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Inside My Dance Bag: Miami City Ballet’s Samantha Hope Galler

August 18, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Samantha Hope Galler as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Miami City Ballet’s "George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker". Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.
Samantha Hope Galler as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Miami City Ballet’s “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker”. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.

How many years have you been doing ballet? 

I began ballet at the age of five, so twenty years now. 

What are some roles you’ve danced with Miami City Ballet?

I joined Miami City Ballet in 2014. Since then, I have performed roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and as the Harp Soloist in Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations.

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

Being completely swallowed by light on stage.

What’s inside your dance bag?

I usually have about 6-7 pairs of Capezio Arias to rotate, gel toe pads, second skin, toe spacers, Sansha ballet slippers, two rollers, stretching stick, headphones, iPad, grey theraband, shoe scraper, fashionable duct tape, band-aids, Oragel, scissors, towel, hand cream, alcohol wipes to clean my feet at the end of the day, alcohol spray for pointe shoes, extra rosin, perfume, garbage bag pants, purity face wash, wine holder for my pointe shoes, Salonpas deep relief roll on, pliers, sewing kit, red stretch strap, and, for snacks, I always have Gu Brew and Quest bars to get me through my day if needed, plus tic tacs or mints.

Samantha Hope Galler Dance Bag Contents 1


 

Samantha Hope Galler. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.
Samantha Hope Galler. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.

Samantha Hope Galler, a Bedford, Massachusetts native, spent 13 years training with The Ballet Academy, Inc., under the direction of Frances Kotelly in the Cecchetti Method. She performed six seasons with The Northeast Youth Ballet under the direction of Denise Cecere. She continued training, on scholarship, with Boston Ballet School and received the PAO Merit Trainee Scholarship. She received the NFAA Honorable Mention Award in Ballet. Galler spent summers training at Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Boston Conservatory. She danced with Cincinnati Ballet in their 2008-2009 season under the direction of Victoria Morgan.

Samantha spent five seasons with Alabama Ballet under the direction of Tracey Alvey and Roger Van Fleteren. During her tenure there, she was promoted to principal dancer. She had the honor of performing some of her dream roles including Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, The Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, The Sylph and Effie in La Sylphide, Myrtha and Moyna in Giselle, Dryad Queen and Mercedes in Don Quixote, and the Rancher’s Daughter in Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo. Her Balanchine roles included Dark Angel in Serenade; The Sugarplum Fairy, Arabian and Lead Marzipan in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™; and the principal roles in Allegro Brillante and Tarantella. She has also performed in Jiří Kylian’s Sechs Tanze, and Van Fleteren’s Shostakovich and Romancing Rachmaninov, both world premieres. Samantha joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2014.

Follow Samantha on her website and blog.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: balanchine, ballet bag, Capezio Arias, dance bag, george balanchine, Inside My Dance Bag, MCB, Miami City Ballet, nutcracker, Raymonda Variations, Samantha Hope Galler, sansha, The Sugar Plum Fairy

Interview: New York City Ballet Corps Member Laine Habony

August 13, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Laine Habony. Photograph by Kenneth Edwards
Laine Habony. Photograph by Kenneth Edwards.

by Rachel Hellwig

At what age did you begin ballet? Where did you receive your early training?

I began dance at age 3. Both my older sisters danced and I begged for a year to take class too. I started in a combo ballet/tap pullout class at a Montessori school and my first recital was a tap recital.

The next year, I started ballet and tap classes at a small studio called Denton Ballet Academy. I moved to Ballet Conservatory (BC) when I was 8 to train with Kelly Kilburn Lannin. Ms. Lannin introduced me to classical ballet, modern, tap, jazz, and musical theater. It was a great performance studio that fed into a local company, LakeCities Ballet Theatre (LBT).

I was invited to join LBT at age 11 and performed many ballets there for two years before leaving for NYC. At BC/LBT, I was able to train with Ms. Lannin, Shawn Stevens (NYCB and Twyla Tharp), and Allan Kinzie (Boston Ballet) as well as guest artists including Michael Vernon (Royal Ballet), Josh Bergasse (On The Town, Smash), Marco Perins (La Scala), Julie Kent (ABT).

When did you realize you wanted to be a professional ballet dancer?

I always preferred tap/jazz over ballet until I was 11 years old – then I got my pointe shoes! I auditioned for summer programs that winter and spent my 12th summer at ABT NYC. I knew then I wanted to be a professional ballerina in NYC. When I was 13, I performed Serenade with LBT and knew then it was Balanchine all the way.

I saw on YouTube that you competed in Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) when you were 13. Tell us a little about that experience and what you learned from it.

I did compete in YAGP when I was 13. It was a great year. I did two classical pieces – Satanella and Aurora’s first variation from Sleeping Beauty. I also did a contemporary piece choreographed by Shawn Stevens to Vivaldi called Red Cardinal. I had gorgeous tutus sewn by Elizabeth Schillar, a tutu designer in Texas. She allowed me to help with the creation, picking fabric and even sewing on all the crystals.

I won 1st place in Classical in Dallas and Top 12 in Contemporary and went on to compete in the YAGP NYC Finals. I had great scores and great comments and was offered full scholarships to quite a few places including Canada National and John Cranko, but I had to decline them all because I already knew I was going to the School of American Ballet (New York City Ballet’s official school) on scholarship.

Training for YAGP is an experience a young dancer cannot replace at that age. Private lessons that provided individual performance coaching were so valuable for my technique and confidence. My coaches taught me to work for the sake of experience, not to win a contest. I learned that a dance career is a marathon not a sprint, and not to get caught up on losing or winning any one thing.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: balanchine, christopher Wheeldon, interview, Jerry Robbins, John Cranko, Laine Habony, LakeCities Ballet Theatre, new york city ballet, nycb, peter martins, sab, school of american ballet, yagp, YAGP Dallas, YAGP Finals, Youth American Grand Prix

Curtain Call With Pacific Northwest Ballet: Carla Körbes

June 8, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

by Rachel Hellwig

Carla Körbes shocked and saddened the ballet world last fall when she announced her early retirement at age 33. On Sunday night, she gave her final performance with Pacific Northwest Ballet and the company live streamed the program, giving fans an opportunity to be in the audience, regardless of their geographic location. I was able to watch from Birmingham, Alabama.

Körbes appeared in three of the works on the mixed bill, beginning with Jessica Lang’s The Calling, set to choral music from the 12th-13th century. Wearing a long white dress whose material engulfs the floor around her, Körbes articulated though the tense and yearning energy of the upper body-focused choreography, skillfully channeling her dramatic qualities.

In Balanchine’s Diamonds pas de deux, she brought an Odette-like sensibility to her role, imbuing it with vulnerability and hesitant-but-increasingly-trusting affection for her partner–the strong, stately Karel Cruz. In the touching final moment, when he kneels and suddenly kisses her hand, her reaction mingles surprise and anticipation, as if she were hoping for it, but not entirely certain it would happen.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: balanchine, ballet live stream, Carla Körbes, dance live stream, Diamonds, jessica lang, pacific northwest ballet, PNB, retirement, Serenade, The Calling, Vail International Dance Festival

Boston Ballet’s Lauren Herfindahl

June 24, 2014 by 4dancers

Boston Ballet
Lauren Herfindahl dancing in Boston Ballet’s Symphony in Three Movements ©The George Balanchine Trust. Photo by Gene Schiavone

Today we’d like to welcome Lauren Herfindahl to 4dancers. Lauren is a dancer with Boston Ballet, and she was kind enough to talk with us about preparing for her roles in the company’s upcoming engagement at Lincoln Center. 

____________________________________

Can you tell readers a little about your background in dance and how you wound up dancing at Boston Ballet? I started ballet at a very young age after my mother noticed my strong interest and desire to move and express myself to music. I loved putting on mini dance performances for friends and family members, so you could say I always had an innate passion to be a performer. My family and I moved to the Boston area from the West Coast when I was eight and my mother enrolled me in Boston Ballet School. I studied at the school for 7 years before getting an offer to join Boston Ballet II. I grew up watching Boston Ballet and performed many children’s roles in large productions, including six years of children’s roles in The Nutcracker, so it was a dream come true to be offered a job with my home company. It is now only a week away from the end of my first season as a Corps de Ballet member!

This is Boston Ballet’s 50th season and it will be the first time they have performed at New York’s Lincoln Center. What is it like to be a part of this historic event?

It is truly an honor to be able to be a part of such an amazing company. Even from my ten years of watching and now dancing with the company, I have seen it grow into a sensational organization filled with so many amazing artists! To be able to bring this to a new audience is a great opportunity, especially to perform at Lincoln Center. I have learned a lot about the history of Boston Ballet this year, and without George Balanchine and the Ford Foundation, Boston Ballet might not be what it is today, so it seems fitting that we are now closing such a historic season in New York City.

Would you talk a bit about this performance series and the role(s) you will be dancing in New York? What has been the biggest challenge for you personally in preparing for it?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: balanchine, boston ballet, lauren herfindahl, lincoln center

Review: Ballet West – Mixed Repertory Program At The Auditorium Theatre

October 8, 2013 by 4dancers

Artists of Ballet West in Val Caniparoliís ìThe Lotteryî based on Shirley Jacksonís ìThe Lottery.î Set and Costumes by Sandra Woodall. Lighting by David Finn. Photo by Luke Isley.
Artists of Ballet West in Val Caniparoli’s “The Lottery” based on Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery.” Set and Costumes by Sandra Woodall. Lighting by David Finn. Photo by Luke Isley.

by Catherine L. Tully

Ballet West whisked in and out of Chicago in a weekend—and they left behind quite an impression.

Sleeping Beauty was on the bill for Friday and Saturday night, and Sunday offered a mixed rep program with two Balanchine pieces, one from Val Caniparoli and a new work by Nicolo Fonte.

The Utah-based company made an immediate impact with George Balanchine’s dazzling Rubies.  With a 1920’s vibe and music by Igor Stravinsky, this piece is typically known as the star of the three “Jewels” that the famed choreographer created in the late 1960’s (Emeralds, Rubies, Diamonds).

Beckanne Sisk was the dancer here with the most sparkle, and her exuberance and youth were matched nicely with a sure-footed performance in a role that demands both stellar control and clean technique. Her vivacious spirit was the perfect fit for this high-energy ballet—and it showed. Expertly partnered by a very able Christopher Ruud, this dynamic couple held nothing back for later. Elizabeth McGrath gave a very capable performance as well with clean pirouettes and an effortless execution overall. Live music by The Chicago Sinfonietta added energy to the lively performance.

Rubies was followed by a world premiere, choreographed by Ballet West’s resident choreographer Nicolo Fonte. Danced by two women and two men (Katherine Lawrence, Jacqueline Straughan/Tom Mattingly, Adrian Fry) the devilishly complex choreography in Presto was punctuated with unusual, almost “bird-like” postures that added both interest and shape. Throughout the work there was a stop-and-go feel that teetered on the edge of lasting too long—but didn’t actually go over.

Much like the music by Ezio Bosso, the movements here varied between jarring and melodic. The dancers did an admirable job of performing this piece, with only a moment or two of uncertainty throughout—and the breathtakingly fast end sequence is simply brilliant.

Rubies is attention grabbing and showy, but the pas de deux from Balanchine’s Diamonds displays all the class and elegance associated with this coveted gemstone. The pace of this piece remains fairly slow throughout, but with Christiana Bennett’s laser-focused precision and grace and Beau Pearson’s confident partnering, attention never wanes for a moment from the dancers on stage.

Either you show up with every ounce of your technique to dance Balanchine’s choreography—or it will dance you. The lovely Bennett was definitely in charge here—with achingly magnificent arms and regal carriage. Traditional white costumes and Tchaikovsky pair with the dancers for a purely enjoyable pas de deux.

The last piece of the evening was Val Caniparoli’s The Lottery. Based on the short story by author Shirley Jackson, his interpretation offers the audience an interesting twist—dancers draw from a black box on stage to find out which of them will “win” each time the piece is performed. No one knows who will take the spotlight and perform that final dance.

The costumes and scenic design by Sandra Woodall evoke a simple but powerful sense of Americana. Picket fences and benches. Suspenders and plain, button down sweaters. This could be “any town” U.S.A. many years ago.

As the piece unfolds, dancers pair up and present themselves to the audience in a series of dances that give the impression of the day unfolding gradually. The mood is initially light, but begins to shift as the black box starts to take the focus—and then the ritual begins.

Caniparoli creates suspense masterfully here. Each person comes up to take a piece of paper from the box. The tension is palpable as the audience waits to see who holds the “winning” piece. One by one dancers open their paper, blank ones fluttering to the floor like wounded butterflies.

Finally, the “chosen one” is revealed, and then is ostracized and circled, reminiscent of Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring. The delightful Katie Critchlow was the one selected Sunday afternoon, and she first cried out, and then began her dance.

Robert Moran’s music is somewhat less powerful than Stravinsky’s in Rite of Spring—less able to sustain the tension needed for a truly wrenching result, but Critchlow danced through a myriad of postures and complex emotions admirably.

Caniparoli’s choreography was solid throughout the piece, but the crafting of this powerful short story into dance is where he excels here. The Lottery is compelling because it taps into basic human themes of ritual and violence, displayed superbly by Ballet West—a dramatic ending to an engaging program.

 

Filed Under: Performance Reviews Tagged With: balanchine, ballet west, nicolo fonte, rite of spring, the auditorium theatre, Val Caniparoli

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