Francesco Gabriele Frola: Beyond the Stage
Section 1
SAN FRANCISCO BALLET: What inspired you to join SF Ballet after dancing with The National Ballet of Canada and English National Ballet?
FRANCESCO GABRIELE FROLA: I performed in Canada for eight years and then in London for seven, so I thought it was time for me to do something new and for a new chapter. I really admired Artistic Director Tamara Rojo’s work, and I had worked with her in London, so I was excited to come to San Francisco and know that she was here.
SFB: What was your experience joining a new company?
FGF: “Joining a new company is kind of like when you’re a kid and you change classrooms and don’t know anyone. There is a little bit of nervousness because at the end of the day you have to spend more than 12 hours a day with new people.”
SFB: What do you think sets this artform apart from the others?
FGF: “I’m a little bit biased about this because I come from a family of ballet dancers, including my grandma. It’s the art form that I know. The beauty of ballet, though, is that it is more than one artform at the same time. You have the movement, the music, and the choreography. It’s all of those collective things. It’s an exchange of art forms.”
SFB: What do you hope audiences take away after seeing a performance?
FGF: “Every day we’re all living a normal life. Patrons come to a performance, and maybe they have had a terrible day. We want them to have a great time where they can forget about that bad day. What I want for them is that once the show ends, maybe they’re a bit happier. Maybe they’re more relaxed, or maybe for an hour and a half they forgot about their problems and just enjoyed.”
SFB: Do you have a favorite memory with SF Ballet?
FGF: “I was very grateful, even if it wasn’t the best moment, that people were so supportive when I got injured last season on stage during Don Quixote. It was nice to feel the family part of the Company.
La Sylphide is onstage Apr 10–16
