Nine Up-and-Coming Ballet Dancers

July 5, 2009

DS spotlights nine young ballet talents, from teens on the verge to performers who’ve dazzled at ballet competitions and are on their way to company gigs. Here, they dish about their favorite roles, most challenging steps, hobbies and dream jobs.

Whitney Jensen, 15

Hometown:
Salt Lake City, UT

Valentina Kozlova’s Dance Conservatory of New York in NYC

Honors:
In 2007: golds at the International Dance Competition in Seoul, South Korea, and the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, as well as a silver at YAGP in NYC. In 2006: golds in both classical and contemporary divisions at YAGP in NYC; performed as a guest artist at Varna International Ballet Competition

Hardest role:
A variation from the third act of Pharaoh’s Daughter, restaged by Kozlova after Petipa

Dream role:
Odette/Odile

Best thing about NYC:
independence

Indulgence:
chocolate sundaes

Professional dreams:
“Being able to perform often and hopefully tour the world and see other countries.”

Academics:
online through Brigham Young University

Favorite subjects:
English, history

Family ties:
Whitney’s two older sisters are Broadway performers! One was in the original cast of The Producers and appeared in the movie version, while the other has done shows including Gypsy and was just in the movie Hairspray.

Last great read:
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight

Onstage oops:
“When I was 10 years old, I was competing in a jazz competition and in the middle I forgot what I was doing and just made it up. I’m sure the audience couldn’t tell but for me it was pretty embarrassing.”

Most awesome performance experience:
Dancing the Black Swan variation at Varna: “I’d been watching the competition and seeing all the amazing dancers. Being on the stage where so many principals had performed made me so happy.”

Favorite step:
“I go through phases. Right now, I love big saut de basques and jetés.”

Studio start:
Before moving to NYC to train with Kozlova, Whitney studied tap, tumbling, hip hop, jazz and lyrical at a studio in Salt Lake City. Once she started studying ballet at age 9, she realized it was her true passion. She was focusing strictly on ballet by age 11.

Andrew Bartee, 17

Hometown:
Everett, WA

Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle

The latest:
studied in Denmark last summer through a new exchange program with the Royal Danish Ballet started by PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal

Honors:
2007 Princess Grace Award

Biggest role so far:
Kent Stowell’s Carmina Burana with PNB last season

Favorite ballets:
“Anything William Forsythe does.”

Best thing about the Northwest:
“My family. It’s nice to have support when I come home, to not have to worry—or worry and know they’ll listen.”

Idol:
Former PNB principal Christophe Maraval

On his strengths and weaknesses:
“Movement seems to come easily to me. I’m sort of a pretty dancer, I guess. My upper body strength is lacking. I have a loose body, I’m really flexible, so it’s hard for me to build strength.”

Academics:
online through Insight School of Washington

Favorite subjects:
English and American literature

Last great read:
David Sedaris’ Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Puanani Brown, 19

Hometown:
Silver Spring, MD

New York City Ballet in NYC

Rank:
apprentice

Training:
The Washington School of Ballet, SAB

Honors:
gold in the senior female division at YAGP in 2004

Hardest role:
Balanchine’s Square Dance: “It was good for my stamina and strength, but it’s half an hour of jumping. It’s incredibly exhausting.”

Can’t wait to dance:
the second movement of Symphony in C

Best thing about NYCB:
“Taking class with the people I’ve been worshipping for three years.”

Idols:
Wendy Whelan, Janie Taylor, Darci Kistler

Hobby:
playing the violin

Family ties:
Her “role model and mentor” is her big sis and NYCB corps dancer Likolani Brown.

Fun fact:
Puanani, who graduated high school from the Professional Children’s School, deferred admission to Harvard University and turned down an offer from Miami City Ballet in order to apprentice with NYCB.

Maria Beck, 13

Hometown:
Detroit, MI

Juliana’s Academy of Dance in Detroit

Honors:
1st in her division at the 2005 YAGP semi-finals in Chicago and 3rd at the NYC finals in 2007

Hardest role:
A variation from La Fille Mal Gardée that she’ll take to YAGP this year

Biggest role so far:
Kitri from Don Quixote

Dream companies:
ABT, The Royal Ballet

Dream role:
Giselle—which also happens to be her nickname around the studio. Where does the name come from? “I’m perky, but I can also be serious,” Maria explains.

Favorite ballets:
Giselle, Le Corsaire,
Don Quixote

Technical strengths:
adagio, and slow, controlled movement

Wants to improve:
“My arms and petit allegro.”

Idols:
Maya Plisetskaya, Svetlana Zakharova

Indulgence:
ice cream—her favorite flavors are strawberry vanilla and cookie dough

Hobby:
sketching

Brittany DeGrofft, 17

Hometown:
Tucson, AZ

Tucson Regional Ballet

Biggest role so far:
Sugar Plum (called “Prickly Pear Fairy” in her school’s production).”It takes a lot of stamina, I had no idea!” she says. “It looks so effortless.”

Dream company:
ABT

Dream role:
Odette/Odile

Favorite ballet:
Giselle

Idol:
Natalia Makarova

Academics:
Tucson Distance Learning Program

Favorite subject:
English

Hardest step:
32 consecutive fouettés: “My extremities are so long it’s hard to get so compact so fast.”

Biggest dance hurdle:
Realizing she had the chops: “When I was really young, I was so shy and self-conscious all the time—I would stand in the back of class. One day I woke up and realized I’d been given a wonderful gift. It was the biggest epiphany of my life.”

Awesome onstage story:
Being presented with flowers onstage after The Nutcracker by former Ballet Russe principal George Zoritch: “He taught a class for our company and came to the show. He’s an amazing person. It was a milestone to have someone of that caliber acknowledge me.”

Favorite steps:
“I really love saut de chats and anything that has to do with grande allegro and moving across the floor, having that freedom of movement.”

Other dance styles:
Though Brittany’s focus is ballet, she has studied jazz and modern and even took hip hop last year “to get different styles and to move in as many ways as possible.”

David Alvarez, 13

Hometown: Montreal, Canada

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in NYC

The latest:
Not only was David cast as Fritz in ABT’s Nutcracker, but he’s also being considered for the title role of Billy Elliot in the upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of the 2000 film.

Honors:
At Youth America Grand Prix in 2006, David nabbed second place in his division—and a full scholarship to the JKO School.

Dream companies:
ABT, The Royal Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet

Dream role:
Siegfried in Swan Lake “It’s challenging, because if it’s not perfect, it doesn’t look good.”

Favorite ballet:
Giselle

Idol:
Fernando Bujones

Hobby:
playing the piano

Academics:
home-schooled

Best thing about NYC:
“There’s a lot of life here!”

Fun fact:
David’s family is Cuban. David was born in Montreal, then he lived in San Diego before his family moved to NYC so he could study at the JKO School.

Chelsea Monger, 18

Hometown:
Reston, VA

Conservatory Ballet in Reston, VA

The latest:
Chelsea just danced Sugar Plum and Snow Queen in CB’s Nutcracker.

Hardest variation so far:
La Esmeralda

Dream companies:
Boston Ballet, ABT

Favorite ballet:
La Bayadère

Idols:
Uliana Lopatkina, Svetlana Zakharova, Sylvie Guillem

Indulgence:
Swedish Fish

Hobby:
sketching

Academics:
home-schooled through Indiana University

Favorite subject:
math

Factoid:
Chelsea was selected for the prestigious master class series at The Kennedy Center this year. The students get to observe rehearsals and take classes taught by teachers from the companies that tour to The Kennedy Center.

Hardest step:
fouettés—“Turns are definitely harder for me than other steps.”

Favorite step:
Italian fouettés

Biggest dance hurdle:
Chelsea injured the arch in her foot two years ago and was sidelined for four and a half months. The doctors even told her that she’d never dance again. But after physical therapy four times a week and a lot of work, she recovered completely.

Jeffrey Cirio, 16

Hometown:
Springfield, PA

Boston Ballet II

Trained at:
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Boston Ballet School

Honors:
In 2007: gold medal at the International Dance Festival TanzOlymp in Berlin. In 2006: best male in his division at American Ballet Competition, bronze medal at USA IBC in Jackson, gold medal in the junior division at YAGP in NYC

Hardest variation:
Grand Pas Classique, which he performed at USA IBC

Biggest role so far:
Dancing the prince in CPYB’s Nutcracker

Dream companies:
The Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Royal Danish Ballet

Dream role:
Basilio in Don Quixote. “He’s more like my personality, like a jokester.”

Wants to improve:
“I’m really small, so hopefully I can grow a little more and lift company women.”

Best thing about Boston:
The Red Sox

Idols:
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Fernando Bujones, Rolando Sarabia

Academics:
home-schooled

Family ties:
Jeffrey’s older sister Lia, 21, is a soloist in Boston Ballet. (For more on Lia, see “The Dirt” on p. 22!)

Meaghan Hinkis, 16

Hometown:
Kingsbury, CT

ABT II in NYC

The latest:
At press time, Meaghan was in rehearsals for Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and a new work by Brian Reeder.

Hardest role:
Don Q pas de deux, which she recently performed with fellow ABT II dancer Joseph Gorak

Dream company:
ABT

Dream role:
Aurora. (“She was almost 16, so I can relate to her story!”)

Favorite Ballet:
Swan Lake

Best thing about NYC:
“It never stops.”

Goals:
“I want to develop my artistry and trust my technique so I can go farther.”

Idols:
Gillian Murphy, Alina Cojocaru

Indulgences:
Sour Patch Kids, Tasti D-Lite

Academics:
home-schooled

Factoid:
When she was 13, Meaghan danced Clara in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Dance hurdle:
Even though Meaghan was a strong dancer when she began training at the JKO School, De Vita required her to start in the elementary level to clean her technique. But Meaghan was determined and didn’t question De Vita’s decision. Her hard work paid off.