BWW Interviews: Mollie Sansone, This Dancer's Life

How do I even begin to describe Nashville Ballet's Mollie Sansone? She's exquisitely beautiful and superbly talented, with a spectacular line and an amazingly athletic yet graceful ability to bring any dance to more vivid life than you might first expect.

Okay, I'm a huge fan of Mollie Sansone and I could heap praise upon her until the cows come home (which, when talking about a ballerina, sounds kind of off-putting and incongruous, but you get my drift). In fact, I've already heaped praise on her for the cavalcade of performances she has delivered during her career with Nashville Ballet.

My favorite review of her artistry and achievement was for her performance in this winter's Satto: "But it was the exquisite pairing of Mollie Sansone and Jon Upleger in Salvatore Aiello's completely sensual and mildly erotic Satto that truly turned up the heat in the company's annual salute to contemporary dance."

"Aiello's Satto, was much more satisfying and the resulting performance  much more in keeping with what is expected from the talented artists who are Nashville Ballet. Described as 'an adaptation of an Asian legend about an encounter between a wind god and a leaf,' the very emotion of such an encounter is felt throughout the beautiful, lyrical and sensual piece, danced so beautifully by Upleger and Sansone. Sansone's rhythmic and undulating movements so ideally capture the movement of a leaf in motion, while Upleger's athleticism and awe-inspiring skill and strength is exquisitely expressed through his thoroughly significant performance.

"The pairing of Sansone and Upleger is sheer perfection, their obvious trust of each other coupled with their impressive artistry, thereby creating a work that is memorably romantic and extremely sexy. (Okay, they were hot - very hot, in fact - and intermission gave audience members a chance to catch their breath and, well, cool off.)"

She once again was featured in another work by Aiello, his reintepretation of the classic Afternoon of A Faun, a part of Nashville Ballet's season ending performance, that showcased her almost indescribable grace (along with that of the splendid Alexandra Meister, Kimberly Ratcliffe , Kayla Rowser and Brendon LaPier).

Recently, Mollie found time in her exceptionally busy schedule to take on my list of questions and to offer all of her friends (myself included, of course) into her version of "This Dancer's Life." Read, enjoy and visit Nashville Ballet's website at www.nashvilleballet.com to learn more about the company's upcoming 2011-12 season and to ensure that you have a seat in the audience the next time Nashville's world class artists take to the stage.

What was your first introduction to dance as an art form? When my sister was very young, the doctors told her she had flat feet. He advised my mom to put her in ballet classes to fix the problem. Instead of getting a babysitter for me while she took my sister to ballet, my mom just decided to put me in the class as well. I was four years old at the time. Now, my sister and I are both professional ballet dancers.

What was your first real job as a dancer? I came to Nashville Ballet when I was 18, right after high school.

When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in dance? I never really experienced an epiphany; I just always wanted to dance no matter what. I never felt as much passion for anything else.

Who is your dancing idol? Mia Cunningham, former dancer of the North Carolina Dance Theater. I grew up admiring her. She actually helped me get my job here in Nashville.

Why do you pursue your art in Nashville? What are the best parts of working here? When I was 18, I loved country music. I always dreamed of moving out here. Then, I couldn't believe I actually got a job dancing in Music City! Living here for seven years now, I have come to truly understand what a great place this is to express your art form. It is such a diverse city full of people who appreciate their ever-growing culture. I feel honored to contribute to such development.

What is your dream role as a dancer? If you could dance any role, what would it be and why? I would love to one day do Juliet. I want to experience her roller coaster of emotions. A contemporary role I'd also like to perform would be "The Chosen One" from Salvatore Aeillo's Rite of Spring. I aspire to the strength and power needed to perform the role.

What is the brightest spot on your resume...what role/work is your most favorite? I had the most wonderful opportunity to perform Satto this past winter. The experience was tremendous! I never thought in a millions years I'd ever get to do the role - and to dance it with Mr. Jon Upleger? All the girls want to partner with him!

What's the biggest misconception people have about dancers? People have a hard time understanding that what we do is a full-time job. We do this for a living. And I must say we are quite lucky to get paid for doing what we love.

Who would play you in the film version of your life story? Everyone says I look like Rachel McAdams.

What's your favorite work created for dancers to perform? I must say I haven't seen enough to give you an honest answer. I'll get back to you after I've watched more YouTube videos.

If you could have dinner with any three figures (living or dead, real or fictional) who are a part of the world of dance, who would you choose and why? That's a hard one. I'd have to say Jiri Kylian because his choreography is amazing, Gelsey Kirkland because she was an amazing ballerina, and Maia Wilkins, former dancer of the Joffrey Ballet, because of her enormous, brute strength.

Imagine a young person seeing you onstage or seeing a production in which you played a major role coming up to you and asking you for advice in pursuing their own dream...what would you say? Don't take anything for granted. A dancer's career is so short, so savor every moment like it's your last.

photo of Jon Upleger and Molly Sansone in Satto by Marianne Leach