Allan Tornsberg
Tancor.ru team talked to Allan straight after the World Professional Latin Championship in Moscow, Russia.
Could you single out any Russian couples? Why? And what attracts you most?
The Russian couples. Well... Everybody knows that I'm teaching a lot of them and knows my way of dancing. But I don't prefer any dancer to another dancer. What excites me as a teacher... I just admire that people are interested to learn and they have intelligence. So they can absorb the information I give about the dance. They have hunger to compete but not to win. Of course to win is also important. But I still believe it is better to be a better dancer than just to win.
What can you say about the World Championship held in Moscow?
I think, I wasn't so surprised because it was exactly what I expected. I wasn't very impressed and I wouldn't say, maybe I was impressed but didn't judge. I was excited and scary for the future that dancing has become the business industry and there is no space or time for Art, revealing of a dance which is the interpretation of music.
I think the music was VERY VERY poor... Really bad. And of course the dancers couldn't perform the best if the music was so bad.
What was bad about the music?
First of all it was completely false. I mean the instruments they play are completely false. And it is the second rate band. It is not a good band at all. They don't understand the Latin music. They mixed between the band and CDs. It was disgrace taking into consideration the money, the budget of the competition. It's strange. The most important in the competition is music. They don't understand the rhythm. And not all dancers are physically strong enough. So I'm not sure if the dancers were good enough to show the better dance even if the music was be better.
Doesn't Watson follow the music?
Bryan is a naturally born gifted dancer. But I don't see that he is spending much time educating himself about the music. I don't see his body understands what is cha-cha or pasodoble. He hears music and naturally gives to what tell his ears most of the time. I don't think that musicality is on the most highest level.
How would you judge the level of dancing of the Russian couples? What would you correct if you had such a possibility?
Both... both Russian couples, Slavik and Elena and Egor and Nataliya. Let's take Slavik and Elena. I like it that they try. Maybe they need more information to succeed but I can say they try. I wish these couples were a little bit more focused on what they want. They concentrate on making the other people happy around them: the spectators, their teachers. But they lost their own way a little bit. But... I think they have a good prospect for the future and I think they could be very good. Both couples are absolutely beautiful. Their strength id probably in the future. For me both couples clearly deserved the final. The are very... very inspiring. They are probably impressed and probably surprised me most. I think that they were ready to make a final. They were hungry for the final and definitely had quality for it. And... I like Egor's way, for me he is the only one who follows the music. But... for me the music is the priority and as the music was bad so they were a bit limited. But Egor always dances with such a natural calm and he is very natural in it and Natasha was very... very inspired, and they have a perfect balance of Man and Woman. They were in control and followed the music.
What do you think about the overwhelming majority of the Russian dancers representing the other countries?
It is no surprise that Russia has a lot of talented dancers and the opportunity to send them to the Worlds. It's no news. But I think that the Russians have just as uncertain future as the rest of the countries because the politics kills the dance. Even if Russia has more couples, more talented people than the other countries, they have twice as much politics. And they have to care about the dance. So I don't see Russia having more chance for the brighter future than all other countries.
How do you see your own future? Are you going to fight somehow against the politics?
I think that the only thing that can kill the politic is the dance itself. If we get the better dance and if we are better than others... And only the best one wins. We have to educate the judges more. The development of dancing is not possible without educating them. Otherwise dancing begins developing backwards.
Of course I'm a dancer and I always will be a dancer. I miss dancing but I think that there are things more important. I put my knowledge to the world, people's education and people's understanding of dancing because it is so poor at the moment.
We dance with Beata because we want to develop in dancing. Beata likes my style of dancing very much and she understands it. She wants to do the same and wants to develop. I have much developed about the dancing since I retired and I was very interested to try and see how it looks now. We started but we won't continue and it won't be any shows. It's so strange but sometimes you have to realize what is more important in life. Although I dedicated all my life to dancing I realise that there are parts of my life that are also important. So... If I have an opportunity one day maybe I will come back to the shows. Maybe I will do competitions, who knows. If I feel like it, I'll do it. At the moment I don't have such a desire. But I'm still passionate about dancing and I'm still wish to develop my knowledge in whatever way.
Something happens to a man between 30 and 40 years of age. I had a very bad time after I retied; you don't function when you are not happy you cannot develop. When you are not competing you don't really care about what other people think and you are listening much more about yourself. Actually that I see in Slavik and Elena.
Who are the people who taught Alan Tornsberg?
The combination of the teachers in the dance world. Inspiration from real world. Theaters, shows, my partner... it's also my instincts. I listen to my instincts. But the teacher who influenced me most was Walter Leard.
Do you have any clues for success for dancers?
It depends on a person. It depends on who is asking such question. The most important thing is that you are having fun. This is really simple but it is the most important. If you are not having fun doing it, it's not dancing.
And the last question. What are the other streams of dancing could help to develop dancing?
I wish it would be more influence from social dancing because the movements are more natural in social dancing and respond to the music. By social dancing I mean, when you go to a night club and dance together and follow your natural instincts. Because that is where we ARE natural, that is there we ARE moving naturally and listen to our instincts truthfully dancing together. It is not artificial and the movements are not artificially manufactured.
This interview is provided courtesy of tancor.ru and is also available in the Russian language version.