Interview with Pierre Beauchamp

So, Mr. Beauchamp, tell me a little about where your from and your family.

Well, lets see. I was born in Versailles, France. It was an exquisite place to live. I was fortunate enough to be born into an amazingly talented family.  My family consisted of musicians and dancers.  They really helped me progress and learn the arts business/lifestyle from a very young age.

My grandfather and uncle were very experienced musicians. They would play for the monarchs and all of royalty.  My parents,brother, and cousin were all ballet dancers as well.  I'm so lucky to have such a magnifique family.  They really opened up opportunities for me.

What made you interested in dancing?

Oh dear!  Well, I was always interested in dancing. Watching my family really helped me pick up the interest as well.  For the most part though, it was my, I suppose you would call it, "calling".  It was my dream, my goal, my life.  Everything was about dance.  It was my favorite thing to do and I just found everything about it so fascinant.

I really started to enjoy performing dance when I started to perform for my Cousin, Moliere.  I loved being in ballets with him.  Also, because of my artistic family, we were close with the royals.  This was delicieux, or delightful.  When I was just eleven years old I appeared on the Ballet du Dereglement des Passions.  I even performed at King Louis XIV's wedding.  Performing like this really increased my interest.

That's really cool that you got to perform for royalty.  Who were your mentors?

Hmm... I suppose my family were my main ones.  They really taught me a lot and opened up a lot of opportunities.  Without them I probably wouldn't be where I am now as a famous dancer being researched! Which I find quite flattering by the way. But yes, my family really got me to where I am.  They taught me dance at such a young age and guided me.

Another person who mentored me was actually the King! I became very close with King Louis XIV because I started to tutor him in ballet.  What an honor it was to instruct the royal!  He eventually founded a company called Academie Royle de Danse, where I of course danced at.  That let me expand my experience and learn a lot more.

What was it like entering the dancing world?

Ah! What a great question! It was quite different than it is now I can tell you that.  When I first entered it, it was not nearly as proffesional or disciplined as it is today.  It was still for entertainment, but not taken as seriously.  That is why I founded the five arm and foot positions of ballet.

Other than that, I loved the dance world!  I stayed busy and close to my family.  I was considered a dance master by the king, which I was so stunned to be called.  I started dancing for various companies at a young age. Overall the dance world was amazing and everything I could dream of.

How did politics, economics, and society effect your career?

Being french definately was a plus for me! Who would have known the King of France liked ballet so much?!  Being close with royalty really was the biggest impact on my career.  It gave me such a wonderful title and sounded good for auditions. It made it possible to be in the King's company a lot more easily.

Besides being well respected by royalty, there were a few other things the impacted my career.  My cousin Moliere really gave me lots of parts and performing time.  I loved performing for him.  My family was also high class which made living easier.  I suppose I had it pretty good in my career.

What were some of your accomplishments and methods you used in your art?

Well all of my methods came from my family, as you can probably assume.  But I had very many accomplishments that I am very proud of.  My biggest, most impacting accomplishment would probably have to be the establishing of the five positions.  This made ballet a serious practice, and also a fine art.  Now choreography would be more precise and exact. As far as I can tell, you still use the five positions.

That wasn't my only accomplishment though!  I have been in so many performances, I cannot even name all them!  Something very interesting I found out about myself was I really like to choreograph things.  I really took on that interest and became, quite frankly, a successful choreographer.  I first choreographed King Louis XIV and Infanta's wedding, which was grande. I also choreographed Moliere's piece, "Le Facheux".  I eventually replaced Moliere's original choreographer and became I payed choreographer.  I even choreographed "Pamone", which was the first opera produced at Paris Opera.

What were some key events that led to all these opportunities?

Oh! Well I hope just being born counts as a key event! Being born into my family of artists is the main thing that gave my these opportunites. I understand that that isn't an event per say, but it is definately a key into how I got where I am now.  All of their experience and connections already had a career set up for me before I was even born! I'm very grateful for them.  Being close with royalty was a key event because it made me well respected.

I also must say being in Moliere's dance company really expanded my range.  I would not of known I love and am good at choreography if it wasn't for being in his company.  And look how far I've come with that!  I also have been told to be graceful and jump to great heights! So, I suppose my natural talent really was a key aspect as well.  I'm very happy I started dancing young, because I learned quite quickly.

Were there any hardships or roadblocks to overcome to be an artist?

hmmm...of course!  There always are!  But I must say I did not have that many!  Basically I had the problems any other dancer would have! For example, eating healthy is a must, and staying fit, and dealing with pains and injuries.  Nothing too serious though.

On the other hand, I didn't have a normal childhood.  I was constantly busy with rehearsals and performances to be a "little boy".  It was hard to get the full education and school experience as everyone else.  Also, my parents were quite busy themselves, so I matured on my own at a younger age than most boys. It was tough sometimes, i'll admit.  I'm glad it happened though because it was a situation that forced me to be closer and spend more time dancing.

Who do you admire in the arts, or inspire you beyond?

My parents and cousin of course!  They are brilliant dancers.  I look up to them and their technique all the time.  They were all very encouraging and understanding since they were interested in the same thing.  They made growing up as a performer easier.  They gave my company and tips and really helped me improve because I wanted to be just like them.

My cousin Moliere's company really inspired me.  Performing and choreographing just captured my attention and I admired the fact that that was a place I could do the things I loved.  I also admired all the other dancers in the company.  They were all unique.  They also inspired me to work harder because of competition and watching them helped me learn and improve.

What personal stories do you have that best illustrate how you became sucessfull in the arts?

Oh I have many!  Basically every performance I have done has its own story!  Performing in general means I was successful because there was a lot of competition out in the world.  But being able to perform for royalty was the ultimate privilege.  I would always get so nervous before performing!  Hearing that the king wanted me to tutor him was unbelievable!  I literally didn't believe it!

Establishing the five steps is one of my favorite stories!  I was very, very interested in dance, as you can tell.  I wanted to make it a more strict, official, disciplined practice.  I just didn't know how to at first.  While i was watching some dancers perform, I realised their arms and legs were a little off and sloppy.  I then invented the five positons, which made dance more precise and look cleaner.

Thank you Mr. Beauchamp for answering these questions!


Sources:

www.answers.com/topic/pierre-beauchamp
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/57590/Pierre-Beauchamp
http://michaelminn.net/andros/biographies/beauchamp_pierre/
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~john-powell/JOHN'S%20ARTICLES/Articles%20and%20Reviews/PierreBeauchamps.pdf
http://www.streetswing.com/histmai2/d2bechmp.htm