GERMAIN LOUVET, PRINCIPAL DANCER: ‘WE MUST DARE TO BREAK FREE OF OUR CHAINS'

Printemps.com: In 2016, you were named danseur étoile for the Paris Opera after performing in Rudolf Nureyev's Swan Lake, at the age of 23. How did you feel about this accolade?

Germain Louvet: I had just danced in a three-hour-long ballet, so it was a very strange feeling. People always expect a special account of that evening, but it happened so unexpectedly; because no matter how much you may have dreamed it, when it actually happens, you can hardly believe it. It was also the audience and their reactions that made me realise the intensity of that moment, and especially seeing my parents cry at the end of the show. I was named étoile quite young in comparison to other dancers, but it happened in a fairly natural and logical way. I was first part of the ballet company, then I was given some soloist roles, and I was able to meet choreographers and dancers who contributed to my growth both on a human and artistic level. I have also always had good relationships with the three directors at the Paris Opera, enabling me to progress smoothly at the institution.

You started dancing at the age of four, and then you went to the Conservatoire in Chalon-sur-Saône three years later. Was being a dancer your calling?

When I was little I already danced at home, it came to me naturally. So I asked my parents to sign me up for lessons, like some of my classmates, and then I never stopped. I loved dancing and my teachers encouraged me to continue, but at the time, I hadn't considered making it my career. Then they suggested I go to the Paris Opera Ballet School and that's where it all began. When I was 12, I found out that dance could be a career and that it enclosed a whole world of performance, illusions, costumes and magic... It was at that moment that I created my dream and forged my ambition to go all the way.

The Paris Opera represent an elite company of dancers, founded on excellence. How do you manage to balance this discipline, sometimes abstinent, with your personal life?

There has always been a little voice that has helped me structure my personal and professional life without too many issues. I never felt the need to push my limits to the extreme.

This year has been unusual, to say the least; between the Paris Opera dancer strike to protest against pension reforms, and then the pandemic, you have not had much chance to perform on stage. How have you dealt with this loss?

The worst thing, I think, was not knowing when we could get back to the normal rhythm of practices and performances. I felt like I lost some of my physical ability and especially the actual memory of the stage. During lockdown, we dancers felt useless, because we couldn't work from home. We practised every day, but it wasn't very enjoyable, doing it alone and remotely for three months. Fortunately, I started classes again in mid-June.

The Paris Opera experienced the longest strike in its history, for which you were one of the spokespeople despite a strong opposition from some of the management, the media and even the public. Why did you lead this fight until the end?

I am very involved in social issues. I feel politically engaged, and everything that happens around me has an impact on my mind and my spirit. I'm not very good with the "wait and see" approach; I have a voice, and ideas, and I am fighting for them to remain free. I think that artists have a responsibility towards society. As a performer, I have the chance to meet lots of people and start a dialogue. I find it cowardly and naive to think that we're just here to entertain, and that we grow up in a parallel world away from all the political and social realities. That feels like an old-fashioned view to me. Activism is also linked to our generation, with the increase of information and connections between people. We could see it recently with the George Floyd case, which resonated all over the world. I think that's really unique to our time and the internet era. But, we can't let activism become a fashion statement, or let it be used as a marketing tool, especially by brands.

You are also a model. You have posed for several magazines including Vogue, you were on the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier, and you occasionally collaborate with large design houses such as Gucci and Dior. What similarities do you think there are between being a dancer and being a model?

None! My career is as a dancer, and even if I dip my toe in modelling, I still don't feel like a model. I do think that these two jobs could be similar if models managed to exist more in front of the camera as people, and not just as subjects. I would find it more interesting if they asserted their values and their position in society.

Fashion seems to be going in that direction nowadays, doesn't it?

Fashion is going in the direction of the Kardashians, but it's also highlighting new personalities that are giving life to the clothes, like trans artists or people who embody something other than the physical. I think that we must dare to break free of our chains—without falling into misrepresentation, of course, that's always the danger.

Which fashion brand inspires you the most?

I like what Alessandro Michele is doing for Gucci, I've already collaborated with him. He plays around with gender conventions and time periods with a lot of humour. I find that fashion lacks humour!

What artists do you like in general?

I'm very influenced by the German choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch, who has made a major impact in contemporary live performance. In France, I really like the aesthetic of French director Bertrand Mandico, the work of visual artist Kader Attia, and I also admire the work of choreographers Mathilde Monnier and François Chaigneau, whom I could see myself collaborating with.

You also started a solo career and have performed in Italy, the UK, Germany, and even in the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. Is it important for you to be independent?

I'm quite comfortable at the Paris Opera and I get along brilliantly with my company, but I think it's also important for a dancer to expand their horizons and be able to perform elsewhere. It allows you to train in a structure other than the company that you've been in since you were little, where you're sometimes confined to a role and an idea that people have of you. Dancing in St Petersburg, Berlin or Milan is like a breath of fresh air that gives you a real sense of self-awareness and self-discovery.