by Laura Cappelle | Mar 23, 2011 | Company Life
In reaching the top, how much is talent and how much is sweat? For me, it was definitely more determination than talent. I know principals all over the world who are actually not naturally talented, but have worked very hard. What are you most proud of? My productions...
by Jennifer Heimlich | Jan 18, 2011 | Profiles
Which role do you most identify with? Kitri. She’s fun and daring—which is how I like to be onstage. Do you have any pre-performance rituals? When no one’s around, I go backstage and visualize the piece. Sometimes I even sneak in to do it the night before. What part...
by Allan Ulrich | Nov 29, 2010 | Profiles
You have been at San Francisco Ballet for 15 years. How do you feel your dancing has changed or improved? I feel I am more myself these days. There was something bottled up in me that needed to come out emotionally. It wasn’t just the steps. Surprisingly, the process...
by Marina Harss | Sep 28, 2010 | Company Life
What’s it like to dance in a company like American Ballet Theatre that has so many excellent men? Having stars around you is a good thing. It creates an energy that drives you to improve. What’s different for you when you dance a ballet without a plot?...
by Michael Northrop | Jun 1, 2010 | Company Life
Do you have any special routines before you go onstage? I share a dressing room with Yvonne Borree. We like to light a scented candle, something girly like rose. People have talked about your joyfulness as a dancer. Where does it come from? I don’t think anybody can...
by Laura Cappelle | Mar 31, 2010 | Company Life
You are a choreographer as well as a dancer. What drew you to hip hop for Les Rares Différences, the piece you made for the 2007 Festival of Dance in Suresnes? My subject was Auguste Rodin. I needed bodies like sculptures—ballet dancers are too lean. Hip...
by Laura Cappelle | Jan 27, 2010 | Company Life
Do you miss classical tutus? Not yet. But this morning Sleeping Beauty was on. Dancing Aurora took me to a different level at Pacific Northwest Ballet. That part of my life is done, but it was positive. Where do you consider home? I’m still finding myself. I...
by Michael Crabb | Dec 1, 2009 | Company Life
In reaching the top, how much is talent and how much is sweat? Talent may give you a momentary success, but if you want a sustained career, you have to work very, very hard at it. Who is your toughest critic? I am! Are you superstitious? Not at all. I once worked with...