and that you can create that colour.

"Finding the right perspective on life is more important than the past."

Is it also about bullying, which is a big danger for children, especially online bullying?

I am completely open to the fact that social media is the modern world. But it also makes me sad that people can't see what is real today. I have studied bullying extensively and have developed methods for a person to bounce back in their soul and brain. The right way of seeing life is more important than the past.

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Odsuren Dagva by Kimmy Shimmi