Ilze Liepa’s Alphabet: Embodying an Idea is Like a Confession

Ilze Liepa: A Life in Dance and Drama

Ilze Liepa, a renowned ballerina, actress, and TV host, is a celebrated figure in Russia’s artistic landscape. Alongside Maria Subbotovskaya, she co-founded several ballet schools in 2001, welcoming children as young as 18 months. Her dedication to the art extends to the Ilze Liepa Charitable Foundation, which fosters the growth of choreographic arts. In this unique alphabetical insight, Ilze shares her journey, passions, and personal anecdotes.

D – Drama

What captivates me most in ballet is the dramatic narrative. This realization didn’t dawn on me immediately, but looking back, the signs were there. In my pre-graduation year, I was cast in a new production choreographed by Vakil Usmanov, set to Albeniz’s music. The piece featured three boys and one girl, with the boys being graduates. Dancing with graduates was always thrilling, and this performance was far from childish. We explored themes of love and death, with a dramatic struggle for the heroine’s attention, culminating in a tragic end. This was also my first experience with a love adagio, a theme I’ve always been drawn to. Perhaps this is why I’m also attracted to dramatic theater.

I – Ilze

The story behind my name is quite fascinating. My mother was filming at the Riga Film Studio for a movie called “Ilze”. As she was about to board her flight to Moscow, she met my father at the airplane stairs. My father had positioned himself there to meet her, and that’s where their story began. Thus, I was named Ilze.

K – Apartment

Our parents’ apartment is a home they built together, filled with their thoughts, spirit, and beautiful objects. It once belonged to the famous ballerina Ekaterina Vasilyevna Geltser, a star of the imperial theater. The building itself was designed by the renowned architect Alexey Viktorovich Shchusev, who also designed the Mausoleum.

For Andris and me, the apartment was more than just a living space. It was a creative hub where many extraordinary projects were born. At the table in the large room, Rustam Khamdamov and I conceived the image and costumes for the play “Phaedra”. Andris also spent countless hours there working on his ideas.

We never viewed the apartment as a mere asset. We didn’t think about dividing it between us. We treat it as our father would have wanted—a center of energy in our lives.

L – Liepa

The Liepa name and our belonging to this family have been both a responsibility and a privilege. Our father always reminded us, “Remember, you are the children of Liepa. What might be forgiven in others will not be forgiven in you.” Starting with this surname was not easy, but it also opened doors for us. Our father’s friendships became ours, and his enemies’ attitudes extended to us as well.

Our father’s family was wealthy, owning several houses in Riga. By the time we were conscious of our surroundings, only one house with a garden remained, where our grandfather grew roses and lilies. The roses were for our grandmother, who loved them, and the lilies were for her namesake. They were sentimental theater people. Once, I was invited to a TV show in Riga where they gathered a whole studio of people with the surname Liepa. It was quite amusing! In Moscow, I was the only Ilze and the only Liepa. But in Riga, there are so many girls named Ilze!

M – Mother

As long as our mother is alive, we remain her children. I admire her greatly. At 82, she is far from being an old lady; she is still beautiful and full of energy. She sacrificed much for our family, including her career. She was the pillar of our family, not only because she raised us but also because she was a mother to our father as well.

When they separated, our father lost his grounding because he needed that pillar to remain somewhat childlike and dependent. Despite his outward strength and masculinity, he was not entirely self-reliant. He was a man led through life.

P – Travel

Resistance bands for exercises, a small deflatable ball that takes up almost no space—a mini gym that’s always in my luggage. I used to carry a yoga mat, but I’ve stopped because it takes up too much space. Packing has become tedious due to my frequent travels.

I’ve never been fond of beach vacations, unable to comprehend lying around day after day. However, having a daughter, Nadia, has changed my perspective. Now, when we go on vacation, I realize that beach time is essential because she wants to splash in the sea every day. And it doesn’t get boring. You just need to find ways to make it interesting for yourself too.

S – Fairy Tales

Fairy tales seem to be a divine gift, a remarkable substitute for creativity. “Theatrical Fairy Tales” flowed like rain and then stopped. The initial idea was quite simple. Our ballet school was publishing a newspaper, and the editor asked me to write a fairy tale for Christmas. I was puzzled: “A fairy tale? Me?”

I didn’t know how to write a fairy tale, but suddenly, I found myself with a pen and paper, writing the first sentence: “Once upon a time, there were ballet slippers…” It was a stream of consciousness. I realized that I could only work on fairy tales when I was in a harmonious state of mind. Since I enjoyed it, I would sit down to write in the evenings after all the day’s tasks were done. And the characters came to life…

I never expected or aimed for the fairy tales to become a book. This idea came from my director and friend, who I started sending the tales to for her to read. She said, “Keep writing so we can make a book.” This motivated me. She was the first reader of my work. When one of the fairy tales ended sadly, she said, “No, a fairy tale can’t end like that. Think of another ending.”

My fairy tales are my love for the Bolshoi Theatre, the theater I’ve known since I was five, when I first sat on a tall stool and was prepared for the role of Cio-Cio-San’s son in the opera “Madama Butterfly”. For me, the theater is the smell of the makeup department and the costume shop, the glow of the corridors, the space under the stage where you could once walk and see all the stage mechanisms. So, in the fairy tales, the theater I knew, loved, and still love comes alive.

T – Dance

Dance is an opportunity to be yourself, to express yourself through the material you are living at the moment. You don’t have to do what circumstances force you to do. My life has been very fortunate because dance has always allowed me to express myself. Being the embodiment of an idea is like a confession: many moments that are dear to you are revealed.