Artist Spotlight

6/9/2005

What led you to ballet growing up? What sort of encouragement did you receive from family members?

My mother wanted me to be active so she put me in ballet class when I was about five. It was just something to do, it wasn’t as though she thought, “I want her to dance” or “I want her to grow up to be a ballerina.” She never pushed me to do this, and her main concern was simply that I was happy.

When did you realize that you wanted to make ballet your career?

I was 16 when I landed my first position with Ballet West in Salt Lake City. I had grown up performing Nutcracker and other ballets with them. I enjoyed what I was doing, but I was torn between school and friends, and I was always dancing. It wasn’t until I came to San Francisco Ballet, about six years ago, that I realized that a professional career was something I really wanted to pursue.

I went through a hard time when I first arrived in San Francisco. I had never been away from my family and I didn’t know if I could handle it. At some point I realized that I needed to give 110 percent to dancing; that I had to give it everything I had or it just wouldn’t be worth it. So I decided, “I can do this!” and from that point on, the way I thought and worked changed, and everything went uphill from there.

You’ve now completed your first season as a soloist. How would you compare this year to last?

Last year was probably the hardest year I’ve had as a dancer. I was in nearly every ballet, and it was absolutely insane! It was more physically and mentally challenging because of the amount of dancing I was doing. I wanted to be a soloist so much, and was working so hard to achieve that. When I was promoted, all of that pressure—to a large degree—fell away. I had to change my mindset. Last year I was working toward a promotion, and once I had achieved that, I had to set new goals to work towards. This year is demanding as well, but in a different way. I’m finding it more fun and relaxed.

What has been your highlight so far as a soloist?
I think the best part is dancing the way I want to dance instead of simply being in a line. I was in the corps for ten years [between Ballet West and SF Ballet], so now no matter what role I’m doing, I can become the kind of dancer that I want to be and not be so concerned about being, say, the girl in the front of the line.

How did you come to SF Ballet in the first place?

I came to the School for a couple of summer sessions. I felt like I gained some really good experience in Salt Lake City, but I reached the point where I realized, “this place has taught me all it can teach me and I need to move on.” So I quit my job without having anything else lined up. I kind of went out on a limb and was just praying that I’d find something else.
I went to Seattle to audition, but that didn’t work out. When I came home my mom said, “The open audition for San Francisco Ballet is in a week. You’re going.” And I thought to myself, “There is no way I’m going to get into that Company!” At the time I couldn’t even imagine being a part of SF Ballet, but I went to the audition. It was one of the big cattle calls with over a hundred people, so I took class and just had fun because I didn’t think I had a chance. Then Helgi pulled about five of us aside after the audition and asked us to take Company class so he could see how we would fit in. One day Helgi took me into his office at the Opera House and said, “We’re going to give you a contract.” I didn’t know what to think because he was stoic and I wanted to get up and scream and shout. I just sat there nodding politely, “Thank you, thank you.”

What is your favorite ballet to dance and why?

I had a great time doing Study in Motion because it’s very free. The movement feels so luxurious, and that’s what I need to work on the most as a dancer; I felt like I broke through something by doing that ballet. And I had to do every show because dancers were hurt and casting was shuffled around. So I was like, “alright, I have seven shows to do this.” But it was wonderful; I loved dancing it every time.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not dancing?

I love to ski and rock climb and hike. I love the outdoors from growing up in Utah. You name it, I’ll do it… anything outdoors! Of course, I haven’t been able to ski in a long time because I can’t risk it while I’m dancing.

If you weren’t a dancer, what career would you want to pursue?

I would like to be a pastry chef. Either that or a Pilates instructor. Whenever I go into pastry shops I think, “I want one of these shops!” I love baking! My favorite place is Creighton’s on Portola—they have the most incredible treats. I’ve actually called to get information from the San Francisco Culinary Academy, but haven’t had time to take a class. It will always be in the back of my mind, and once I retire I think I will end up pursuing that career.