Today on 10 Questions With… we have Lucas Segovia from the Joffrey…
1. How did you become involved with dance?
I took my first ballet class when I was 16, after a friend of mine invited me to one of her dance shows. I liked it very much, and I gave it a try. I never stopped since then.
2. What are you currently doing in the field?
I am currently dancing with The Joffrey Ballet, where we just finished a new production of Don Quixote and we are about to start working on Nutcracker, among other pieces in the season. The company has a wide repertoire, so we are always working on different things.
3. Would you share a special moment from your career with readers?
One of the most special moments so far for me was receiving an award in Buenos Aires, my hometown. The “Premio Clarin” is a very important award and it was a dream for me to get it.
4. What is the best advice you have received from a teacher or mentor?
The best advice I got was from my mentor. I was about to leave the country into the unknown and he told me “live and work like there is no tomorrow and have the strength to accept your decisions.” I’ve been trying to follow that path ever since.
5. What has been your greatest challenge?
One of the biggest challenges for me was to perform in the farewell show of a huge ballet dancer, in an open air stage on the main avenue of Buenos Aires. I was really nervous because I was being seen live in front of more than 400 000 people, further than I could see, and broadcast live on national TV. And I had to dance a solo piece… Luckily it all went very well.
6. Do you have any advice for dancers that want to go on to a professional career?
The only advice I could give is to work very hard and never look back. This career is wonderful but short, and you have to work extra hard to make every day of it worth it. And never look back, because the past is gone, and by looking back you miss what is coming.
7. Do you have a special routine that you go through before a performance?
I usually make sure to be at the theatre on time but not too early. I want to be as fresh as possible for a performance. I usually take a warm up (a short ballet class) and I put on the make up and the costume and try to be on stage at least 10 minutes before the beginning of the show. Last, I make sure to have a moment of calmness before going on.
8. What is your biggest strength as a dancer?
I think that my biggest strength is that I find inspiration in what I do, so no matter how I feel I’m still eager to work. I don’t mind waking up early in the morning to go to the gym before going to work, and working a lot is not an issue for me.
9. What do you enjoy most about your life in dance?
I enjoy, I am pleased and very grateful to do what I like and do it as a living. The opportunity of being on stage is an experience that I find very unique in many ways, and I try to make the most out of it every single time.
10. What’s next for you?
I can’t tell what is next for me because planning, unfortunately, doesn’t work well for me. I can plan a whole life, and I do, but I always find that life is full of surprises, and I have to be open and ready for them.
BIO: Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lucas started training at 16 and danced with Ballet Municipal de Santiago, Chile and Ballet Contemporáneo del Teatro San Martín in Buenos Aires before joining Julio Bocca´s Ballet Argentino at 19 as a soloist, later becoming a principal dancer for the company.
Under Julio Bocca’s leadership at Ballet Argentino, he performed an eclectic repertoire by many choreographers including Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Bigonzetti, Tharp, and Stekelman, among others. He has toured around the globe, performing in major theatres of USA, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Russia, Cuba, and many more. In June 2006 he appeared in a gala with Cirque du Soleil in Buenos Aires, performing a piece created especially for him by Chet Walker. In December 2007 he danced with Paris Opera´s Etoile Manuel Legris in Julio Bocca´s farewell for more than 300,000 people. They were the only two dancers performing a solo piece.
In 2008, he joined The Washington Ballet, and was later awarded with the Premio Clarín, the most prestigious Argentinian award as “Outstanding New Dancer.”
During the 2009-2010 season he joined Chirstopher Wheeldon´s Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, dancing pieces by Christopher Wheeldon and Alexei Ratmansky and performing at venues such as New York City Center, London´s Sadler´s Wells, and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam.
Lucas joined Joffrey Ballet in July, 2010. He has appeared in Balanchine´s Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Robbin´s The Concert and Wheeldon´s After the Rain.
