I AM HAPPY TO HAVE A JOB I REALLY LOVE

The story of Mimi Pop Aleksova is distinct from the usual stories about successful ballerinas who were daydreaming as children to be “floating” over one’s toes on stage. However, this does not necessarily mean that she does not love her profession to the same extent as the others who managed to make their childhood dreams come true. It is quite the opposite. The love and persistence to succeed brought her to where she is now – one of the three prima ballerinas in the Macedonian Opera and Ballet. Indeed, she proved that in her masterful roles in “Romeo and Juliet”, “Walpurgis Night”, “West Side Story”, “Carmen”.

Since recently, Mimi is playing her most important role in her life – she is a mother of two children. Owing to this, as she said during our pleasant meeting in the coffee bar Menada, sometimes she wishes she could clone herself. More details about her beginnings, the sacrifices she made for ballet, her stamina, free time, etc. you could find in the following interview that we recommend.

You and ballet? Was it love at first sight or?

Well, I am not sure… I would not say it was love at first sight. My first love was gymnastics and I am an artistic soul, but when I was a child, somehow sports were a true reflection of me since I was one of those playful children who never stop. I am a person who wants to experience various things and verify whether they could be performed well. This happened with ballet. The prima ballerinas, at that time, noticed me during the regular gymnastics exercises and told me that I was naturally gifted at ballet and sent me to the ballet school in the class of Professor Elisaveta Kushevska, who immediately enrolled me in her class. I was almost 15 years old and had missed many of the basics in ballet, but in a short period of time, as I was mastering it, I was falling more and more in love with ballet. The decisive moment was when I realized that I was making a progress and that I was good at ballet dancing, thus naturally, I abandoned gymnastics and completely dedicated myself to this profession.

Since early age many girls dreamt of becoming ballerinas, but somewhere along the way, they give up their dreams. What do you think, why is this happening?

I have already stated this in many interviews and I shall mention it here once again… Really talented girls who have genetic predispositions and love ballet – do not give up. Only those who started practising ballet because of a trend or just for the sake of having a trim figure and a nice posture, tend to quit. Later on, they come across major obstacles that seem vague at the beginning. Ballet is an extremely difficult profession that requires many sacrifices, a military regime and giving up many things. Only those who are truly in love with this profession and are realistically capable of being fully dedicated since early age may succeed.

Do you feel as if you enter another dimension when you are on stage? Do you get completely disconnected?

When I was younger, I would shut myself off for a whole day before the performance, and would not talk to anyone. I would spend the whole day going through the performance in my head, analyzing the character; and the moment I started my way to the theater, I would enter in another dimension, where I was the one on whom everything depended, the one who should tell the story and reach out to the audience. Now, since I am a mother I cannot spend the whole day in pajamas without talking to anyone. Yet, in certain part of the day I get disconnected… That is why I go earlier to the theater prior to my performance.

What happens behind the stage? What precedes the gracefulness and magic seen by the audience?

A lot of work and practice is required for ballet to look like magic on stage and for the dancers to resemble unreal creatures that hardly touch the floor with their toes. It is definitely not what it seems and I am fine with that. This is applicable to all professions. One has to put a lot of effort, have patience, overcome many mistakes, learn from one’s own mistakes, have the right mentor (pedagogue) so that one can have the right product, i.e. create a story at the end…

How many hours a day do you practice and what physical readiness is required to be part of a ballet performance?

Our working hours vary depending on the performances we do. Sometimes there is less work, sometimes we work twice a day or work during weekends and holidays. It all depends on the repertoire, the scope of work and whether it is a regular performance or a premiere.

Do you have time for yourself? What do you enjoy doing most when you are not wearing your ballet shoes?

I used to have more free time in the past…As children grow up, they ask for more attention. My obligations are now bigger and wintertime is ahead of us when we need to stay more at home, so my children don’t like it. I have regular rehearsals in the theater and currently, I have very little time for myself. The moment I have free time I put on my pajamas, listen to music, eat something sweet, and then I get connected to the world. When I don’t wear my ballet shoes, I prefer to wear comfortable and soft flat trainers or boots. I am a fan of high heels, I love having them but I would not say that I wear them with pleasure. 🙂

Would you give any advice to young mothers on how to keep the balance between family and professional obligations?

Every woman individually copes with the role of being a mother, a wife and an employed woman. I find it hard to give advice because the same things happen to me like any other mothers who work, love their profession and love their family. That is fine, but there are periods when we overwork ourselves and say that we need to be cloned in order to be able to finish everything, however, life is such. I want to be good in whatever I do and I will always do my best, although that is questionable. It does not always turn out good as we thought it would be, but for me that is a challenge. I am happy to have a job I really love, it is fulfilling and I will always put a lot of effort. On the other hand, I have my beautiful family and I would sacrifice everything for them. One needs to have priorities in life in order to maintain a real balance, otherwise, we might get lost, frustrated and unhappy.