The critics say: ". . . perfect… a model of clarity and phrasing . . .streamlined glamour . . . fire-and-ice aloofness . . . can turn like a ball bearing . . . expansive majesty and creamy grandeur . . .amazing clarity and expansiveness . . . amazingly smooth and musically refined turning ability . . . a phenomenon technically . . . the ease with which she tosses off triple pirouette (when pulling in from a fouetté) is astounding . . . big, accurate technique . . .aplomb . . . finesse . . . confident, regal technique . . . molten gold presence and carefree turns . . ."

I would say she's also extremely polite, soft-spoken, and modest. Meet Gillian Murphy, Principal Dancer of The American Ballet Theatre.

Finis: Yesterday I saw you dance Le Corsaire, and your fouetté turns brought the house down. Not only were you turning faster than I had ever seen, you pulled into triple pirouettes, bringing your arms up above your head into high 5th while doing so. And you did four sets of those. You were on fire, and the audience roared! Was that spur of the moment?

Gillian: I plan ahead of time, but leave it open to last minute spontaneity. What I try to do is have different combinations of turns for different ballets. I do basically the same combination (fouetté, fouetté, fouetté-triple pirouettes) for Black Swan, but in Corsaire I bring my arms up

Finis: I remember seeing your Don Q, and you did fouetté-fouetté-fouetté double pirouette while you raised your fan above your head, opened it, closed it, brought your arm down, and continued into more fouetté turns. I think you did at least four sets of these. My jaw dropped. I had never, in 45 years of ballet going, ever seen a ballerina do that! How did you think of that?

Gillian: I'm not sure. I guess it's something I fooled around with when I was younger.

Finis: You know, I've been teaching since 1972, and no matter where I teach, the first thing dancers do after barre is get into center floor and practice a pirouette or two. It seems that to dance is to turn. How young were you when you first started doing fouetté turns?

Gillian: I first started doing 32 fouettés when I was 11, and I wouldn't say it was necessarily pretty….

Finis: I always tell teachers to let their students be ugly ducklings and try whatever they want, because then they will enjoy dancing and someday be a beautiful swan. Today you are the Swan Queen, most recently in that striking advertisement in The New York Times. You are shown completely wet, hair down, in your Odette tutu, being kissed by (your stage and real life prince) Ethan Stiefel, both of you disappearing into the water. That's a first! Now, tell us how you got started.

Gillian: My mother put me in a ballet class when I was three, just for something to do, and to develop my posture, and teach me discipline. My mother had danced when she was growing up, so she had a deep appreciation for it. However, I don't think she ever expected me to get so carried away with it. In kindergarten, I'd walk around on pointe in my sneakers, and my parents began to wonder why my shoes were always so worn out. I started dancing around the house all the time, doing ballet steps. It just seemed the normal thing to do. I wanted to be either a ballerina, or a marathon runner, or a doctor.

Finis: And today you are a ballerina with the strength and speed of a marathon runner, and, like a doctor, you help others by giving them inspiration and joy as they see you perform. You've fulfilled your childhood dreams!

Gillian: Once I got my pointe shoes, the choice got narrowed down to just being a ballerina. When I was 12, my Mother started driving me to Columbia (South Carolina's capitol) and I began more serious studies with William Starrett at Columbia City Ballet.

Finis: Were you fooling around with turns at that time?

Gillian: Yes. Turning was always something that I enjoyed.

Finis: Did you teach yourself to do different kinds of turns and jumps, or did your teachers try to develop this in you?

Gillian: It was a combination of both. When I was younger, I was mainly left to my own devices, and would try all kinds of things. But when I started working with William, he would tell us that dancers in New York City were doing 6 to 8 turns and jumping 5 feet off the ground. He pushed us.

Finis: Were there others who influenced your outlook?

Gillian: Yes, a lot of people, but in the ballet realm it was Melissa Hayden in particular. She first saw me when I was 14, at The North Carolina School of the Arts, and I was really small for my age, under 5 feet, and very skinny and young-looking. She didn't like that my knees wouldn't straighten. She saw me do Sugar Plum Fairy at NCSA, which was a big role for a freshman, and from that point on she showed me a lot of support. She set Western Symphony that year, and the next year, when I was 15, she coached me in the variations and took me to compete at The International Ballet Competition at Jackson, and then the Prix Lausanne in Switzerland and Russia.

Finis: Did Melissa ever say anything special?

Gillian: She polished up my technique during those crucial years. At the barre, she emphasized accents and articulation. She said that you have to have intention in every movement. And most importantly, she instilled in me (and all the other students as well) a sense that you have to go beyond what you think is possible. We developed a personal friendship, and still keep in touch to this day. Perhaps once a year we get together, and she gives me some classes, and answers whatever questions I have. The other thing about Melissa is that she worked on polishing my technique without crushing my own natural feelings and instincts.

Finis: Lucky you. I myself experienced working with several teachers who were adamant about putting me "into the mold" and I fell all over the stage because I was dancing with someone else's body. I had lost my own feelings and instincts, and it was scary.

Gillian: I have also been lucky in being helped by the coaches at ABT. Georgina Parkinson, who is the Ballet Mistress at ABT saw me at NCSA when I was 16 and recommended that I come up to New York so that Kevin (McKenzie, the Director of ABT) could see me. She said I was ABT material. I came up, took class, and was offered a corps de ballet contract, starting 2 days later. At the time I was 17, and I wanted to graduate from High School. I was taking a full load of classes plus correspondence courses so that I could get out a year early. I decided to join after I had graduated, and did so in August. And a few days later, as a corps member, I went on my first ABT Company tour with to Rio de Janeiro.

Finis: What was your first part?

Gillian: The candle dance in La Bayadere, 3rd Act. I remember it well, because the stage was raked, and the choreography involves making circles around yourself while holding candles. You had to move uphill, then downhill, and uphill, and so on, in circles. It was comical.

Finis: Ha! It foretold your future — making circular movements! Have you had milestone moments during your rise from corps to ballerina?

Gillian: I think I've been very fortunate to have had a steady rise, without too much drama. Each role has been like a building block. When I first joined the company, I had never done any corps work, so that was a very constructive learning process. I think it's important to learn how to "feel the other dancers" and move as one body. But in the end, I must say that I feel more comfortable dancing by myself or with a partner.

Finis: Well, for one thing, when you're by yourself, the audience never knows whether what you're doing is right or wrong! But seriously, I've seen many dancers who were given solo variations and ended up falling apart on stage.

Gillian: So much of ballet is mental, and sometimes people don't realize how so much of the body is ruled by the mind. Probably the scariest performance I ever had was dancing in the corps as a Shade in the famous white second act of La Bayadere. I found the group responsibility almost overwhelming.

Finis: I saw a performance of Bayadere when the corps girl in the front row fell over on the développé écarté. Yikes. What other moments do you recall?

Gillian: I had a number of unplanned opportunities that turned out to be quite wonderful. The first was understudying a principal role in a Twyla Tharp ballet on tour, and I got thrown in at the last minute. Even the staff was shocked that I was as prepared and uninhibited as I was. After that, I was given the fouetté girl in Patineurs, which was the same role Georgina saw me do in NCSA. And then The Odalisque in Corsaire . . .

Finis: . . . which was the first time I ever saw you dance a solo, and I was so impressed by your calm and steely strength. And of course, those triple pirouettes. Wow. They have been burned into my brain.

Gillian: After that, there was a season where I got thrown into Gamzatti in Bayadere and Myrta in Giselle, along with other soloist roles.

Finis: Were you a soloist at that time?

Gillian: No, I was still in the corps. But shortly after these roles, I was promoted to soloist.

Finis: Where there any particular challenges for you?

Gillian: I think the moment before you get promoted is sometimes the hardest, because you're doing the required corps de ballet roles, but also being thrown into soloist roles. You've got to do double duty on stage besides all those long and tiring rehearsal hours that corps work demands.

Finis: I remember Ethan (Stiefel) telling me how hard it was when he was at The New York City Ballet during The Sleeping Beauty. He was a corps de ballet "monster" one night and the next night the lead, the Prince.

Gillian: That's exactly it. Once you are promoted, you have more preparation time to develop into your roles and performances. After I was promoted, I did the ballerina in Etudes, Don Quixote full length, and Swan Lake.

Finis: When you learn a full length ballet, what do you start with?

Gillian: Well, first there are the emotions that go with the anticipation of learning it.

Finis: Do you look at videos or read books?

Gillian: I think usually I wait to learn the choreography, and then I start developing my own ideas.

Finis: Do you talk with anyone?

Gillian: Yes, Georgina and Kevin have coached me through most of these full length ballets, and both have been very generous with their help. Georgina focuses on my upper body and port de bras and presentation. Kevin is also amazing at deconstructing uncomfortable moments (either alone or with a partner) so that everything feels organic and seamless. Each time I would perform these ballets, their coaching (along with Irina Kolpakova at times) gives me more insight, so that I have more "food for thought" which helps push me to the next level.

Finis: You're very lucky to have had such coaches. No one makes it alone. Every great star has always had a mentor or coach to see what you can't see for yourself.

Gillian: Definitely. In the end, it's up to me to make good use of this guidance.

Finis: What are you working on right now?

Gillian: I'm focused on changing my body placement so that my shoulders are a little more back and down, and also that I project from the area of my heart.

Finis: That's what I noticed yesterday. You seem to have gained in amplitude since I last saw you dance in the Fall.

Gillian: I'm also working on my fingers and focusing my eyes. It's all in the details. And most of all, at this stage in my career, the projection of my soul.

Finis: Do you take that from the music?

Gillian: It's inspired by the music and by my own development as a human being. I also use images that I might have in my mind before and during the performance. For instance, yesterday during Corsaire, I visualized being whimsical, romantic and free.

Finis: And that's exactly what you projected. You and your superb cohorts, one of which was David Hallberg, newly promoted ABT Principal, brought the house down. We couldn't have asked for a more glorious, perfect climax to a star-studded performance. Tell me more about working on a full length ballet.

Gillian: I think that character motivation is what is so fulfilling about the full length ballets. Once you let yourself go there, you get to experience the transformations that the character undergoes. And that's another reason why Swan Lake is one of my favorites, because in the same evening I can portray the dual aspects of the purity and innocence of Odette and the wicked seductiveness of Odile.

Finis: And how wonderful that you got to do the PBS televised version that will be preserved for all time on DVD. All great actors and musicians talk about the process -- they all say that what they do is about listening to the other person or musician.

Gillian: That's why who you are dancing with is so important. Each dancer brings different things out of you. I think that so much comes out in the moment. No matter how full out I do something in rehearsal, it's always quite difference in performance. The audience inspires me to share the moment with them. Ballet is a visual art form, and the dance has to be outwardly displayed, but most important is that nothing is done superficially, it must be genuine.

Finis: I agree. Dance from the heart.

Gillian: Another difference between performance and rehearsal is that no one is going to stop you, it's continuous. If you make a mistake, you keep going. There is a continuity that is really fulfilling. In rehearsal, there are people sitting right in front of you, and their job is to nit pick, so my main focus in the studio is the development of the character as well as the perfection of the technical execution. Whereas on stage, I feel it's really the time to let loose with your instincts and your deeply felt connection to the character.

Finis: Yes, I think that's what you transmit to the audience. You've done your homework in rehearsals, you've laid the ground plans. And once you're on stage, you just go for it and never look back or apologize or doubt whether what you're doing is right or wrong. You just do it, come hell or high water, and dance like there's no tomorrow. And so many magical moments happen!

Gillian: Thank you. I think when you can get the physical challenges of the dance out of the way, and have the technical vocabulary under your command, only then are you able to freely express yourself artistically.

Finis: And that is what every dancer needs to do in order to succeed. It's what makes the difference. As I know from my own experience, dancers who are technically insecure cannot be artistically free. And are pretty unhappy people.

Gillian: I'd also say that on the other hand, technical perfection can be boring if there's no deeper purpose, no artistic intention.

Finis: Yes, there are dancers who can get legs up and turn and jump but there's not a glimmer of life in their eyes. I call it the "Bloomingdales" look. Bored as can be. I want to yell out "Wake up! — It's Showtime!" Tell me about your big new ballet Cinderella, which we will see this season at the Met.

Gillian: I haven't learned the whole thing yet, just bits and pieces. It's choreographed by James Kudelka, and it's going to look art deco. The pas de deux's are very challenging and beautiful. I start out in bare feet in the kitchen scene, so there's a real transformation when we get to the ball scene. I think I'm onstage for the entire first act, either dancing or interacting, and the parts I've learned from the second act look like they're going to be fun. I'm looking forward to dancing with David Hallberg as my Prince.

Finis: And so you should, he is the next great American male dancer. Now you will be even more carefree.

Gillian: I'm looking forward to this next season at the Met and continuing to develop as a Ballerina. And now I've got to go and work on my physics paper.

Finis: You're kidding. You're also doing academics?

Gillian: ABT has a new affiliation with Long Island University in which classes meet at the end of rehearsal days. I enjoyed an English Composition course at Fordham University a couple of years ago, but this LIU program fits into our touring schedule and the teachers come to our studios at 890 Broadway. Classes are held once or twice a week. I did a very eye-opening (and invigorating) art history class in the fall, as well as a crash course anthropology/sociology walking tour on a week off. This spring semester I'm just finishing up physics as well as a world history class, which have both been thought-provoking. I feel it's important to broaden your horizons, both for individual and artistic fulfillment. And luckily, the courses end before the Met season begins, so I can focus whole-heartedly on the upcoming performances.

Finis: Thank you so much, Gillian. As I suspected, there's more to Gillian Murphy than meets the eye. To our readers, catch her when you can; she's the experience of a lifetime.