Catja Christensen

Originally from Northern Virginia, Catja Christensen trained at The Washington School of Ballet under Xiomara Reyes before attending Connecticut College as a Dance and English double major. She has interned with Final Bow for Yellowface and The Oslo Desk focusing on journalism and communications.

Ricardo Rhodes, Jessica Assef, and Daniel Pratt, three professional ballet dancers, perform a pas de trois onstage in front of a burgundy backdrop. Assef, wearing a light pink calf-length tutu with a burgundy sash, stands between the men, raises her left leg in développé a la seconde on pointe. She holds her arms out to the side, holding each partner's hand, and looks toward Pratt on her left. The men, wearing burgundy tights and matching velvet tunics, stand in a small first position and smile at Assef.

Company Life

Two Sarasota Ballet Dancers Look Back on Their London Tour and Royal Ballet Collaboration

Catja Christensen

A ballerina poses mysteriously in front of a dark gray backdrop. She wears a long-sleeved nude leotard and nude pointe shoes and poses with her right leg in forced arch, croisé devant. She turns her head away from the camera and is lit with dark lighting.

News

Spooky Ballet Premieres to Watch Before Halloween

Catja Christensen

Carlos Acosta and Birmingham Royal Ballet first artist Sofia Liñares pose for promotional photos for "Black Sabbath: The Ballet." Carlos sits on the ground wearing all black, surrounded by Linares in various rock n roll poses as she wears a black tutu and holds a red electric guitar.

News

Birmingham Royal Ballet Rocks the Stage With Black Sabbath: The Ballet

Catja Christensen

Cordelia Braithwaite and Paris Fitzpatrick, dressed all in white, kneel center stage during a performance, facing each other and joining right hands. A spotlight shines on them from above, and a circle of other dancers, also dressed in white, kneels on the ground surrounding them.

Profiles

Retelling Timeless Tales: How 2 Choreographers Have Remade Classic Ballets for Today’s World

Catja Christensen

A large company of dancers stand are shown from behind onstage, facing a full, applauding audience at an ornate opera house. The dancers stand in two lines, with women in white tutus in front and men in various costumes in the back. They all stand in fifth position with their arms en bas.

Onstage

Ukraine’s Kyiv City Ballet Prepares for Its First U.S. Tour

Catja Christensen

Mayu Tanigaito, performing as Cinderella, penchés gleefully in an one-sleeved yellow dress with blue and pink cheetah print tulle underneath, nude pointe shoes, and her long black hair down but pulled back partially. Her left arm extends behind her and reaches up on the diagonal of her working leg (left) line in penché, with her right bent at the elbow in front of her chest so she can hold her partner's hand. Laurynas Véjalis, as The Royal Messenger, holds her hand with his right, also bent at the elbow, with his right wrapped gently around her waist on the left side. He lunges casually, left leg turned in for support and right suggesting a tendu a la seconde, and he wears a modern white peasant blouse, brown dance boots, a gray tie, and brown suitpants with a brown waist jacket.. They look into each others' eyes happily, dancing a pas de deux onstage in front of a deep blue backdrop with light blue geographical sketches behind them.

News

Onstage in August: United Ukrainian Ballet’s New Giselle, International Festivals and More

Catja Christensen

In a bright red jumpsuit, unzipped on top to display his bare chest, Joseph Sissens is mid-air in a split sissone ouverte with his left leg in attitude derriere. He wears nude ballet flats that match his tan skin tone, arms extended in an exaggerated 1st arabesque, his left reaching up on the diagonal slightly and his right reaching directly upwards. His chest arches back slightly to extend the line, his head turned upward toward his right hand dramatically. Behind him, Benjamin Ella stands in black wide-legged, flowy pants with nude ballet shoes, his long dark hair slicked back, his body turned slightly toward the right as he gently transfers his weight off his left leg in a gentle walk forward. He looks toward Sissens intently, arms down by his side but energized.

News

Roster Round-Up: Keep Up to Date on Summer Career News

Catja Christensen

In this black and white photo, Megan Jacobs sits on the ground with her right leg extended in front of her and her left leg tucked. She leans over her legs, touching her left hand to her right foot, and reaches her right arm back behind her. She wears a feathered headpiece, pointe shoes, a light-colored leotard and a swath of white tulle wrapped around her waist, which trails out onto the ground. Feathers rain down softly from the ceiling.

Onstage

Onstage in July: Paris Opéra Ballet Tours to Los Angeles, Jacob’s Pillow Celebrates 90 Years, and More

Catja Christensen