Joseph Gorak

[Mazurka]

New York Times interview 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/nyregion/24entry.html?_r=0

[Helene]

An interview from last week with Gia Kourlas in "Time Out New York":

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/dance/q-a-joseph-gorak-talks-about-his-journey-to-american-ballet-theatre

I joined when there were a lot of senior people, and not that seniority isn’t a big deal now, but then it was, you’re going to get your throat slashed if you don’t respect seniority. That was good. I feel that in the ballet world in general these days, there’s a loss of respect. That might sound bad, but I think it’s happening. I learned to respect the dancers that were older than I was and to respect choreography and the way that these ballets have been done for years. Discipline: I feel like there’s a lack of that now.

and:

Did Xiomara help you [prepare for "Cinderella"]?
She did. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. She would calm me down. She’d say, “We’re going to go step by step. We’re going to enjoy our time and life is too short, and we’re going to be happy and we’re going to do this and we’re going to be beautiful.” I love her for that.