Backstage with Tim Matiakis
Tim Matiakis is a performer at heart. You might say his career began in kindergarten and at home where he put together a family act. He was the lead singer and choreographed dance routines and was not very pleased when they were not followed to perfection by his sisters. He was always on the move turning from performing to running with a local team while living in Larissa, Greece. His sisters were keen on ballet and at age 11 he joined them at the local dancing school. His friends were all into martial arts so he voiced his objections to dance training but once he started he loved it from the first moment. The teachers noticed his natural talent and he was placed in the "elite" group which meant training every day and performances in small towns around the area.
Born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and Greek father, Matiakis eventually returned to Stockholm at age 14 and was accepted at the Royal Swedish Balled School. His professional training along with an academic education continued until age of 18. He danced the Poet in La Sylpnide and Gennaro in Napoli for his graduation performance and received a contract with The Royal Swedish Ballet Company. His first opportunity to dance a solo role was as the Jester in Natalia Consur's version of Swan Lake.
Tim received first prize in the Eurovision Competition for Young Dancers and first prize at the Scandinavian Dance Competition. He also won the Philip Morris Ballet Flower Award which is the most prestigious award a dancer can receive in Scandinavia. To further his artistic development, he left the company when offered a First Soloist contract with The Royal Ballet in London. The time he spent with the RB was the most exciting years of his life. It was two years of learning and developing his talent. The Royal Ballet is a large company with many soloists and principal dancers. Tim wanted to know what his future was with the company and was told that there were no guarantees. He says that even though he had been pushed very far in his dancing, he wanted more. He wanted to dance works that he found exciting and not "just to fill a spot." He wanted the opportunity to guest with other companies. On one of his visits to Copenhagen, where his girlfriend was a member of the Royal Danish Ballet, he had a talk with the director, Frank Andersen and he was offered a soloist contract with the company. It was an exciting time for the company with the opening of the new opera house in Copenhagen and the Bournonville Festival.
Tim enjoys working with the big ballet companies because of the constant change in styles. With England's Royal Ballet he excelled in the MacMillan repertoire including Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Begger Chief in Manon and Bratfish in Mayerling. The Bournonville rep at the Royal Danish Ballet is also a favorite with him. Choreographers he has work with include; Twyla Tharp, Jiri Kylian, John Neumier and David Bintley. He says that new choreographers are challenging to work with in the creation process. The quality of the piece is most important to him. With the RDB, he has danced the principal man in Harald Lander's Etudes, Gennaro in Napoli, Jerome Robbins' Fancy Free and many other works by internationally acclaimed choreographers. In addition, he dances often in Gala performances and has performed in Europe and South America.
A professional hazard for any ballet dancer, Tim has triumphed over injuries to his knees, back, metatarsal and cartilage damage around the area of his big toe. During one recover period he studied philosophy at Stockholm University. He cites David Howard as not only his mentor but the teacher who helped him find the most effective way of working for his body to execute classical ballet.
In addition to daily class, he says that he swims, does Pilates, Gyrotonics and finds rest very important. His days consist of rehearsals, a warm up before performances and he also tries to get in some free time to spend with friends going out to eat although he also loves to cook. His interests include all forms of art, movies, exhibitions, music, photography and seeing performances by other dance companies who might be in town. Another interest is interior design, he likes going to flee markets and second hand shops to find fun items for his apartment.
Tim will be performing with Dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet at Jacob's Pillow in Becket, MA from July 11th through 15th. For further information, log on to www.jacobspillow.org.