Some reviews

~ "The Bulgarian is a superb technician, flawless in execution, and projects a regal quality that suited the role of Aurora" - The Post Standard

~ "Rag house was a perfect blend of cheeky charm, humor and style, especially in the hands of droll comedian Violeta Angelova" - Asbury Park Press

~ "Ballet Magic", "The brilliant ballerina used her ten day stay home to present an expressive feature performance of classical and contemporary ballet" - Bulgarian Press

~ "Violeta Angelova danced the leads in both Concerto Barocco and Sonatine. A clear, sure dancer, she brought a connectivity of phrasing and range of dynamics to the piece that made it suspenseful" - The New York Times

~ "Notable performance [as the Sugar Plum Fairy] by prima ballerina Violeta Angelova with swan-like appearance and technique" - The Morning Call 

~ "Violeta has represented Bulgaria upon world stages for years; She possesses supreme control over all complex technical elements and a commanding stage presence" - Bulgarian Press

~ "The performance of  Valse-Fantaisie  turned out to be a real marvel. Dressed in gorgeous emerald costumes, the dancers responded to the music and space with terrific sweep and spontaneity. This was a truly incandescent waltz, charged with both energy and glamour. The charismatic Violeta Angelova was light, piquant and assured in her role full of graceful, elegant leaps and turns." -Dancetabs.com

~ "Of the many talented dancers in the world today, the Bulgarian ballerina Violeta Angelova is like a jewel, blessed with physical beauty and grace, a crystal clear technique, and a kind of inner radiance that shines forth in each performance."

forumartistico

~ "[As the Sleepwalker] Violeta Angelova has the anatomy and ability to stab the stage floor with angry toes and then skim serenly over stumbling blocks."

danceviewtimes.com

~ "In the Agon pas[de deux], Angelova and Momchil Mladenov made manifest the marvelously odd physics of the place these collaborators/competitors inhabit. When she strikes a penchee, unperturbed as he skitters, supine, beneath her while holding her hand, it seems, once again, an almost-unremarkable miracle."

ballet.co.uk

~ "Violeta Angelova shone in the second [Agon] pas de trois. Her Bransle Gay flowed languidly from one position from another, achieving impossibly etched positions and sharp angles without becoming staccato in her phrasing. The juxtaposition was a great reading of the choreography and marks it as a performance to remember."

ballettalk.com

~ "[in the Monumentum pro Gesualdo and Movements for Piano and Orchestra demi-soloists role] Violeta Angelova made particular impression."

nytimes.com

~ "Violeta Angelova stood out for the quick airiness of her dancing in the charming Divertimento No.15"

ballettalk.com

~ "[In Divertimento No.15] There were moments and variations that rose to glory: Violeta Angelova was a quicksilver presence in the sixth and final variation."

annarbor.com

~ "A notable exception was Violeta Angelova, who rendered the sixth variation as a presto wake-up call."

culturevulture.net

~ "Violeta Angelova, looking quite young, gave her first performance bursts of spontaneity that were like sunshine suddenly breaking through clouds."

danceviewtimes.com

~ "At the center of The Fairy Doll Angelova represents the Eternal Feminine;" Violeta [was] delicately suspended in balances on pointe" 

TheStarLedger

~ "Violeta Angelova is piquant and saucy; she would be perfectly cast as the French Ballerina in Tudor’s Gala Performance."

ballet.co.uk

We've made some of the older interviews available here. Some are available online in text or video form through their respective medias. There are also a lot of questions answered in the Q & A section, where you can also submit your questions to V. Some video features are available under LOOK/VIDEO. Thank you.

The J.F.Kennedy Center, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet

“Meet the Artist” Interview, Spring 2010

What is your favorite role to dance and why?

 I don’t have a favorite role. But I very much enjoy when a ballet has you dancing on a feeling or when you have the chance to build a character.

What do you like to do when you are not dancing?

Usually something else connected to the Arts. Also I love nature and I try to get back to it!

TV sometimes gets in the way, hehe.

How do you prepare yourself for the physical challenges of rehearsing, performing, touring?

I train. Besides ballet class I would do my own exercises. For performing I prepare myself by rehearsing and for touring, well, let’s face it – it’s always exhausting.

What is it like to work with Ms. Farrell? Any fun and memorable stories or anecdotes about working with her?

Dancing in Ms.Farrell’s company helped open new horizons for me.

She is one of the nicest people to work with. Rehearsals with her are always productive, she knows the ballets inside and out, she tells stories sometimes, I wish we could have more time together.

There are fun moments to recall. Here is one– a little while back I wore a different leotard everyday for two or three weeks, but it was really such a routine I did not even realize. One day Suzanne came up to me during class, I finished a big port de bras, she looked at me again and asked if a have a shop.

What music do you like to listen to when you warm-up?

I listen to music more when getting to the theatre than when warming-up. It’s either an all-genre hits list or classical music. 

What do you think is the most common myth about being a ballerina? What do you wish people knew about what it’s really like to be a ballerina?

I’d say the most common myth is that we all have ugly toes. I was talking to a bank manager once and he told me he knew more about ballet than most people. And followed that with “I know how your toes look”. “No, you don’t”. I was irritated.

What I wish people knew, is that there is more to ballet and to a ballerina then they assume based on clichés.   

Do you feel an affinity for any particular choreographer?

I may be wrong but I don’t think so. I think I will be able to answer properly when I’m fifty years old and have retired from dancing onstage.

What is the biggest reward in your career?

Probably inspiring children to try and learn about ballet and representing Bulgaria around the world.

Ballet Connections Interview with Vio

July 2009

Ballet Connections (BC): What is it about the culture and history of Bulgaria that makes the performing arts so important to its people?

Violeta Angelova (VA): We have character and temperament - I guess those traits play a role. We have spectacular folk music and dance that make your heart sing - it must be in the blood.

BC: Your mother is a ballet teacher. Looking back on growing up, was it an advantage or disadvantage? When did you realize you wanted to be a professional dancer?

VA: There is an old tradition - various items are placed in front of a toddler and what the child chooses is believed to show their future. I am told I chose a 3-inch thick book Notes on the Bulgarian Revolts and a pair of pointe shoes. When I entered the National School of Dance Art, my classmates gave me hard time about my Mom being a dance professional. We were 10 years old! They thought I was in the school because of her despite the rigorous selection process.

BC: How did you end up with the Vienna State Opera?

VA: When I was sixteen I was thinking between Stuttgart, Vienna and some other place and just intuitively liked Vienna. It sounds so romantic!

BC: Was this the first time you were away from home for an extended time? What kind of living quarters did you have? What was your routine like?

VA: Yes, it was right then when I left home and it was hard. I wanted to talk to my Mom everyday. I was still in school, so I was going to classes and studying to simultaneously graduate in Bulgaria. I lived in a student dorm.

BC: Were you able to see and enjoy much of Vienna? Did you get to travel throughout Austria?

VA: Yes and yes.

BC: What were the teachers like at the Vienna State Opera and did they have a particular style of instruction?

VA: A lot of them had a certain calm and I liked that. Many were international – from Great Britain, Russia, Hungary, Cuba, Romania, France.

BC: Who were some of your best teachers and what was it about them that you liked?

VA: Oh, hard question!! I have been lucky to work with many great professionals in all the companies. I enjoy learning and understanding their views and values! If talking about my senior years in school – the work of Silvia Tzankova, Valentin Onoshko, Fani Cherneva I owe a lot to.

BC: Do you prefer classical or modern dance and why?

VA: I go through phases of preference. Performing different works and roles allows different parts of ones personality to come forward.

BC: Where did you go from Vienna?

VA: To the United States. I couldn’t wait. I left few months before the end of the season.

BC: What are the differences between American and European companies?

VA: Generally in America there are separate rehearsal and performance periods. In Europe mostly it is all together, also there are state funded companies.

BC: Do you have a special routine before you perform?

VA: No

BC: What do you like in a partner?

VA: I like a friendly manner. Having fun dancing together is always nice.

BC: Ballet is a never ending quest for perfection. What parts of your technique are you most satisfied with? What parts are you least satisfied with and how do you work on your technique to improve it?

VA: Also hard question! On a good day I enjoy my jumps, on a bad day - hardly anything. Practice and rest help with improvement.

BC: Do you workout in a gym?

VA: No.

BC: You’ve danced with companies as a guest artist and as a member of the company. Is it more difficult as a guest artist? Is it easier? How do you relate with the other dancers?

VA: It is interesting to experience the different dynamics. Sometimes it is easier, sometimes- harder. I like when there is enough time to rehearse with the rest of the cast to make friends.

BC: You were involved in a project called Through the Eyes. What was that performance? How did it come about? In general, tell us about it?

VA: That was a solo performance of sorts. I hadn’t danced in Bulgaria in a while and really wanted to! The Ministry of Culture provided a lot of the funding. I had a lot of artistic liberty and had many things going on. I only had 10 days to get it together.

BC: As part of that show you had a long solo part called Peace. What was that like working with the choreographer?

VA: The original idea was mine and I wanted to do more of a conceptual piece than a traditional dance solo. I involved a painter and another dancer and together we discussed and decided on the choreography. The hard part was doing it blinded by the spot-light in complete darkness. I later danced it on tour.

BC: Most dance pieces are with other dancers. Do you have to change your technique in anyway when you are on stage alone?

VA: It’s the other way around. When in a group you have a collective look and everyone serves that. When alone you can lift your leg as high or low as you like – just to give a very simple example.

BC: You also like working with photographers modeling. Is it in any way similar to dance?

VA: I do like photography. I did some for the movies played in my show. I enjoy collaborating with photographers in creating something interesting and beautiful. It doesn’t have the rush of live show, but has an excitement all its own. To me it is performing as well. Different medium, similar joy.

BC: What kind of photo work have you been involved in? Is it something you want to continue to do?

VA:I have worked quite a bit with Dane Shitagi. One of the things we collaborate on is called Ballerina Project – it is still evolving. Continue – yes. I have few things coming up.

BC: Where are you now? What will you be doing over the next year? Do you have other similar projects like Through the Eyes planned?

VA: I will continue my work with Suzanne Farrell. We’ll be at the Kennedy Center and we’ll tour in the United States. I guest with the Eglevsky and New Jersey Ballets and I want to start working with Morphoses-TheWheeldon Company. I look forward to all that! Also I was invited to collaborate with Quixotic Ensemble and two new projects starting in London; I teach when I can and choreograph too; I’ll absolutely do something of mine and I’m open to new works. And I hope to receive more offers like that cool-sounding play coming out this fall I had to turn down.

BC: What advice do you have for younger dancers?

VA: Be yourself.

BC: Do you have any favorite movies, books that have meant something to you?

VA: It is always difficult to narrow those things down. Bulgarian authors like Vazov and Botev are geniuses of the written word that move me deeply; History books - stories about Bulgarian revolutionaries during the 18th and 19th centuries and our Khans during the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries; The Three Musketeers; Also books by Kevyn Aucoin and Madeline Albright. I like watching European movies.