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Alphonse Poulin
A native of Augusta, Me., Alphonse Poulin has been a member of the dance faculty since 2000. He also teaches for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. In the summers, he returns to Europe to teach for various companies. He has choreographed 33 opera productions for 16 opera houses throughout the U.S. and Europe, and continues to work as guest ballet master for Nederlands Dans Theater, Batsheva Dance Company, National Ballet of Madrid, Boston Ballet, among other companies.
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| Alphonse Poulin at age 7. |
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Who was the teacher or mentor who most inspired you when you were growing up? My fourth-grade teacher at St. Augustine Parochial School recognized my artistic talents and helped guide me in that direction. I learned to be persistent, methodical and set high standards.When did you first know you wanted to be a dancer/choreographer and how did you come to know it?At the age of 6, when I accompanied my older sister to her dance class while she was babysitting me. It was in a local school where she was doing tap and jazz. I used to watch her practice at home, and practice with her. When I went with her to class for the first time, I got up from my chair to help her shift weight on her running time steps … and the instructor told me I could come to class (for free) from then on! What dance performance have you attended that changed the way you think about dance?In the early 1970s, I first saw Nederlands Dans Theater, performing ballets by Hans van Manen, Rudi van Dantzig, and a budding young Jiri Kylian. Discovering these works, with a new physicality stemming from ballet and modern techniques so beautifully combined, was my introduction to contemporary dance. Also at the same time, I saw Maurice Béjart's Ballet du XX siècle; the influence of Mid-Eastern philosophy, music, and culture on his works, and his usage of the human body—particularly the male dancers—fascinated me. Béjart's Bolero and Sacre du Printemps were a big breath of inspiration and influence on me.What's the most embarrassing moment you've had as a performer?In 1976, when I was dancing with the Municipal Theater Ballet in Brazil in a production of the opera Aida, my skimpy thong dropped off during a dress rehearsal and left me naked onstage. The string section of the orchestra was composed of Dominican nuns—they lost the tempo and their place, and the conductor just stopped. I ran to the wings and was quickly redressed and pinned into my thong. Then we started the ballet over. We all met during the break in the cantina, and I got lots of smiles and pats on the back from the sisters!If you could have your students visit any place in the world, where would it be, and why?The Pyramids or the Great Wall of China; to realize that these magnificent structures were created thousands of years before computers is awe-inspiring. Also, I would want them to see the sunrise in Ipanema or the sunset in Istanbul, which are among the great wonders of the natural world.What are your non-dance related interests or hobbies?I'm a proficient knitter who made the sweaters I wear around school, and I collaborated with a Swedish knitting designer in the recent publication of Knitting With a Smile, a book that can be bought online. I'm currently knitting for the auction held by the senior dancers to raise money for Senior Production.How did you make the decision to become a teacher?When I was still a young dancer, my ballet mistress in Boston told me to think about what I'd do when I stopped dancing. She encouraged me to start teaching; she guided and helped me. I always taught, even while being a dancer, and I made the changeover from dancer to teacher very naturally, when offered my first teaching position as ballet master with Geneva Ballet in 1981.If your students could only remember one thing from your teaching, what would you want it to be?I want to be remembered as a rigorous and demanding teacher whose class was hard work but also lots of fun.If you weren't in the career you are in, what would you be doing?Operating a yarn boutique and giving knitting courses to pass on the trade and craft.What book are you reading right now?Cidade de Deus (City of God), by Paulo Lins, the story of two boys growing up in a violent Rio de Janeiro neighborhood who take different paths, and Memorial do Convento, by Jose Saramago, a novel set in 18th-century Portugal.Is there anything you'd like to add?Yes: "Love your teachers."
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