New mom back on toes as ballerina

Maria Mosina takes lead in 'Coppelia'

By Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Ellen Jaskol / The Rocky

Longtime partners Maria Mosina and Igor Vassine rehearse for the upcoming Colorado Ballet production of Coppelia.

Special to the Rocky

Mosina and daughter Sofia

It's been a little tricky thinking about work these days, Maria Mosina admits with a bashful smile.

"All the time, I'm thinking about her, not ballet," says the Russian-born Colorado Ballet star.

One look at a picture of Mosina's child, Sofia, born Oct. 2, and it's easy to understand the ballerina's loss of focus.

Still, she'll need to be on her toes as Colorado Ballet opens an eight-performance engagement of Coppelia this weekend at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Mosina will dance the title role at Saturday's opening-night performance, as well as on Feb. 29 and March 2.

Although she's 35 and fully in love with being a mother, the ballerina insists she had no interest in hanging up her toe shoes when she became pregnant.

"I never gave a thought to retirement. I finished last season and took class in the summer. I ended up taking class until just about the due date."

No doubt she received inspiration to continue her dancing from Sofia's father, company principal dancer Igor Vassine.

The couple have danced together for years and will be paired in Coppelia. As visitors to the Ellie know, they are also depicted in John DeAndrea's sculpture, prominently displayed in the lobby. That piece depicts Vassine holding Mosina over his head. In real life, her partner has been equally supportive, she says, though the two are not married.

"Igor lives by himself," Mosina notes matter-of-factly. "But he is always over, being with Sofia and playing with her."

Vassine's mother, Olga, flew in from Tallin, Estonia, to help baby-sit, as did Mosina's mother, Tatiana, who stayed 11/2 months.

"I know she is in good arms," she says of her baby's caregivers.

Sofia is now nearly 14 pounds and healthy. Her mother, on the other hand, is still working her way back into form.

"I returned to taking class when (Sofia) was 11/2 months," Mosina reported. "I'm slowly getting back in shape. I've lost some of the bend in my back, but Sandy (ballet mistress Sandra Brown) has been showing me some Pilates exercises. You know, she had a baby not long ago, too." (Brown is married to artistic director Gil Boggs.)

"I've gotten plenty of good advice on mothering from Sandy and from Michelle (Dolighan-Rodenbeck, director of the company school). Sandy told me, 'Don't forget you have a life.' I'm working hard in the studio. I've found that my dancing is not as fast yet as before."

Mosina spends mornings with Sofia, then visits her during the 2-hour afternoon break. Like so many new mothers, she's exhausted by day's end.

"I get no sleep - but it's worth it. I am breast-feeding her, which takes a lot of calories," says the ballerina. "Plus, I have to do a lot of pumping during breaks."

With a laugh, she adds: "Coming to work was like rest for me, mentally. Sofia takes up so much of my time."

The stress of returning to the stage has been eased by the piece she'll dance. "Coppelia is a good way to start for me. The story is playful and positive. I don't think I'd want to perform a tragedy, because I feel so happy."

Mosina gained only 12 pounds during her pregnancy, noting with a grin, "After a while, my balance changed."

Though the pregnancy wasn't planned, both parents welcomed it joyfully ("I always wanted to have a baby," she said). Meanwhile, both sets of grandparents were ecstatic, the dancer adds.

In March, after the run of Coppelia, the company will launch into a three-part repertory program. "I'll be doing one of the tricky pas de deux in (Antony Tudor's) Leaves are Fading," Mosina says. "It has a lot of lifts - but I should be back to 100 percent."

Once the season has ended, she and Sofia will visit friends and family back in Russia. "I want to get Russian citizenship for her," the dancer says, noting that she has dual citizenship.

Though she has no thought of retiring from the stage, Mosina has made plans for life after ballet.

"Each summer for the last five years, I've been working on my degree in (ballet) coaching at the Bolshoi School in Moscow. I finally finished last season. One day, I would love to teach."

But not yet. There is still dancing, and there will always be Sofia. "She's the most important thing in my life."

In fact, Sofia is a big reason she is still performing.

"On the one hand, I am an artist - I have to keep going. But now, I am continuing so that one day she can watch me dance."

Marc Shulgold is the music and dance writer. Shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296

Coppelia

* When and where: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 29, 2 and 7:30 p.m. March 1, 2 p.m. March 2 in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, 14th and Curtis streets

* Cost: $19 to $145

* Information: 303-837-8888