Master Teacher: Mikhail Messerer Ballet Master Par Excellence
Born in Moscow in 1948, Mikhail Messerer (known as Misha), is looked up to and respected as one of the world’s finest teachers. His family, considered a dynasty in Russia, has devoted their lives to ballet for nearly one hundred years. Asaf Messerer, an uncle, was probably the best known teacher and choreographer in the country before his death in 1992; his mother, Sulamith Messerer, taught all over the world, including The Royal Ballet company, the last years of her long life. Maya Plisetskaya and Azari Plisetsky, both renowned in their own rights, are cousins.
Messerer was trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School before entering the company. While still a dancer, he decided he wanted to broaden his horizons by studying to be a teacher; he felt that a performing career was too narrow. After five years at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Moscow, he received his diploma while still a member of The Bolshoi Ballet. He said he didn’t want to save that experience for old age.
For many years Messerer has lived and worked in the West. His method of classical ballet teaching amalgamates the best pedagogical traditions of both Russian and Western ballet. For over twenty-five years he has been working with The Royal Ballet in the capacity of company guest teacher. As an international guest teacher, Messerer has given master classes to American Ballet Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, The Kirov-Maryinsky Ballet, Maurice Béjart’s Ballet, The Monte Carlo Ballet, The Australian Ballet, The Berlin Ballet, The Munich Ballet, The Stuttgart Ballet, The Tokyo Ballet, Ballet of Teatro all Scala, The Rome Opera Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The English National Ballet, The Royal Birmingham Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The Cullberg Ballet, The Chicago Ballet, The Turkish State Ballet, The Hungarian National Ballet, the National Ballet of Marseilles as well as others. In addition, he has worked The Royal Ballet School, the English National Ballet School, the Australian Ballet School and the School of Teatro alla Scala.
Recently, the newspapers in London gave him rave reviews for setting his uncle, Asaf Messerer’s, “Class Concert”, a work choreographed in 1959, on the Bolshoi Ballet which they performed in London over the summer. Gavin Roebuck’s review from The Stage reads, “Asaf Messerer’s “Class Concert”, a dazzling vehicle for the company’s leading soloists, is superbly staged by his nephew, UK-based ballet master, Mikhail Messerer. It is a thrilling showcase from faultlessly executed daily exercises building up to an exciting bravura climax of stunning ballet feats including a dancer throwing herself in the air from one side of the stage to be caught by her partner on the other.” Clement Crisp of The Financial Times ended his review by writing, “A fine staging by Mikhail Messerer, nephew of Asaf, and himself a distinguished teacher.”
Photo: Damir Yusupov
Who better to discuss partnering with than Messerer? He begins, “I studied with various teachers, but the one who taught me the most about pas de deux was Alexander Rudenko. He had been a principal dancer, but was also known as a great partner. He partnered all the leading dancers of that generation…..Semyonova, Sulamith Messerer, Leteshinkaya and Ulanova. Everything he taught me was highly valuable.”
Messerer’s first big partnering role was extremely important to him. It was “Sleeping Beauty” with Galina Panov as his partner. They were both 18. She had graduated from the school and was now dancing with the company when he was invited to be a guest artist. “I liked working with Panov because she had a similar sense of the tempi, and was a strong dancer. At that time there were not many dancers with her style. She was ahead of her time.
When asked what special qualities each dancer must bring to pas de deux work, he responds, “in order for a partnership to work, they both need to have a similar understanding of the tempi, the music and emotional context.” He feels it’s important for the woman to understand the tempi because a light girl is difficult to lift, and a girl that is not light can be easy to lift depending on how they hear the music or phrase the movement with the music. For the men he says they also have to understand the tempi so that they know when to catch the girl, when to lift her and how to do it. There is a definite technique of lifting. All of these qualities must work together to make a good partnership.
Male students in a beginning partnering class must first learn how to hold the girl in a good vertical position. She should be so strong that she could almost hold herself on her leg when standing alone. He tells the boys, “the less you partner the girl, the better. Ideally, they should only be using about two fingers for the vertical position.” He says that beginners must also be taught to be ‘off-vertical’ for modern dance.
Intermediate class introduces supported turns; various types of pirouettes. It’s only in advanced class that they are taught lifts. He agrees that boys will benefit from weight-training, especially if they are slim. But he warns that they shouldn’t over it.
Messerer contrasts partnering in today’s world as compared to the past. “After the war (World War II) there was a lot of acrobatic lifting, especially coming out of Russia. Now it is not so much in fashion …..like throws and fishes. On the other hand, difficult lifts still exist; for example, in MacMillan’s “Mayerling” or “Manon”. I just faced the issues with lifts working with the Bolshoi on “Class Concert”. In the ballet I have reconstructed, many lifts and throws are involved. In the 50’s almost everyone knew how to do these, but these young dancers were not familiar with them. They are taught partnering, but not as thoroughly as in the past.”
A beautifully appointed apartment in an up-scale section of London is where Messerer lives with his partner, Olga, a dancer, and their eight-year-old beautiful daughter, Michelle. The dynasty lives on.