Choreographers use me as the old guy who still dances. Not that I put on white tights.

Film, theater and television always kind of scared me. I don't ever seriously think of myself as an actor at all, and I don't plan any film career or television career.

I cannot draw to save my life, and I'm not a big art scholar, but I worked with many designers throughout my career - in theater, in dance, costume designers, set designers, and I have a lot of artist friends and I do photography, and I think it's kind of in my life.

I fell in love with New York. It was like every human being, like any relationship. When I was a young New Yorker, it was one city. When I was a grown man, it was another city. I worked with many dance organizations and many wonderful people.

I remember vividly seeing 'Tarzan' and Fred Astaire, the Chaplin films, Fred Astaire musicals, MGM, because of my mother. She was just interested in everything and she took me to opera and ballet, and then ballet got me hooked.

We lived, until I was 12 or so, in communal apartment with five different families and the same kitchen, in two little - my brother and me and my parents. It was hell, but it was a common thing. My father was not general or admiral, but he was colonel. He was teaching in military academy military topography.

I think I got disappointed over the years about New York, about the States. You know, sometimes you go and visit Europe and see good old socialism in its good part! You see public concern about art, and young people's participation and young faces in the audience.

I like to make my own mistakes.

I fell in love with New York.

You see, dancers are quite mature people because they start performing so early. They become professionals when they start to take everyday classes.

In opera tradition, when opera die-hard fans, there is a replacement of singer or singer wasn't at his or hers vocal best, doing something, they boo. Especially now that they pay hundreds of dollars for the ticket.

Now there is in a way a renaissance of modern dance - suddenly, it is more respected and discovered.

Although I don't gamble in life - I've never played poker - I do gamble on stage. I gamble with myself: 'Can I do this?'

I know when I am on stage and I'm kind of on the right track - hopefully most of the time. But a lot of time I'm not.

I don't see in myself any perfection.

Nobody else in the world has a form like the Native American musical, and Americans should be very proud.

Nothing is ever too expensive if it furthers the repertoire and artistic standards of a dance company.

When I'm alone, I work sometimes with music, sometimes without and sometimes just listening to NPR.

I don't go to a gym, I don't do yoga. I don't do personal training.

I was always interested in photography and other forms of art.

I never liked dance photography; it's very flat, and dance photography in the studio looks very contrived.

A country like Belgium, or socialist countries in central Europe spend more money on art education than the United States, which is a really puzzling thought.

I've always said, 'I am a selector, I am not defector' - the first few phrases in English I learned. I said I hate 'defector'; something defective about the people. It's a bad word.

I would like to go and dance in Palestine one day, with great pleasure, great pleasure.