M.Od: I dream of performing in the Bolshoi Theater

Ballet lovers of Mongolia are already familiar with the name M.Od. It is said that his fans book their tickets weeks in advance to watch him dance. A soloist at the State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, M.Od, is a new rising ballet star in Mongolia. He hopes to one day perform for an international audience.
The Undesnii Shuudan (National Post) newspaper interviewed M.Od about his training and career.

-What crucial characteristics do you think a ballet dancer must have?

-A ballet dancer must be patient and also be good at acting.

-What was a difficult time for you that required a lot of patience?

-When I was in ballet school. I even thought about quitting. It was so difficult for me as a child to learn from the ballet glossary, and the stress of ballet lessons was hard. I decided to see it through to the end as I had already chosen to become a dancer. After I graduated I joined the Opera and Ballet Theatre with a contract. If I performed well I could advance to the upper levels. It took me two years, between 2007 and 2009, to become a soloist dancer. I have been dancing since then except for a one-year hiatus.

-Why did you take a hiatus?

-I returned to work last September after recovering from a back injury.

-How was it during the break?

-It was really difficult. It was so painful. My muscles became numb. It was like my muscles were breathing; they were stretching and shrinking. I couldn’t stay at the hospital all the time. I used to go to the theatre while I was in the hospital. I really wanted to recover quickly and dance again when I saw the others dancing.

-How do your fans express their appreciation and congratulations?

-We don’t get to meet the audience while they are in their seats; hence many of them come backstage to congratulate us. Also most people congratulate us through our managers. It feels great each time, to know that people congratulated us on our performances. My students also come to watch my ballet a lot. They say very nice words after that.

-Do you have a dance studio?

-Yes. I mostly teach ballet, as well as other types of dances, such as street dance. Students from secondary schools and even college and university students take our classes.

-How many ballets have you performed?

-Our theater repertoire has about 20 ballets. I don’t know about the older ballets. I have performed in all the ballets that are being staged today. I’ve danced from crowd scenes to leading roles.

-What is the most difficult ballet for you?

-“Giselle.” The ballet is so hard for male dancers to perform, especially the second act. It requires a lot of strength from the male dancer to lift the female dancer, showcasing her body to look as if she were flying. It also requires much dramatic acting.

-“Spartacus” by Aram Khachaturian also looks very hard.

-Yes. It is very tough too. The soloist dancer in “Spartacus” must show a high degree of professionalism in his performance.

-Are there times you have to perform on stage when you are feeling down?

-I was taught that once you are on stage, you have to forget everything except your performance. Even if it is hard, you have to focus on the ballet.

-It is said that the development of ballet in Mongolia was revived during the 1970s, during the time of renowned Mongolian ballet dancer E.Oyun. I’ve heard that professional art critics have said that the skills of today’s dancers have overtaken those of dancers of the past.

-When we were at school, we were shown a video of E.Oyun and O.Ganbaatar dancing. When I saw that they were dancing wonderfully, with better techniques than us, even though they were from the older generation, I thought I should learn to dance like them. I think dancers today are good, but not as good as they were. We have a lot more to learn.

-Can you identify your strengths or weaknesses as a professional dancer?

-I am not into technique that much. But I when I want to, I can perform them. I have performed the protagonists of the ballet, like princes, many times.

-What ballet character do you want to perform now?

-I have never performed Don Quixote before, so I want to dance it. But I think I still need to prepare myself more. Although this ballet is about a barber, it requires very complex skills. Also, many Mongolian dancers are working in foreign countries. I also think that if I could dance with some international artists for a while, I might develop more as a dancer.

-The State Honored Artist of Mongolia, D.Altankhuyag (a famous ballet dancer), held an international ballet festival in Mongolia. How was it to see the world’s top dancers dancing?

-There were many things to learn from them. There are many things I want to say about Mongolian dancers too. First of all, Mongolian dancers are at a very acceptable level. We are also more ardent than foreign dancers. Mongolians are also very tall. I could see that the foreign dancers had expected us to be shorter. I didn’t have the chance to watch the foreign dancers perform leading roles; hence it is hard to tell how good they are, because when we’re performing in group scenes, all dancers perform the same main techniques.

-What are your dreams as a dancer?

-It would be so great if I could dance on stage at the Bolshoi. I dream of performing in the Bolshoi Theater.

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