Patsy Kuppe-Matt

One of the perks of dancing in Stuttgart is I got to meet a lot of interesting people. Patsy is definitely one of the most interesting! Patsy taught training for Gauthier Dance a few times. Eric trained with her at the Stuttgart Ballet and thought Gauthier Dance would also enjoy her classes… and we did! Patsy is colorful! Not only in personality, but also in fashion. It is one of the first things I noticed about her… her beautiful, colorful, scarves. She has many. I thought she was from Spain, because she spoke fluent Spanish… but it turns out…she is from Stuttgart! She also speaks German, French, English and a little bit of Italian.

Patsy is upbeat, and positive. Beaming with good energy. I remember the first class with her, I thought, I have never seen a teacher smile so much… you could see that she loves what she is doing genuinely. Don’t let that smile fool you though… her class was demanding and challenging. She knows her stuff and will make you work! Patsy is a great teacher. She gave a classical class but with many modern elements. My body loved it. Also I appreciated her positivity, inside and outside of the studio. She is a positive soul and very loving. Whenever I would see her at a gala or a performance I would immediately smile. I smiled the whole time writing this interview as well……. wow she’s good.

Patsy began her dance training in her native Stuttgart. She continued her studies in Cannes and Monte Carlo with teachers such as Rosella Hightower, José Ferrán, Marika Besobrasova, Woytek Lowsky, Patricia Neary and Raymond Francetti. She was trained as Dancer and Ballet Mistress at the University of Music and Dance in Munich with Constanze Vernon, Michel Delutry and also with David Howard in New York. Patsy has performed as a dancer in companies in Munich, Trier, Paris, New York, Denver and Stuttgart.

While working in Paris, Patsy studied modern dance with Peter Goss and classical ballet research with Jean Golovine. Patsy has also studied Body/mind and re-education therapy methods with Joan Wulfsohn who created the Cellular Recall Therapy. Based on several methods including: Feldenkrais, Alexander, Sacro-cranial techniques and Rolfing. A woman of many talents.

In 1999 she started working as Artistic Director at the Ballet de Saragossa and held this position for 5 years. While working with the Ballet de Saragossa she assisted rehearsals and was responsible for ballets by Robert North, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Patrice Montagnon, Luc Bouy, Nils Christe, Uwe Scholz, and Davide Bombana among others. Pasty has created over 7 works for the Ballet de Saragossa and has been invited as jury member in international competitions throught Europe. Patsy gives workshops in San Sebastian, Ragusa (Sicily) and Benicassim (Spain) and constant collaborations with the conservatory for dance in Zaragoza, Granada, Sevilla and Madrid.

Patsy is regularly invited as guest teacher for the Stuttgart Ballet, Vienna State Opera (Austria) Gothenburg Ballet(Sweden),  Théâtre du Capitole (Toulouse, France), Theater Regensburg (Germany), Angel Corella Company, Ljubljana State Opera, IT. Danza and Conservatory Barcelona, the Forsythe Company (Frankfurt), Dansgroup Amsterdam, Gauthier Dance (Stuttgart), LAMOV, Ballett Mainz, and CND (Madrid).

I try to stay positive. People like Patsy remind me that it is possible… Even in this business. Thank you Patsy For your inspiration and the good energy!

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you always want to do what you’re doing now?

When I was small I wanted to be a judge. To fix injustice in the world. Then I wanted to work with Elephants and take them out of the Circus. Then dancing took over when I was about 15 years old… even though I was already dancing since 3 years old and my mother was a ballet teacher……..

Pasty’s Favorite Things

Favorite things to eat?

Salads and all fresh raw veggies.

Favorite books?

Books on dance, Tarot ( my hobby), books of Tom Robbins, and, of course, any good or exciting stories.

Favorite movies?

When I was young I lived in Cannes and saw all the Visconti, Pasolini, Fellini and old Italian and french movies and that really impressed me .Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog and Jim Jarmusch is a label for good movies that make you think.

Favorite dance piece?

Hard question!! Impossible to select one piece…all that is good, I like because I like dance! Pina Bausch was amazing…made me laugh at myself…but there is so much beautiful dancing…I don’t want to select anything.

I like dancers who…

…make my imagination fly.

I am afraid of…

…closed spaces and especially with lots of people in it.

Something you like to do other than dance?

I like to sit in the sun, swim in the sea, look at the sea, give ballet-class to talented people, be with my dogs and all sorts of animals, take photos…..and so many more things!!!

Dear aspiring artists,

Be yourself, work hard, respect others, do not gossip, keep learning… Don’t forget your family and friends who do something other than dance…

 Patsy Kuppe -Matt

 Now a comment regarding the recent situation for dancers:

We have been working over years for the rights that dancers ought to have. Right now with financial crises in many places it is again, extremely hard for many dancers to have a real life with the minimum of security. Part of my work consists in helping young dancers to train for auditions for free. Everybody should help, so that they can move and find a job that gives them the opportunity to develop as an artist and to have a future.

Photo Journal

Enjoying life.

Laboradance an intense pre-professional workshop several times a year to provide training to young dancers who have to get ready for auditioning. laboradance.wordpress.com

A message from Patsy…

More info on Patsy and her project on Facebook and at laboradance.wordpress.com … Have you taken Patsy’s class? Or worked with her ? This is the time to show Patsy some love! Share your stories in the comments below!