An excerpt from Kalliopi's memoirs

As I walked onto the empty stage of the Champs Elysées Theater in Paris in avenue Montaigne, my intention was to work on some difficult steps and try to make them my own. We were the Grand Ballet of the Marquis de Cuevas, performing our Paris winter season with the full length version of Sleeping Beauty. Suddenly our director Raymundo de Larraín appeared: “Kalliopi, I’d like you to start working on the leading role in Sleeping Beauty, Aurora. Begin on the solo variations and when you feel ready let me know! I’ll tell you then who your male partner will be”. And so it was. 

An excerpt from Kalliopi's memoirs

Performing for a few days with a revue in Buenos Aires, I was fourteen years old. There I saw posters announcing that the American Ballet Theater was in town. Immediately next morning I went to the theatre where they were performing, entered the stage door and looked for someone to give me information. No one was around, but everything was wide open. I searched for a few minutes - still nobody. So I decided to look inside the open dressing rooms. They were full of wigs, hats, shoes and the dancers’ beautiful costumes in every colour; the tables were covered with theatrical make up. I almost tried a costume on, but didn’t quite dare. I sat down on a chair, looked at myself in the mirror and made a wish: to be dancing with them later in my life!