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GP: When you came into ABT at 17, what were the surprises there?
GM: The biggest challenge was joining the corps de ballet and learning how to be a good corps member, because up to that point, I'd only done principal roles for my entire childhood. It wasn't something I was upset about, but it was a challenge.
GP: Why?
GM: In order for a performance to come off, it takes every single person onstage.
GP: What does a person who's been the center of attention have to do to be a good corps member?
GM: You have to be aware of your surroundings. I've always been independent, but in the corps you have to do the exact same thing as everybody else.
GP: Tell me about preparing for some classical roles -- in particular, what you had to learn to add to your Balanchine-based training at school.
GM: I did a lot of the Balanchine repertoire in school, and I focused on my lower body, my legwork, on being a dynamic dancer. The reason I was so excited to join American Ballet Theatre, and why I was certain that this is where I wanted to be, was that in order to become a great artist, you have to develop versatility and also your own interpretation of the classical ballets.
GP: And that means not just attention to the bottom part of the body?
GM: Yes, since I've joined ABT, a huge focus has been on making each movement a complete movement that's rooted in my entire body. So, less about execution and more about artistry and presentation.
GP: In preparing for "Swan Lake," you've worked on your upper body?
GM: If you sit in an audience and watch a dancer, you look at the upper body, and that's where the expression comes from. And in "Swan Lake," there are the swan arms, which really express anguish and the nature of the ordeal.
GP: Is there a moment when, more than any other moment, you feel your arms must be expressive?
GM: It's the entire ballet. At this point, every ballet I do requires complete movement, which stems from the center, and the [expressive] arms should be coming from the use of the back. It feels even more gratifying to dance using every part of yourself. The more you can express what your intentions are, what you're feeling, what you're thinking, the greater an artist you can be. The way to do that as a classic dancer is through the entire body, through the technique but also with the artistry, which comes from the expression of the upper body.
GP: Can you say something about phrasing?
GM: I love "Swan Lake," just as a score. Over time, what I've focused on is phrasing it in the sense of playing with the music. The music is a guide for the motion and for the movement.
GP: Do you feel like the music is your partner, as in a pas de deux?
GM: Definitely, but with a real partner, it's a pas de trois.
GP: Can you say something about how you and Ethan Stiefel support each other? How does it help to have somebody who dances with you and is also alongside you in life?
GM: Having that support is a wonderful, crucial thing. As a person, he's very complex and full of texture outside of the studio, but also it boggles my mind because he is such a phenomenal artist. He's incredibly inspiring to share my life with.
GP: One more question. What do you think a ballerina is?
GM: Whoa, that's a hard question. I think the definition of a ballerina would be a dancer who is fully committed in each moment to expressing music and movement.
Interview by writer Elizabeth Kendall for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online (all photos by Marty Sohl -- Thirteen/WNET).
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