ballerina

Dancing Through The Unexpected

June 4, 2020 by 4dancers

dancer practicing at home — Samantha Galler, dancing at home.

by Samantha Galler

In life, I was taught to always prepare for the worst. So, you do what you can and hope that it is enough.

With injuries, if mobile, a dancer can travel from place to place knowing there is an outside world to interact with. As an established dancer well into a career, transiting from dance later on needs to surface in the back of the mind at some point or another. It is important to be properly prepared for a transition when the time eventually comes. It can also help the situation become less frightening.

Most artists, are aware that this change may be quick, due to injury or personal situations, so it is important to maintain a level head and understand that nothing in this life is guaranteed. Committing to this career comes with those risks and sacrifices. Right now, the situation is very different and we are facing challenges we could not have entirely prepared for.

Now, the country is well over a month into this so-called new life. New life, meaning sheltering in place and adapting to no work and no consistent schedule. As a dancer, I can say this is definitely one of the hardest situations I have ever faced. It has forced me to break from my mold in every way and brainstorm new routes for normal activity. Going to the theater or the studio are not options. The strangest thing about this situation is that everyone around the world is dealing with the same circumstances. In a way, we are all in this together. There are those who do not have jobs and/or money to survive and there are those who are working from home. Either way, it is not the same. Right now, I believe artists are facing a new battle based off of the worlds’ needs. The health of people is at the forefront and professionals are forced to sacrifice their familiarities to save lives.

Artists are working through an unknown territory. I guess the future is always unknown, but what we are experiencing now is unfamiliarity in every way. What has hurt me the most, is seeing ballet schools, performing arts schools, and dance colleges come to a screeching halt. As professionals, we are more likely to have the experience and a deeper understanding of the training we need to stay strong in a time like this. For a student, each month is crucial to the finalization of their training.

With this change in their schedule, it affects students who are growing and molding into their development as a professional. I have made every effort to create a ballet class teaching schedule for myself with students across different areas in the country in hopes of providing a continuation of their training. In addition, a major challenge that pre-professional and professional dancers face when returning to work is the act of standing. The weight of our body on our feet for 7 hours is part of our day to day training. An advantage to teaching, is that it keeps me focused on ballet and forces me to stay on my feet for long periods of time. Some days, up to five hours. I teach through Zoom for students from different schools including, The Ballet Academy Inc., Northeast School of Ballet, and Boston Ballet in Massachusetts where I trained when I was younger. It has made me so happy to see all smiling and eager faces.

The Ballet Academy Inc. has directed students to me ages 6-13 which has been enjoyable. I am extremely grateful for these opportunities and responsibilities. It brings me back to when I was an 8 year old training. In fact, my parents have started pulling out old videos of me being taught by my ballet teacher when I was 9. It has been humbling and rewarding even though the world is facing a major challenge at the same time. There is a glimmer of hope that there can continue to be some happiness and beauty even at a time like this.

Dancer outside — Samantha Galler. Photo by Jonathan Taylor.

The day we were told that we had to stay in our homes, I did not really understand the situation we faced. In fact, I was so motivated, and thought this would only last a couple weeks. I figured we would be back to work and performing again soon. About a week in, it was clear that it would be a much longer period of time before this would happen. During the first week, Ryan, my fiancé, and I had to decide to postpone our wedding which was devastating. Part of me thought that there might be a way to have the wedding, but it was clear we had made the right decision given how the circumstances were developing and we could not put our guests at risk to travel. That was the first challenge in quarantine and, believe me, that is not an easy process. We were able to officially get married at the end of April while social distancing, and with our parents on Zoom.

Secondly, it was hard to go from dancing all day in the studio to having to do ballet class at home in my living room. The difficulty to this, which I am sure a lot of in-season dancers can agree with, is that we were in shape and then it was a cold turkey halt. Our bodies were forced to stop and find a new way of working. This new schedule has taken time to adjust to for many reasons.

First, it is important to be working on the proper floor. My floor is tile, so I needed to be careful to take class on a rug and limit small jumps until I received a piece of floor from the ballet, which we are so fortunate for. Now with a good piece of Marley, it has made it easier to create a consistent working schedule.

The most incredible challenge is to motivate ourselves to keep cross training. Cross training requires cardio, ballet, stretching, meditating, and more. I try my best to take a ballet class 5 days a week. Also, since I cannot swim right now because the pools are closed, I am taking extended walks. These are typically an hour to an hour and a half or 4 miles. With this, I walk or do a light jog and then return to walking. I repeat this pattern so that my heart rate increases mimicking what it would feel like if I were dancing a ballet.

It is scary to see how fast the body loses stamina and how long it usually takes to build it back up. It is a steep mountain to climb. Other than working on my cross training and teaching, I am researching future dance education. It is a topic that has always interested me and I figured now was a good time. In addition, I have connected with friends through Zoom, some of which I have not spoken to in years. One friend I reconnected with, I last spoke to in 2007 before she moved from Boston back to her hometown in Australia. There has also been a lot of reconnecting with my family. Typically, I see family members during performance season or the holidays. Right now, since we are not traveling, Zoom dates with my parents and brother, aunt, and close friends are on my weekly schedule. I do not know why this was not a normal event before! Seeing my family and forming new connections has filled me with so much joy and it has opened my eyes to new perspectives on our present situation. I just hope to continue these dates after our “shelter in place” is lifted. It has been an unbelievable ride.

With this challenge, there is a silver lining. I firmly believe everything happens for a reason. I would say the days are starting to blur together, but I am trying to find a comfort that what I am doing is enough to stay on track. As I self-reflect, I am so eager and inspired to be back in the studio. I will embrace each moment more than I already do and enjoy the freedom of being in an open space fueled with energy. For now, more than any injury I have dealt with in the past, I realize again how quickly life can change.

Samantha Hope Galler. Photo by Daniel Azoulay.

Contributor Samantha Hope Galler, a Bedford, Mass. 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, 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. Since joining Miami City Ballet, Samantha has performed in various roles including as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and as the Harp Soloist in Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations.

Galler joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2014 and was promoted to Soloist in 2018. Galler was named a Capezio Athlete in August 2017.

Follow Samantha on her website and blog.

Day-To-Day Life As A Professional Ballerina

April 9, 2017 by 4dancers

Sharon Wehner as the black swan in Swan Lake. Photo by David Andrews.

by Sharon Wehner

As a professional ballet dancer, I often get questions from non-dancers about what a work day/week/month looks like. This is usually followed by a look of surprise when I say that I dance 6-9 hours a day, 5-6 days per week, an average of 45 weeks a year. b35 of those weeks are as a member of the Colorado Ballet. The others involve guesting and contract work. The 8 weeks of “off-time” are scattered throughout the year, and spent taking class and cross-training.

So what does a typical day look like? That all depends on the week. During my season with Colorado Ballet, there are two basic time periods: Rehearsal and Performance. Rehearsal weeks consist of a 4-6 week period of learning and rehearsing repertory. Performance weeks involve both rehearsals and performances, including stage, tech, and dress rehearsals in the theatre, as well as “maintenance” rehearsals at the studio.

Rehearsal Period

During a rehearsal week, we begin every day with an hour and 15 minute Company Class. As a dancer who also teaches, I’m always amazed at how much the ballet mistress/master can squeeze into 75 minutes with 50 dancers in the room! Barre is usually only about 30 minutes, but we still get in every necessary component: plies, several tendus and dégagé combinations, ronde de jambe, fondue, frappe, adagio, and grande battement. Center combinations vary depending on the teachers, but we alway do a center tendu, adagio, pirouettes, small jumps, assemble, petit allegro, sisones, grande allegro, and sometimes a coda combination. One teacher manages to squeeze in additional center fondues, grande battement, and an assemble jump combination.

As one can see, company class has to run like a super efficient well-oiled machine. There is little time for corrections or individual attention. But even some of that does happen. Professionals are expected to pick up combinations quickly, transition from one group to the next seamlessly, and apply corrections without interrupting the flow of class. There is also an etiquette amongst professionals which enables the class to churn along. Every company has their own unique unspoken rules about barre space, mirror space, groupings, and “territory”. I always smile when I see the new “kids” trying to navigate these rules when they first enter the company. Luckily, most dancers are fairly intuitive, and masters at reading body language. Ideally, the less-than-aware dancers are taken aside and given a little guidance. But, I have also witnessed a senior principle chew out a young oblivious pup, and it can be quite the spectacle.

Class is followed by a fifteen minute break. Three hours of rehearsal follow this, then a one hour lunch break, and another three hours of rehearsals. Depending on the person and the productions being rehearsed, a dancer may only have one hour of rehearsal, but could just as easily have six hours. Generally, we rehearse more than one ballet at a time. We may be preparing the most immediate production (Swan Lake, for example), as well as learning repertory for later in the season, and working on the creation of new choreography for another season, all at the same time. As we get closer to production week, rehearsals are increasingly distilled down to focus only on the most immediate production.

Performance Period

Tech week involves a mix of technical, orchestra, and dress rehearsals twice a day in the theatre leading up to Opening Night. Our company usually performs a student matinee the morning before opening night. In the past few years, this performance has been live-cast locally and internationally to schools in ten different countries. Thus, even though it is technically considered a dress rehearsal, the student matinee is actually treated like a live show. Dancers and orchestra are expected to carry on in the face of mistakes and mis-cues.

The following weeks consist of a mix of rehearsals at the studio during the day and performances in the evening. During a performance day, our rehearsal time is limited to three hours, with a minimum of two hour break before being called to the theatre. We always have formal class before rehearsal, and then are responsible for warming ourselves back up at the theatre before the show.

After a run of performances, we return to a rehearsal period schedule, and the cycle starts all over again. Sometimes there will be a week or two layoff in between. This is usually a welcome recovery time for both the body and the mind (not so much the bank account, but that’s another story).

Off Season

Once the season winds down, usually in April for my company, we enter into a four month lay-off period. This time is utilized differently amongst various dancers. Many, like myself, pick-up contract “gigs” either performing or teaching, which often requires being free to travel. For example, I have been to Japan about 10 times, working with choreographers and performing as a guest artist. I have also worked with various pick-up companies. This involves a pretty serious commitment of daily rehearsals and performances, much like the work I do during the season with Colorado Ballet. I have also utilized the time to take college courses. Other dancers prefer to pick up non-dancing work, such as waiting tables or nanny-ing. It’s always a tricky thing—balancing rest and work and play during a lay-off. By the end of the rigorous season, the body and spirit are usually craving time on the beach eating copious amounts of ice cream. Sometimes this is possible, but not usually my style. The closest thing was last spring, when, after a very difficult year personally and professionally, I did a yoga teacher-training in Costa Rica. Even though the schedule was packed—a 200 hour training in 21 days—being immersed in nature and learning a new skill steeped in wisdom teachings, was extremely nourishing for me.

In terms of staying in shape and cross-training, this also looks differently for every dancer. Some dancers thrive on doing “normal-people” stuff—hiking, swimming, going to the gym. I admit, I love a great non-dance cardio workout with a set of headphones and a good pod cast. At the same time, I strongly believe that there is nothing like doing ballet class if you really want to be in dancer-shape. Yet, age and experience has also taught me that most bodies need some form of constructive rest, in which more body-friendly exercise is necessary. Yoga, pilates, and Gyrotonics are my go-to sources of conditioning in this arena. And then, every once in a while, I let myself totally veg out on the beach with a good book and an iced latte.

So, that’s it in a nutshell—the various faces of being a professional ballerina in a mid-sized company with a 35-week season. At least, in my world…

What’s coming up for Colorado Ballet? Keep track of their performance schedule here.

Contributing writer Sharon Wehner is originally from San Jose, California. She trained with Jody White and David Roxander, San Jose Dance Theatre, San Francisco Ballet and San Jose/Cleveland Ballet. Ms. Wehner joined Colorado Ballet in 1995 and was promoted to Principal in 1999, and in the last 20 years, has performed many lead roles with the Company. These include Kitri in Don Quixote, Giselle in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Medora in Le Corsaire, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppelia, Mina in Dracula, Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, the Cowgirl in Rodeo, the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Cinderella in Cinderella, Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Titania and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Second Violin in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, the Principal couple in Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes, Rubies, and Theme and Variations, Antony Tudor’s Leaves are Fading, and Twyla Tharp’s In The Upper Room. She has been honored to have solos and pas de deuxs created on her by choreographers Val Caniparoli, Edwaard Liang, Mathew Neenan, Christopher Wheeldon, Darrel Grand Moultrie, Dwight Rhoden, Jessica Lang, Brian Reeder and Toru Shimazaki.

In addition to Colorado Ballet, Ms. Wehner has also performed with The Washington Ballet, Oakland Ballet and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. She has also been a guest artist at the Vail International Dance Festival, in Japan in the Aoyama Ballet Festival, and the National Ballet of Japan’s Golden Ballet Co-star. Sharon enjoys teaching dance to all ages and abilities, particularly Dance for Parkinson’s Disease.

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Book Review: Misty Copeland

February 18, 2017 by 4dancers

This stunning book of photos is something that every Misty Copeland fan would love. The photographer, Gregg Delman was captivated by the dancer’s poise and athleticism, and reached out to ask if he could photograph her, and the result is this – 95 color photographs that depict Copeland in a wide range of poses that not only beautifully highlight her incredible physique, but also show Delman’s artistic eye.

The photographer has had work published in Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle, and a variety of other well-known magazines, and has worked with other notable celebrities, such as Katy Perry, Jack White, Robert Plant, and John Lithgow. The pictures he has made here reflect his ability to capture moods and moments that wouldn’t be possible to see during a ballet performance onstage. It’s a more intimate, indeed, almost vulnerable Copeland we see here. An interesting perspective, juxtaposed against the dancer’s incredibly toned, athletic body.

These simple, tasteful photos aren’t costume-heavy. They don’t rely on tricks or heavy editing to make them pop. They just feature a gorgeous ballerina through the lens of a photographer that knows how to make her look her best.

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Kylián Keyword: Connection

November 3, 2016 by 4dancers

Pacific Northwest Ballet Dancers — ***Emma Love Suddarth and her husband, Price Suddarth from Pacific Northwest Ballet***

by Emma Love Suddarth

Connection. Between fingertips. Between one note and one arm. Between minds. Between spines. Between you and five other dancers spread across the stage. Between steps. Between dancer and audience. Between details. Between partners. Between souls.

The works of Jiří Kylián are set apart—and rightfully so. The atmosphere of complete intimacy they innately craft, both onstage amongst dancers and across the proscenium with the audience, is unique, and invaluable. At Pacific Northwest Ballet I’ve been lucky enough to perform two already—Sechs Tanze and Petite Mort—and, for the upcoming program Brief Fling, am working to add a third—Forgotten Land. These works hold special places in my heart, not only due to special opportunities, or incomparable partners, but largely due to the joy, trust, intimacy, and fearlessness they inherently create.

My first experience with the work of Kylián came and went in a blur. As a fairly new dancer in the company, simply learning one of the four women of Sechs Tanze was an unbelievable thrill. As a PNB “newbie,” I had no expectation of performing; nevertheless, I was drenched in sweat at the end of every rehearsal because, after all, who wouldn’t want to try being dragged across half the stage in a split, simultaneously going up and down like a carousel, or doing bicycle legs as fast as humanly possible in the air while laying on your partner’s back? It was hard to resist. Then, due to last minute injuries, I got a shot. However, this simultaneously exciting and potentially nerve-wracking experience was different than almost any previous or many since. [Read more…]

But He Married A Ballerina: The Real Husbands Of Pacific Northwest Ballet

March 18, 2016 by 4dancers

***Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer Jessika Anspach McEliece with husband Ryan.***

by Jessika Anspach McEliece

Sitting on the couch, wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, he picks up the guitar positioned next to him. Leans back. Begins to strum.

“Okay. Well… You can’t be ah… playing. I guess you can play the guitar the whole time if you want to…” I eek out as I place the iPhone down on the coffee table in front of us. Recording his music, and my passive aggression.

“Why not?” he replies.

“… like a bro…” I continue, disregarding his objection.

“Total bro.” He smiles sarcastically.

“For the record my husband is a total bro,” I facetiously and falsely declare.

“Off the record I am not, but you can tell people that…”

I may have married a “bro”, but he married a ballerina.

The life of a dancer seems to be one of mystery and intrigue. I mean how many movies and reality TV shows are out there that try to plumb the depths of this strange world? Because let’s be honest, it’s strange…

And yet how realistic is Center Stage or Flesh and Bone? What’s this life really like? Not the super-stereotyped, ballet-on-steroids version – the honest, every-day truth. Are we really these crazy creatures that Hollywood makes us out to be? Who better to ask than the husband of a dancer – and yes, many do manage to work marriage into the mix. I mean after all, husbands have both the front row and backstage perspective.

To get the real story I interviewed three husbands of Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers: Karel Cruz – a principal dancer married to fellow principal dancer Lindsi Dec; Michael Merchant, married to the newly-promoted soloist Leah Merchant; and of course my dear sweet (non-bro) husband Ryan McEliece.

But how does one meet “The One” when, to be frank, the schedule and demands of this profession seem to hinder the spouse-finding process? From my vantage point when I joined the company most of the dancers at PNB were either very single, or very married. How does one traverse the chasm that separates these two sides? To me the options seemed limited – date a dancer, or well… yeah. Tinder? Match? Miracle?

Karel Cruz

“How did you meet your wife?”

Another couch. Another coffee table. Different place. Different guy… So totally different…

He rustles through a brown paper shopping bag up in PNB’s company lounge, pulling out his lunch as I pull out my Moleskin notebook and pen. The definition of “tall, dark and handsome,” Karel energetically bites into his sandwich and you’d never guess he got maybe 4 hours of sleep the night before. He and his beautiful wife Lindsi just recently welcomed into this world a beautiful baby boy – Koan Dec Cruz.

PNB dancers Karel Cruz, Lindsi Dec and Koan Dec Cruz — **PNB dancers Karel Cruz, Lindsi Dec and baby Koan Dec Cruz**

“We met here at PNB when I joined the company in 2002. But we didn’t get together until 2003,” he replied in his heart-warming Cuban accent. “I think because of our heights we were put together a lot. And we both have a lot of ambition… We used to go to the back studios during breaks or after class to work on partnering. We’d rehearse ourselves in Don Quixote and one day Patricia [Barker] saw us and actually got us our first gig dancing together.”

And the rest is history. The on-stage romance blossomed into a real-life one. And by real-life I mean real life. [Read more…]

Rehearsal Period

Performance Period

Off Season

Karel Cruz

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