Leap of faith

Twenty five years ago, setting up a dance school was the last thing on a Gozitan teenager's mind. Today he strongly believes there is a need to change the education system to incorporate performing arts. He also calls for a halt to the drain of cultural talent. Felix Busuttil speaks to Natalino Fenech.

It must have looked like a risky venture setting up a dance company in 1984. What made you do it?
I was born in Gozo and the first time I left Gozo was to go to school at Savio College with the intention of becoming a priest. But after two years, I realised that there were other ways for me.

I started working at the bank. I knew dance schools existed but had no intention of setting one up. Then someone saw me doing some turns and steps at work and suggested I join a dance school. Later I joined Alison White's dance school and then moved on to Tanya Bayona's. I grew tired of counting other people's money and left the bank to seek pastures new.

When I started YADA I did not think of the risk or where I was heading for. It was like a domino effect, moving from class to class, from one exam to another and from one performance to the next. I started off with 40 students, now we have 400.

Of all the performing arts, why did you choose dancing?
A famous dancer once said I did not choose dance but dance chose me. As a child, I broke many chandeliers at home lifting my sister up. I grew up with Raffaella Carra and Heather Parisi dancing away on TV screens. They were my idols of the time. I used to lure friends from around the neighbourhood to our garage, where my mother's curtain was used as a stage curtain.

I believe dancing is in you. I like both the theatre and TV. In the future, when my legs start creaking, I will move to theatre production and choreography. I love creating. I love that feeling I get when whatever I have in my head becomes a full scale production within a span of a few months.

Dance is a celebration. We jump for joy when happy - it's a dance movement! We dance at weddings. Many lovers who get married start off with a dance, or being asked to dance. It's an integral part of us, even if we don't acknowledge it.

You are a firm believer that performing arts enhance children's abilities.
I have no doubt that any of the performing arts helps children build their self-esteem. It empowers them and helps them in their studies too. Performing arts motivate children and help them become self-disciplined. Studies have shown that those who learn music do better at maths and languages. We give so much importance to academic topics that kids are stressed out. We need to restructure our educational system and encourage creativity.

I don't want to sound too critical but I think that as a nation we underline negative aspects. We talk and talk rather than do something constructive. We have to change the way we think. I firmly believe we have to change the way our children think too. We have to show them that they can have a future in what they want to do and encourage them to reach their goal. If they want to make a living out of the performing arts, it can be a career, a profession just like any other.

But don't children today have many opportunities compared to what you had?
One can't even begin to compare. I used to work illegally as a bar tender when I was studying dance in London; today you can audition in any European country and have a better chance of getting scholarships. There are some 25 dance schools in Malta and one can say that kids today are almost spoilt for choice. It's a huge blessing. There has been a huge leap in the last 20 years. But there is nothing structured and concrete. There is no code of ethics for the arts. We do not have a national dance company. Taxes related to the performing arts are way too high and we still consider arts as a luxury rather than as a necessity.

Costs and time are probably two determining factors in more people not being involved in cultural activities.
Costs are rather high. Anything related to theatre should be tax-exempt. If taxes on the arts can't be removed, they should be reduced as much as possible. But there are anomalies. Why is it there is no VAT on ballet lessons but there is VAT on all other forms of dancing? And what about VAT on tickets? By taxing them at 18 per cent one is putting culture at the same level as any other service or a pot of paint. Culture is the soul of a nation. We should push youngsters to help the country flourish with the culture it deserves. Culture is not only about bastions and churches. Culture is alive and we should promote it.

VAT is one aspect of ticket costs. Production costs are not low either.
The costs of putting up a production are phenomenal and keep increasing year after year. The fees to use the Manoel Theatre and the Mediterranean Conference Centre are so high that they are practically unaffordable. Theatre fees account for a third of costs. We are considering whether we should put up more shows: failing to sell tickets for a performance can lead to a company's financial ruin.

Ticket prices are high and one would do well to see whether they reflect the size of Maltese pockets. But one can't do otherwise. There are no subsidies. We work for at least four months and the artists are the last to get paid. Theatre costs, lighting, sound, costumes and those who do the stage make-up and hair are the first to be paid. The persons who work the most get paid last ... if there is any money left for them.

People think we make loads of money. I forked out Lm1,500 from my pocket for the CHOGM performance. When one considers the time spent in rehearsals, dancers were paid 30c per hour!

When we have a performance, dancers rehearse for an average of 10 hours a week for four months. In the last week, rehearsals intensify and it is not unusual for us to spend from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. rehearsing in the week before the performance. Indeed, we become prisoners of the theatre. If I got paid a minimum wage per hour I would be a millionaire!

What's the solution?
We need to have more local and theatrical productions on TV. We need more music, dance and theatre lessons in schools. We should encourage dance and theatre companies to travel to be Malta's ambassadors.

Many talented people are leaving because they know they can make a better living elsewhere. I am tempted to go and spend a year in Australia to see what it feels like to be a dance teacher there. There is a serious talent drain in Malta. I know 55 of my friends who have left over the past six months. Why should the talented ones who stay here have to suffer so much to make a living? Something is wrong. There is no formal structure in place; we don't have a national dance company. What performing artists do is not promoted, even by the theatres themselves, or by the tourism authorities or by hotels. Our performances are of a high standard and tourists would enjoy them, yet there are hardly any present for the shows. Can anyone explain why?

YADA's productions have progressed and are now essentially musicals. With Footloose, you are blending drama with dancing. Three runs of Footloose are over, and three to go this weekend. What's the feedback?
When I decided to go for it, I wanted a performance that would make people get up from seats and have fun. In rehearsals I knew it would be successful because once dancers and actors are having fun, it rubs off on the audience. It's an entertaining show. The main theme is transporting the audience into a world of forgetfulness. It makes you enjoy the spectacle... and forget your problems.

Which was the most uplifting moment of your career so far?
I had many. Most are when productions are over. When the people give a standing ovation, it's indescribable. For me, watching a sunset is uplifting too, or being on an airplane going for a holiday after a tough time at work.

There must have been embarrassing moments too!
My worst was when I was dressed as a Spanish dancer with my back to a pool, and I ended up in the water with 450 guests looking on. Another was when I dropped Alison White and fell on top of her during a performance. You can't easily forget such moments! But who has not had his downs? The most important thing is that you get up each time you fall.