By Cris Franco
When last we spoke with the dynamic Alejandra Perez-Gomez, she was preparing for National Ballet of Canada’s whimsical hit Alice In Wonderland. Today she’s prepping to dance the dramatically demanding role of Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet, for Canada Ballet’s highly praised Romeo and Juliet opening at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on 10 July 2014.
CRIS FRANCO: How are you doing, Alejandra?
ALEJANDRA PEREZ-GOMEZ: Great. I’ve had a week off and I’m on my 4th cup of coffee this morning. With my job and a toddler, I’d have to quit life if I had to quit coffee.
CF: How old is your little boy now?
APG: Julian is four.
CF: Does Julian know that he’s got a very special and talented mommy?
APG: (Laughing) Thank you. He’s forming his first conscious memories and says he likes to see “mama” dance. He often has — comments.
CF: Like?
APG: Well, I’ve played a spate of not-to-savory characters. In Cinderella I played the martini-sipping Stepmother and Julian said, “Mama, you weren’t very nice to your sister!” He didn’t get I was her mother, but he totally got that I wasn’t acting like a nice person.
CF: “Not nice” is an understatement. You only tried to ruin Cinderella’s life!
APG: I seem to be type cast as a dysfunctional mother. I’m now playing Lady Capulet, Juliet’s mother who is … less-than-perfect. She’s not bad, just of her time. Juliet’s mostly been raised by her nurse and Lady Capulet is a traditionalist who’s arranged a marriage for her daughter and expects her to follow tradition. She’s not sentimental or compassionate. But she’s interesting and has some gripping stage moments when her nephew, Tybalt, dies.
CF: Story ballets like “Romeo and Juliet” have no dialogue. How do you prepare to dance a role like Lady Capulet?
APG: For me, it’s about getting myself into her head and think like her. My facial expressions and body motions must exude what she’d exude. Be present, in the moment in an emotional level, and react authentically to her situation. When I react at the sight of Tybalt’s corpse I turn into a mad women and attempt to truly feel those feelings. I don’t snap out of it immediately backstage. I need a little cool-down time because your body believes you’re going through a traumatic moment, so I have to take a breath.
CF: Why do you think you were cast to play this role?
APG: As a dancer it’s never easy to list your attributes and just say that I got the part because “I’m awesome!” But I’m considered someone who can act or carry a character role with stage presence. I’ve often been cast in the more mature roles: the mom, the prostitute, the antagonistic force. I’m not the good girl. I get to be the wicked queen in “Sleeping Beauty.” I’ve played my share of dancing fairies, but the hallmark of my career has been the dramatic roles. I love it.
CF: A well-written villain is always more fun to play, correct?
APG: The antagonists and quirky outsiders are usually more interesting than the principals.
CF: How are you able to deliver detailed dramatic moments in ballet without dialogue?
APG: Body language. A tilt of the head; how fast you’re walking; a hand gesture. Micro expressions which denote an expression that passes fleetingly across your face that betrays a secondary emotion. You may not catch it, but your subconscious does. It can convey what you want to say and deepen your character if the audience can read it believably. It’s a sub-sub specialty of ballet that is incomprehensible to many people.
CF: Which is where the “art” comes in, right?
APG: I don’t know, maybe I’m a distant relative of a silent movie star but I’m able to express complicated sentiments non-verbally. Because I’m on stage I want to be natural, but because I’m on stage, I have to amplify things. I can’t be entirely naturalistic. My hands can’t cover my face in subtle grief. I have to project my emotions all the way up to the theater’s balcony. It helps to have a good inner dialogue or key words that set the tone. Sometimes I even mutter the words so it conveys the right emotion.
CF: Acting through dance sounds very demanding.
APG: Yes, but the acting roles are very desirable and interesting, I think. It’s a different kind of challenge. Although a somewhat abstract art-form, ballet is able to speak to people. It’s music and dance – what’s easier and more primal to understand than that? To do it well, I have to have full command of my body and mind — and keep it real.
To see this gifted dancing actress, Alejandra Gomez-Perez keeping it real as she interprets one of ballet and Shakespeare’s most dramatic roles, see NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA’S “ROMEO AND JULIET”; five performances only: July 10 – July 13, 2014; The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Avenue, LA, CA 90012; Tickets: $34 – $125; more show info: http://www.musiccenter.org
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