If you’re as fascinated by the anatomy of breathtaking performances as I am, we’ll get along great.
Maybe you’re a bit like me: incredibly shy as a kid, quite introverted, but always thriving when peming. Be it singing, playing instruments, teaching, or public speaking, I’ve always felt like I’m in my natural habitat in front of an audience.
Also, being brought up by a professional violinist, I didn’t have to look very far to see what it looks like to hone your craft as a performer. I only had to watch my mother drilling scales in the living room—as she has for decades—to grasp the value of such simple, rigorous practice. I’ve been to hundreds of concerts in my life so far, and each time I’ve had the chance to witness her and other musicians making their best attempt at an elegant performance.
When it comes to the notion of elegance itself, my fascination with it started in 2023 when I took a rather life-changing course on the history of European elegance. I was pursuing my degree in musicology at the time, and the course inspired me to write many essays and my Bachelor’s thesis on elegance in performance.
Ever since, I’ve studied all kinds of icons from the realms of music, film, fashion and sports—from Maria Callas, Barbra Streisand and Audrey Hepburn, to Ralph Lauren, Carlos Alcaraz and Bruno Mars.
They all have one thing in common: their work and presence carry a certain unmistakable flair. They electrify audiences because they make excellence look effortless.
Coco Chanel was right: La simplicité est la clé de l’élégance.
Simplicity is the key to elegance, but she never said it would be easy. That’s the paradox of effort. Effortlessness is an illusion with a whole lot of effort behind it.
And yet, for the best of the best, the pursuit feels enjoyable because of the passion and love they bring to it. That’s what gives their work some panache—what some would call the je ne sais quoi. ✨
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