Katherine Ochoa Is Cincinnati Ballet’s Fearless Virtuoso
In her solo for William Forsythe’s Blake Works II (The Barre Project), Katherine Ochoa moves with ease and delicacy, contorting her arms and upper body so smoothly as if floating through water. It’s a contrast to her performance in another Forsythe work, In the middle, somewhat elevated, where she matches the ballet’s sharp, electronic score with edginess and jaw-dropping extensions. When Ochoa, 25, dances, it never appears that she’s trying—trying to show off, trying to be convincing, or trying to complete the steps. She surrenders herself to her performance, becoming the movement. It’s that calm fearlessness that’s helped her ascend swiftly to first soloist since joining Cincinnati Ballet’s corps in February 2022.
“Every color of the art form looks good on her,” says Cervilio Miguel Amador, the ballet company’s newly appointed artistic director. “She’s very versatile not only with her technique but with her artistry. There’s never hesitation from her on delivering what is being asked.”
“Kathy,” as her colleagues affectionately call her, has nabbed role after role in an array of repertoire—the leads in Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Giselle, and Septime Webre’s Alice (in wonderland), as well as George Balanchine’s “Rubies,” Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, and Tiler Peck’s Balderrama. That versatility is even more remarkable considering Ochoa’s training background at the Cuban National Ballet School, an institution steeped in the classical tradition. “When she first joined us, she had that pure classical technique,” remembers Amador, himself an alum of CNBS. “The question was, ‘Is she going to be able to develop other styles?’ ” In the three years Ochoa has been with the company, she’s clearly risen to the occasion.
Developing a Solid Foundation
The Cuban National Ballet School has maintained a storied legacy in producing some of the biggest names in ballet—Carlos Acosta, Lorena and Lorna Feijóo, José Manuel Carreño, to name a few. Ochoa began taking the school’s evening workshops at 5 years old while doing other activities, like swimming and gymnastics. She quickly fell in love with ballet and dropped her other sports. At age 9, she was accepted into the school’s full-time program. Mornings were devoted to academics, and after lunch, students dove into their ballet classes, taking courses like technique, repertoire, and pas de deux until 6 pm. “The teachers were very hard on the students all the time, but they gave you this purpose to keep pursuing what you want,” says Ochoa, whose instructors included Ramona de Saá, Ana Julia Bermúdez, and Yaima Fuentes.
Around age 12, shortly after getting her first pair of pointe shoes, Ochoa says she knew she wanted to pursue ballet professionally. However, her father (both parents are engineers, and her sister is an accountant) initially expressed hesitation. “My dad in the beginning was like, ‘You should study something; you can’t do ballet for the rest of your life.’ But then after a couple of years, he became obsessed with ballet,” Ochoa says.
At 16, Ochoa began private conditioning lessons three times a week with physiotherapist Miguel Capote, who has worked with other famous dancers like Carreño, Yolanda Correa, and Viengsay Valdés, current artistic director of the National Ballet of Cuba. Ochoa credits Capote for helping her develop strength in her legs and flexibility in her extensions. After eight years in the school, Ochoa auditioned for the company and was accepted as an apprentice in 2017, at age 17. As a member of the corps de ballet, Ochoa performed in classical works like Giselle, Swan Lake, and Cinderella. She’d eventually rise to first soloist. But she was hungry for more and had her heart set on going to the United States.
Making Moves
Ochoa had already gotten a taste of life in the U.S.—her sister lives in Florida, and Ochoa had competed in events like Youth America Grand Prix (where she took the top prize in Chicago and landed in the top 12 in the New York Finals). “The Cuban National Ballet is a great company, but as dancers, we always want to explore the world and see where we can keep growing, keep being seen,” she says.
But Ochoa knew that in order to increase her chances of being accepted by an American company, she’d have to broaden her experience beyond classical repertoire. While in Cuba, she trained privately in contemporary ballet with Yasser Domínguez Oquendo, a former dancer with Acosta Danza. “I really started liking contemporary a lot,” says Ochoa.
Oquendo noticed that Ochoa was special from the get-go. “She has an undeniable truth in her performance that sets her apart,” says Oquendo. “She doesn’t just dance beautifully. She truly communicates, making every movement meaningful. She understands the intention behind every sensation in the movement, interpreting it with complete authenticity.”
During the pandemic, Ochoa sent her audition video to Amador, who was then Cincinnati Ballet’s rehearsal director. “I thought Cincinnati Ballet was a great company, and that it would be a good opportunity for me and my career,” explains Ochoa. While the two had never met, Amador was familiar with Ochoa from Instagram, where she had become somewhat of a viral sensation (numerous videos show her doing fouettés, reaching up to eight pirouettes). “At the time, we weren’t really looking for female dancers,” recalls Amador. “But I thought Kathy was an incredible talent and she’d be a great addition, so I talked to Victoria Morgan [the company’s former artistic director],” says Amador. Morgan was impressed too, and the company applied for Ochoa’s work visa to come to the U.S. In early 2022, she joined the corps de ballet.
Going All In
Ochoa immediately dove into Cincinnati Ballet’s vast repertoire. Her time with Oquendo in Cuba had paid off: “My training with Yasser helped me develop different movement qualities and adapt to choreography beyond classical ballet, which made the transition to contemporary work much smoother and more comfortable for me.”
First soloist Chandler Proctor, a frequent partner, says Ochoa pours herself into her work. “She’s very fearless in everything she does,” says Proctor. “I’ve partnered a lot of people and some are very nervous before performances, but Kathy is calm and collected. She’s not afraid, and the audience feels that a lot when they watch her.”
Proctor recalls one of their first performances together, in Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs. During their pas de deux, one of Ochoa’s high-heeled shoes went flying into the wings after a kick. Unfazed, she continued dancing. “She kept it together so well that [I] didn’t even realize that she was dancing with one shoe. That’s classic Kathy,” Proctor says, laughing.
Jodie Gates was hired as CB’s artistic director in the fall of 2022. After witnessing Ochoa’s Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, a performance she called “exquisite,” Gates promoted her to soloist in January 2023. Ochoa immediately took on another lead role, in Webre’s Alice (in wonderland). The full-length ballet showcased her jumps, speed, and impressive turning ability while also allowing her to dig into Alice’s character, bringing playful sweetness to her performance.
When Gates departed the following season, Amador, then interim artistic director, promoted Ochoa to first soloist in July 2024. She has taken the flurry of leadership changes in stride. “I adapt to different artistic visions and take each transition as an opportunity to learn and grow from new perspectives,” she says.
Ochoa has not only adjusted to company life; she’s also enjoyed the accessibility and convenience the U.S. has to offer. “Coming here, you have access to everything, like food, internet,” she says. “In Cuba, we didn’t have Wi-Fi in our homes. In general, it’s easy to get what you need here.”
She enjoys spending time with her colleagues outside of the studio. After performances, they like to walk to a nearby sports bar to play pool and sing karaoke (her go-to song is “Como La Flor,” by Selena).
Last fall, Ochoa made a momentous debut as Giselle. Her interpretation was coy and innocent, building up to a heart-wrenching mad scene expressed all the way through to her fingertips. “I love storytelling and becoming that person,” she says. In the future, she’d like to tackle more dramatic roles in ballets like Manon, Onegin, and Romeo & Juliet.
Ochoa seems to be on her way. “She can achieve anything she wants in this career,” says Amador. “She’s a gift to the art form.”
