Ballet

Transitioning To Soloist

April 17, 2019 by 4dancers

Samantha Hope Galler, Miami City Ballet — Samantha Hope Galler and Chase Swatosh in Carousel Pas de Deux. Photo © Daniel Azoulay.

by Samantha Hope Galler

In my opinion, dance should be held up to the light like a precious stone. It should be examined, polished, and set out for display. Its beauty should not be taken for granted. I learned early on that dance would hold a special place in my life and have always tried to give my heart and soul to it. As dancers, we set goals for ourselves in categories, separating those that are more likely to be obtained from others. Being promoted was a goal of mine, but it was a goal that sat in the unimaginable category.

February 3^rd, 2018 was a big day. It started out as a normal performance day with a matinee and an evening performance in West Palm Beach. I approached it with new energy, motivation, and confidence because it was another day to dance. After I performed, that moment happened. I was told I was now going to be a Soloist. It was a surreal moment that I snapshotted in my mind forever. For me, it is not just a promotion involving dancing, but of serving as a role model as well.

This adjustment has made me think about my days in ballet school where I trained hard to hopefully, one day, accomplish the basically impossible task of becoming a ballet dancer. I think about the few, but influential individuals that told me or my Mom that I would never get a job, or that I was too athletic looking, along with my torso being too long. I think this is one of the worst parts of the dance world. Underestimation. Or maybe, it is the wording behind the underestimation that affects a person and their thought process going forward. I am 29 now, and that criticism still sticks with me.

Adjusting to this promotion starts with realizing that it has actually happened. Then it is important to put it somewhere in your mind where it motivates you, and does not stop you from pushing or persevering. It can be about becoming more of the person you are because you are given different responsibilities under a different, but good type of pressure. The growth is different for every dancer. The path I took up until this point provided me an opportunity to work in the Corps de Ballet and then see the same dance world from another side. It has been very interesting and I could not be more grateful. To be given the chance to understand and appreciate each position individually is unmatchable in scope. I only look forward to learning more about myself during this time in my career.

Samantha Hope Galler. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.

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.

Galler 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.

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.

On Love, Ballet, And Sleeping Beauty

February 2, 2019 by 4dancers

by Emma Love Suddarth

Emma LOVE? “Yeah I suppose it is a pretty great last name—thanks!” I can’t count the number of exclamations at the uniqueness of that last name. I can’t keep track of the number of love-themed gifts I received from secret santas over the years—not to mention the number of love-related puns I heard from friends, assuming they were the first. I never thought anything of it. It’s just a word after all, right? Saying goodbye to it as a last name five years ago (not to worry, it’s still there—just sandwiched as the middle now) made me think more on the word itself. As irony would have it, the very act of saying goodbye went hand-in-hand with the true weight of the word. It was an act of love.

More often than not, love is thought of through a fairytale-lens. Here at PNB we are currently deep in rehearsals for the iconic classic Sleeping Beauty—wicked fairies, sleeping kingdoms, flying nymphs, and one brave Price Florimund. It is only by true love’s kiss that he is able to defeat the wicked Carabosse and awaken the beautiful princess Aurora. Love is all-conquering. Even where the lovers might not “win”—Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, to name a few—the love itself transpired effortlessly. According to many iconic movies, books, and songs, love is just a force that we are swept up into. It happens to us, whether or not we are truly aware.

sleeping beauty ballet — Pacific Northwest Ballet company dancers in Ronald Hynd’s The Sleeping Beauty, which PNB is presenting February 1 – 10, 2019. Photo © Angela Sterling.

Yes, love as an initial happening—i.e. “love at first sight”—may come about without direct intent. However, love in a deeper sense, as a continuous, ongoing force, is a decision. It requires participation. Think about anything you’ve ever loved. Pets? It might be hard to love them when they’re chewing up your favorite shoes or shredding your expensive new rug. But you choose to continue to. Ballet—or any other passion? It might be hard on those days when you just want to give up because you can’t execute a single step correctly. But you choose not to. A significant other? It might be hard when he or she makes you more frustrated than ever. But when you love that person in the fullest sense of the word—in a way that requires you as an active member—you continue to.

Along with the decision to continue something, comes the effort to maintain it. Relationships require work; passions require work; love requires work. For love to have moments of effortlessness, effort must be put in. Oxymoron much? One tangible metaphor to illustrate this idea is in ballet itself. As a dancer, think about the most special moments you’ve had on stage. I’ll speak candidly from a personal experience as the Siren in George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. In one of the more iconic moments, slowly rising from seated atop the head of my coworker Matt—the son—to standing against the front of his shins, my feet not even touching the floor, I felt love; love of the character, love of the story, love of the music, love of ballet. That love felt effortless. However, thinking back on the process, the love wasn’t always natural. There was the constant pain of a golf ball-sized blister encompassing my entire heel. There were the numerous tears from rehearsals that felt like flops. There was the sheer exhaustion from hours and weeks of intense repetition. There was a continuous trail of blood, sweat, and tears that led to that point. When people say, “love is not easy,” I believe this is what they mean. More often than not, some of our most cherished moments experience a similar journey. That’s what makes them worth it. That’s what makes them precious.

Ultimately, we must allow for love. One of my favorite ideas about love comes from a C.S. Lewis quote, and addresses this very thought: “To love at all is to be vulnerable.” While it might seem initially defeating, vulnerability does not have to be a negative. Asking us to be vulnerable means asking us to be open—to be whole-hearted participants. In loving a person, we are opening ourselves up by placing our hearts in their hands, allowing them to play an equal part in the journey of that relationship. In loving a passion, we are opening ourselves up to critique and frustration, because through those can we learn to experience it at a deeper level and find greater appreciation for it. This “vulnerability” lays the foundation for growth, for depth, for richer love.

Watching PNB tackle ten intense studio runs of Sleeping Beauty this week brought many different forms of love to light. None of them were without intention. I watched ballet masters praise tired dancers at the end of the week for a job well done. I saw Auroras push through nerves, pain, even illness. I watched boyfriends and husbands pass snacks to their exhausted fairy-friend-nymph-etc. at every five-minute break. No, love is not easy. But it’s certainly beautiful.

And it’s certainly worth it.

See Pacific Northwest Ballet perform The Sleeping Beauty! Performances run from February 1st to February 10th.

Contributor Emma Love Suddarth is from Wichita, Kansas. She studied with Sharon Rogers and on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and attended summer courses at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Academy East, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She was first recipient of the Flemming Halby Exchange with the Royal Danish Ballet School and was also a 2004 and 2005 recipient of a Kansas Cultural Trust Grant. She joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice in 2008 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2009.

While at PNB, she has performed featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Peter Boal, David Dawson, Ulysses Dove, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Mark Morris, Margaret Mullin, Crystal Pite, Alexei Ratmansky, Kent Stowell, Susan Stroman, and Price Suddarth. Some of her favorites include the Siren in Balanchine’s The Prodigal Son, Jiri Kylian’s Petit Mort, David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to My Skin, William Forsythe’s New Suite, and Price Suddarth’s Signature.

She is a contributor to Pacific Northwest Ballet’s blog. She is married to fellow PNB dancer Price Suddarth.

3 Tips for Dancers Working with Musicians: Thoughts from Conductor Ming Luke

October 25, 2018 by Rachel Hellwig

The Orchestra at the Opera by Edgas Degas. Wikimedia Commons Public Domain Image.

So, you find yourself dancing to live music instead of a recording? Congratulations! That’s special!

But this magical collaboration is not without its challenges.

Here are a few thoughts from conductor Ming Luke, Principal Guest Conductor of San Francisco Ballet that may be helpful…

Same Art Form, Different Languages

Luke relates that, in the world of music, there’s a saying that “conducting a ballet is like conducting a concerto” — except the conductor can’t see or hear the soloist.

But though an orchestra and dancers share in the art of music, Luke cautions that terms such as “counts” and “tempo” can have different connotations to dancers and musicians.

So, keeping communication clear and making sure that everyone is on the same page is essential.

The Why

Perhaps the most common issue Luke runs into is not knowing the details behind statements from dancers and artistic staff such as “this tempo is too fast” or “this tempo is too slow.”

He explains that the reason could range from an artistic choice — such as a director or choreographer wanting dancers to sustain a pose a little longer, to a practical one — such dancers not having enough time to get to where they need to be on stage.

Whatever the reason, it always helps the conductor to know more specifics about “the why.”

Luke also mentions to keep in mind that visual factors, such as theatrical special effects (Nutcracker snow scene!), costumes, etc. especially during the first theater rehearsals, can sometimes alter perceptions of music’s speed.

Conductor, Ming Luke. Photo by Dave Weiland.

Living Art

Luke says to remember that, just as dancers don’t give the exact same performance every time they are onstage, musicians too are performers and their performances won’t be exactly the same every time.

“Musicians are not robots, they are humans and their performances will vary slightly by show,” he says. “Music has flexibility, life, and breath.”

Next Chapters: Atlanta Ballet’s John Welker on Retiring from a Professional Dance Career

January 25, 2017 by Rachel Hellwig

by Rachel Hellwig

John Welker in "Seven Sonatas." Photo by Charlie McCullers. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet. — John Welker in “Seven Sonatas.” Photo by Charlie McCullers. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

“No matter how a dancer feels about their retirement and what they felt they did or did not accomplish, it is important to know you do not have to retire from dance altogether.” – John Welker

John Welker just completed a 22-year career with Atlanta Ballet, finishing with performances of John McFall’s Nutcracker in December 2016. Retirement can be a challenging time for a dancer and Welker offers thoughts and advice for those who are going through the process, considering it, or just want a window into this period of a dancer’s life…

How did you come to realize it was the right time to retire? What advice would you give to dancers who are trying to determine if this is the right decision for them?

For me personally, I could feel the time to retire from dancing was coming for several years – so it wasn’t some singular “ah ha” moment, it was a gradual process. While my body was holding up without injury and I felt great physically, I also knew my interests were increasingly outside the dancing studio. So, when it came to a point when I could feel a sense of ease when thinking about a life without the daily stresses of dancing, I knew it was time to retire.

Everyone is different, so there is no common template or universal path to retirement, but I do believe in trusting one’s own intuition as to what is best for your career and life. Overall, I would say trust your heart first, then act with your mind.

What’s next for you? How long have you been planning your second career? How soon do you think dancers should begin planning their second career?

I’ve been working at a dance degree at Kennesaw State University since 2009, so I’m looking forward to completing my undergraduate education in May 2017. I also will be applying for graduate school in Business and hope to begin working towards an MBA as soon as September 2017.

No time is too early to begin thinking about a second career, especially for professional dancers. Although dancers shouldn’t add more stress to themselves when they are dancing (there’s enough hardship to go around), it’s best to start at least exploring second career options incrementally when you have the luxury of time ahead of you.

Tara Lee and John Welker in "Four Seasons." Photo by Kim Kenney. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet. — Tara Lee and John Welker in “The Four Seasons.” Photo by Kim Kenney. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

What aspects of retirement have been harder or easier than you initially expected?

It is the ease of a structured daily schedule that you become so accustomed to when dancing. To not have that can be both liberating and terrifying. Also, we as dancers take for granted the community of creative people that we are always surrounding ourselves with on a daily basis. To not have that anymore to such a degree is also hard.

What have these past few months have been like as you concluded your dance career?

I have just started my post-dancing life, as you could call it, so I shall see as I progress. But I do know that I want to take it with a sense of adventure, in that to be uncomfortable is not a bad thing and to put yourself in situations which you might feel out of your element can be a very good thing. Also, I also want to be sure I stay physically active in some capacity, I know that will be very important to my sanity and health.

What advice would you give to dancers going through the process of retirement?

Retiring from a life’s passion is such a personal decision. No one is the same, nor are the circumstances surrounding one’s retirement from dancing which can dictate or determine why one decides to move on. But no matter how a dancer feels about their retirement and what they felt they did or did not accomplish, it is important to know you do not have to retire from dance altogether.

It’s important to note moving on from a professional dance career is a process and not just a momentary happening that signifies a complete break. Also, I feel dancers should cherish and value their accomplishments and memories, for these are the things that are yours to keep and cannot be taken away.

I believe it is very important for dancers to find what they are passionate about as they navigate a second career choice. What are the things that give back to you and make you feel like you’ve accomplished something? There are so many ways, other than dancing, to further enjoy and support dance that can give you a sense of fulfillment.

Don’t size up or confuse your personal path with someone else’s. And, most of all, enjoy whatever you set out to do!

Dancers-John-Welker-and-Christine-Winkler-The-Four-Seasons.-Photos by Kim Kenney. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet. — John Welker and Christine Winkler in “The Four Seasons.” Photos by Kim Kenney. Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet.

Dancing Spirits

November 11, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

By Samantha Hope Galler

Samantha as a Wili in Miami City Ballet's Giselle. — Samantha as a Wili in Miami City Ballet’s Giselle.

To this day, Giselle is one of the most beloved classical ballets.The work premiered in Paris, France in 1841. Act I of Giselle presents the audience with drama, dancing, and heartbreak. It also sets the tone for Act II where the Wilis claim the stage and bring forth Giselle’s spirit…

The Act II Wilis continue to be some of the most famous phantoms in any full-length ballet. Act II of Giselle is one of the most celebrated and recognizable sections of any ballet. This scene is performed by 18 corps de ballet women and two demi-soloist women.

When dancers who portray the Wilis shift gears from their roles in Act I to Act II, they make a prominent change in their makeup. The Wilis appear slightly pale onstage because they lightly paint themselves during intermission to appear ghostly. This is the first step in representing a Wili. Along with the makeup change, the characters of Wilis are shaped through specific placement of the head, arms, and legs. For example, when Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, calls the spirits out of their graves, they step on to stage slightly tilted forward with their arms crossed below the chest. Throughout this scene, the Wilis stand in line while their heads are turned slightly over their shoulder. The eyelids are shifted downward and out.

Through the rehearsal process, we polish these nuances that define the Wilis. For the iconic chug section (seen at the beginning of the video below in the Petipa version), we work on leveling out our arms and legs. Staying in line all the way across the stage can be tricky but, over time, we learn to anticipate and watch each other. Just like any major corps de ballet section, it is rewarding to move in unison.

Rehearsal for Peasant Pas de Deux with MCB Soloist Jovani Furlan. — Rehearsal for Peasant Pas de Deux with Miami City Ballet Soloist Jovani Furlan.

Miami City Ballet began working on Giselle in June. In the past, I have performed in the Petipa version as Myrtha, Moyna, Giselle’s Friends, and as a Wili. This time around I will be performing in Coralli and Perrot’s version. During our run of Giselle, I will be performing the Peasant Pas de Deux, Friends, Wilis, and in the Court.

I most look forward to traveling with the production as it opens our eyes to new audiences.

Miami City Ballet‘s Giselle concludes this weekend with 4 performances at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

Samantha Dancing as Myrtha with Alabama Ballet in 2011:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xukvRiTh4F4

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