I have learned a great deal from the theatrical side of Covent Garden. The Paris Opera Ballet is more concerned with technique. It’s perfect. It’s beautiful. It’s well done. But it lacks the theatrical tradition that is so important in England. At the Royal Ballet, absolutely everyone on stage seems to be caught up in the plot. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
There is a false idea that I am stubborn and do only what I want, but really, I am like a sponge. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
I can’t have friends in every port. I have to work very hard and be very clear about what I want to do. I cannot just swallow everything I am told. I have to decide what I want to become part of my luggage – and what I don’t. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
I had no sense of having reached some goal because I was an etoile at the Paris Opera. My ambition, if you can call it that, was to discover and learn and be excited by what I was doing. If I didn’t have that, I would find it elsewhere. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
I was afraid when I came to the Royal Ballet that it would be easy to have everyone walking all over me if I didn’t stick up for myself. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
When I was doing gymnastics, I was playing. It was fun. The ballet was not fun at all. Yes, I agree you must have discipline, but you don’t need to be a witch. You can’t teach a child like that. Three times a week, I went back to train as a gymnast. Then I was happy. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
A performance is like a boat. You really want it to arrive at port. So when something goes wrong and it doesn’t get there, that touches me a lot. Sylvie Guillem Read Quote
