David Marchese

To ask for different roles.

To ask for different roles.

I want to go back to your specific story. You know, you grew up in rough circumstances. There was a lot of, you know, you sort of alluded to this earlier, there's a lot of instability in various ways. And then the lifeline for you was finding ballet, which in so many ways is like the exact opposite of instability. You know, it's about... Discipline and rigor and repetition and structure.

I want to go back to your specific story. You know, you grew up in rough circumstances. There was a lot of, you know, you sort of alluded to this earlier, there's a lot of instability in various ways. And then the lifeline for you was finding ballet, which in so many ways is like the exact opposite of instability. You know, it's about... Discipline and rigor and repetition and structure.

And I did wonder if, as a young person in particular, to kind of go from one extreme to the other, where was the quiet time when, like, you just figured out... who you are as a person. Do you know what I mean?

And I did wonder if, as a young person in particular, to kind of go from one extreme to the other, where was the quiet time when, like, you just figured out... who you are as a person. Do you know what I mean?

There was something I was curious about in your memoir, which I think was published in 2014, kind of a long time ago now. But, you know, in the memoir, you write a lot about growing up and about your relationship with your mom.

There was something I was curious about in your memoir, which I think was published in 2014, kind of a long time ago now. But, you know, in the memoir, you write a lot about growing up and about your relationship with your mom.

And in there, there's like a passing phrase where you just say something to the effect of like, there are times back then when you're writing still struggle to understand your mom. What were the things that you struggled to understand? And do you feel like 10 years later, you understand your mom more clearly?

And in there, there's like a passing phrase where you just say something to the effect of like, there are times back then when you're writing still struggle to understand your mom. What were the things that you struggled to understand? And do you feel like 10 years later, you understand your mom more clearly?

You know, in thinking about where you've come from and what you've achieved, the elements of that in a way are very legible and in some ways like sort of easily digestible. Like we can put your story in a clean box. You know, there's like a rags to riches element to it and then also sort of like a racial groundbreaking element to it.

You know, in thinking about where you've come from and what you've achieved, the elements of that in a way are very legible and in some ways like sort of easily digestible. Like we can put your story in a clean box. You know, there's like a rags to riches element to it and then also sort of like a racial groundbreaking element to it.

But it makes me wonder also if there are aspects of where you've come from and what you've achieved that you think like, well, the way people understand me, I get it, but it's a little more complicated than that.

But it makes me wonder also if there are aspects of where you've come from and what you've achieved that you think like, well, the way people understand me, I get it, but it's a little more complicated than that.

So you're now a few months or maybe even more than a few months into preparing to dance again at your final performance, which will be in October of this year. How has it been physically for you to get back into the swing of things?

So you're now a few months or maybe even more than a few months into preparing to dance again at your final performance, which will be in October of this year. How has it been physically for you to get back into the swing of things?

As somebody in his 40s, I can highly relate to the idea that, you know, maybe our bodies aren't working exactly the way they used to work for us. But typically, any person, let alone a ballet dancer, might be inclined to think of aging as a negative thing in terms of what we can do with our bodies. Like it's attached to a physical decline.

As somebody in his 40s, I can highly relate to the idea that, you know, maybe our bodies aren't working exactly the way they used to work for us. But typically, any person, let alone a ballet dancer, might be inclined to think of aging as a negative thing in terms of what we can do with our bodies. Like it's attached to a physical decline.

Are there any ways in which getting older and maybe having a different relationship with your body has...

Are there any ways in which getting older and maybe having a different relationship with your body has...