Monica Mason (published 1982)
Dublin Core
Title
Monica Mason (published 1982)
Description
Mason discusses mime in dance, particularly in The Firebird. She talks about the integral part of the feather in her wardrobe, and other wardrobe issues as Odette in Swan Lake.
Biographical note:
Dame Monica Mason was born in Johanesberg, South Africa in 1941. At 16, she joined the Royal Ballet School as the youngest dancer in the corps. By 20, choreographer Kenneth MacMillan was creating roles for her, most notably in The Rite of Spring and Manon. Other notable roles included Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the title role in The Firebird, and Lady Elgar in Enigma Variations. Mason later became a répétiteur (rehearsal director) for MacMillan's works and found an appreciation for coaching. She taught at the Royal Ballet School starting in 1980 and became its Artistic Director in 2002 until her retired in July 2012.
Biographical note:
Dame Monica Mason was born in Johanesberg, South Africa in 1941. At 16, she joined the Royal Ballet School as the youngest dancer in the corps. By 20, choreographer Kenneth MacMillan was creating roles for her, most notably in The Rite of Spring and Manon. Other notable roles included Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the title role in The Firebird, and Lady Elgar in Enigma Variations. Mason later became a répétiteur (rehearsal director) for MacMillan's works and found an appreciation for coaching. She taught at the Royal Ballet School starting in 1980 and became its Artistic Director in 2002 until her retired in July 2012.
Publisher
Pratt SILS 665-01, Barbara Newman
Date Created
July 1, 1979
Rights
Copyright
Access Rights
Restricted. To access full length audio or for further inquiries please visit our contact page.
Is Part Of
Newman, B. (1982). Striking a balance: Dancers talk about dancing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Newman, B. (1992). Striking a balance: Dancers talk about dancing. New York: Limelight Editions.
Format
Audio Cassette Tape
Identifier
mason1979july01_sideb_clip.mp3
Provenance
Interviews recorded on cassette by Barbara Newman
Rights Holder
Barbara Newman, Dame Monica Mason
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Audio Cassette Tape
Digital Format
mp3
Digital Master
mason1979july01_sideb_clip.mp3
Duration
00:02:29
Bit Rate/Frequency
128 kbps/44.1 kHz
Interviewer
Barbara Newman
Interviewee
Dame Monica Mason, 1941-
Location
Washington, D.C.
Additional content
"Monica Mason is never the same twice, even in the same ballet. Every time you look at her, you find someone you've never seen before. In a company of classical conformity, Mason is an original, a dancer of exceptional daring and uncommon diversity. Like Alec Guinness, she transforms herself from role to role without reservation, adopting theatrical guises with such apparent ease that her personal anonymity has become part of her artistic identity. How many women can capture the classical serenity of Nikiya, the sardonic humor of Webster, the operatic flamboyance of Carabosse, and the eloquent austerity that permeates Song of the Earth? I selfishly chose to talk to her about Firebird because I'd never had the chance to see her dance it," Barbara Newman (1992).
Files
Collection
Citation
“Monica Mason (published 1982),” Dance Dialogues: Interviews by Barbara Newman, 1979-Present, accessed June 28, 2022, http://dancedialogues.prattsils.org/items/show/36.