Eve Mutso says ballet school gave her a strong toolkit

Choreographer and freelance dancer Eve Mutso received this year’s Helmi Tohvelman Award for movement direction in Tallinn City Theatre’s production In the Beginning Was the Song. In an interview on ERR’s Vikerraadio programme Kajalood, she discussed her work and said injuries had made her a stronger dancer.

Mutso described creating the production’s movement as a process of sorting through a huge amount of material. Director Riina Roose and Paavo Piik did extensive preparatory work, she said, while the cast contributed ideas and energy. One of the hardest tasks was combining singing, movement and instrumental playing while keeping the pace and making sure each short fragment carried a message.

When she begins work on a production, Mutso first tries to understand its energy and main threads, as well as where the director wants to guide the audience’s attention. She then works with the actors, considering their instincts, musicality, abilities, any injuries and how their costumes affect movement. Mistakes, she said, can lead to new ideas.

Mutso has also created movement for productions including Tiit Pagu, Life Is a Dream, As You Like It, Rahamaa and 500 Years of Friendship.

Ballet critics have praised her gaze in the role of Blanche in the ballet A Streetcar Named Desire. Mutso said eye contact can help people understand one another, and encouraged people to meet and look each other in the eye.

She is also involved in wheelchair dance. Her work with dancers with disabilities began through a project at Scottish Ballet with Independence, a charitable dance organisation for people with disabilities. Mutso said she has been a member of the organisation’s board since 2017.

Mutso said posture is one of the first things taught and assessed at ballet school, and remains important throughout life. She also highlighted the importance of understanding and activating the body, listening to music and silence, and maintaining discipline.

Her mother chose her career path for her, enrolling her in a choreography school as a child. As a teenager, Mutso found it difficult and considered leaving several times. Her motivation fluctuated, she said, but she had firm support at home. After graduating from ballet school, she felt she had a strong toolkit for her work.