Meet Anabel Alpert, the Dancer Bringing Emerging Artists to the Forefront

Alpert was inspired by her own experiences and that of others she met along her journey. “I had heard from so many other dancers that graduated from training or school programs whose goal was to get a paid job in ballet, but there have been so many steps added, and so many of them are tuition-based and tend to keep the dancer in a student role,” she says. “I think that impedes artistic exploration.”

The NYC Emerging Artists Project (NYCEAP) is a paid two-week residency that brings together early-career ballet dancers and choreographers to collaborate on new works, culminating in a filmed performance that the artists can use for their reels.

Alpert began her training at Boca Ballet Theatre in South Florida, attended summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, and later attended the Miami City Ballet School for two years. Her journey then led her to the American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles, The Sarasota Ballet, and Ballet Austin before she joined New Chamber Ballet in New York City. The stress of changing cities and dancing in various second companies and trainee programs made her feel like  “every day was an audition,” she says.

“I’d wonder, Is today going to make or break whether or not I get promoted? Will I have to move again?” she remembers. At New Chamber Ballet, an all-female contemporary ballet company of six dancers, Alpert says she is granted the stability to explore her artistry without a fear of failure or career consequences. New Chamber Ballet is distinct for its emphasis on contemporary partnering between women, its live musical accompaniment, and its in-the-round performances.

Over the course of her ballet career, Alpert also earned a degree in organizational leadership from Penn State World Campus. She chose organizational leadership with the hopes of combining her ballet experience with a formal education in business and management.

The first annual NYC Emerging Artists Project, held in 2024, hosted seven dancers and three choreographers. Alpert recruited dancers through her personal network rather than an audition. “I was trying to avoid adding another potential rejection to a lot of dancers’ lists,” she says. “We all make all these videos and send out a billion applications with our reels and our resumés, and most of the time you don’t even get an answer. There aren’t enough spots for the amount of talented dancers.” This year, she solicited last year’s participants for recommendations, and dancers signed up on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Each dancer performs in at least two works, a small-group piece by one of the participating choreographers and a piece featuring the entire cohort. They all receive a stipend. “It was very important to me that these artists were going to be paid,” Alpert says. “It feels really good, because for a lot of them, it was their first paycheck.” Alpert partnered with The Field, an arts nonprofit organization that helps small or startup projects, for help with fundraising.

Another factor driving Alpert is how ballet companies often request performance footage of auditioning dancers. For those at the start of their careers, much of their onstage experience is likely in a large corps de ballet. “All these companies you’re auditioning for are asking for featured performance content, but how can you do that if you’re just Swan No. 5 in the back?” Alpert asks. To address this, NYCEAP participants are each highlighted individually in portions of choreography at the filmed performance. In her own career, Alpert balances dancing with New Chamber Ballet and running NYCEAP with teaching ballet to pre-professional students, working as the administrative assistant and marketing director for a financial planner, and serving as the licensing and new-commissions manager for choreographer Lauren Lovette. “I feel really lucky to be this busy,” she says. “I find that having all these exciting things I’m really passionate about just energizes me.”