My memoirs are full of humor, I had to change jokes because it was a little too dark.

I have always staged my fears as a way to transcend them.

With classical ballet you are literally injuring yourself.

From the moment you are born, you could die. I think as an artist it is important to meditate on that.

The brother of my grandfather was the patriarch of the Orthodox Church and revered as a saint. So everything in my childhood is about total sacrifice, whether to religion or to communism. This is what is engraved on me. This is why I have this insane willpower. My body is now beginning to be falling apart, but I will do it to the end. I don't care. With me it is about whatever it takes.

We always want to do things the way we like, that's why we never change.

I'm talking about intellectually and emotionally challenging, but at the same time it's actually not that challenging. So there's this dichotomy.