MCB Insider | Miami City Ballet

From students to pros

“A wealth of fresh talent is emerging… Numerous dancers who made impressions in solo roles included several who have graduated (from the company’s school and then its apprentice ranks) into the corps de ballet.” The New York Times, 2010

It’s that time of the year again when parents and friends from all over the world visit our studio theater to watch their favorite students in the Miami City Ballet School Student Showcase. With a program that includes George Balanchine’s Serenade and The Four Temperaments, the School is buzzing with excitement about the performances!

Dancers, who are now members of the Company, remember feeling the same rush as they prepared to dance in the Showcase. Here are some faces you may recognize from our stage — check them out in their MCB School days!

Rebecca King, Corps de Ballet

Ashley Knox, Corps de Ballet

Sara and Leigh-Ann Esty, Corps de Ballet

Elizabeth Smedley, Corps de Ballet, with MCBS faculty member Geta Constantinescu

Nicole Stalker, Corps de Ballet

Patricia Delgado, Principal Dancer

Jeanette Delgado, Principal Dancer

Bradley Dunlap, Corps de Ballet, with Sara Esty

Zoe Zien, Corps de Ballet

Q&A with Jennifer Lauren

Corps de ballet member Jennifer Lauren answers all our questions about the 2009-2010 season.

MCB: Looking back on Miami City Ballet’s 2009-2010 performance season, you’ve had some great opportunities to dance featured roles in Who Cares?, Dances at a Gathering, Flower Festival, Divertimento No. 15, The Nutcracker, and Company B. What role or roles have been most significant to you as far as your artistic growth?

Jennifer: I am delighted to have danced so many new roles this year. Every part I am involved with is a fabulous learning experience. New roles give me a fresh perspective on all that has come before; and with each opportunity I work my hardest to get every little detail down. I watch videos over and over of as many great past performances as I can find, and I’m constantly going over details of the choreography, even before I sleep every night. It’s really hard to label one role as the most significant, even with roles I’ve repeated so many times, as with the Nutcracker, there is still so much I can learn with each performance.

I loved dancing Company B. It was great fun to work with Patrick Corbin, and to wear jazz shoes for a change! We all really enjoyed Paul Taylor’s choreography, dancing to the music of the Andrews Sisters, the costumes…and those hairdos!

Valse Fantaisie (1953) was a big deal for me. To be chosen for opening night was really exciting for Sara Esty, Zoe Zien, Yang Zou and me. I was surprised and delighted to see my photo accompanying the fantastic review of Program II in The New York Times. One-on-one rehearsal time with Ballet Mistress Joan Latham was tremendously helpful for that role.

Divertimento No. 15 is such a beautiful piece, and probably the biggest “ballerina” role I danced this year. I felt so elegant in that work. Ballet Mistress Roma Sosenko and Joan really pulled me out of my comfort zone and got me to dance “bigger.”

Getting to work closely with Deanna Seay, Alex Wong, and Edward for Flower Festival was a special experience. Flower Festival made me feel at home; it was very similar to the way I was used to working with the artistic team at my previous company of eight years. Alex has such great energy, and Edward and Deanna gave me corrections as well as the power to go beyond what I thought was possible.

It was such an honor to be a part of Dances at a Gathering. Dancing the choreography of Jerome Robbins, to the music of Chopin and having Francisco Renno play for us every day — quite lovely!

I was called to the principal rehearsals later in the year for Who Cares? That was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Under the circumstances, I was needed to perform Embraceable You and My One and Only, and was thrilled to dance with principal dancers such as Renato Penteado, Patricia Delgado, Tricia Albertson and Carlos Guerra. I really had the best time this season!

MCB: What role captured your strengths and came to you most naturally?

Jennifer: Even though Flower Festival was the first time I had performed Bournonville, I think my classical background made it an easy transition. Prior to joining MCB, I danced all the classics, most often portraying a young girl in love, so the artistic interpretation of Flower Festival felt very natural, allowing me to concentrate on the Bournonville technique, which was definitely a challenge.

MCB: While Miami City Ballet dancers are extremely focused on their art form, this company knows how to have fun and laugh whether on a bus ride from the airport on tour or around the theater at Nutcracker time. What fun time will be remembered most from this season?

Jennifer: There are so many. Vail was magnificent. Performing Serenade outside with the wind blowing our tutus at the beginning gave me chills, not from the cold, but that I felt very proud to be with all of my fellow dancers at that moment. There was a group of us in Vail who rode on a ski lift and we had the best time stuck up in the air. We all have so much fun exploring and seeing all the great places we go on tour. Also being a part of Deanna Seay’s farewell performance was unforgettable.

MCB: What do you think you went through the most: Band-Aids, super glue, hair nets, eye lashes, or Advil?

Jennifer: I definitely went through a lot of clear Band-Aids because I use them to secure my ribbons while performing. Probably the items I used most were pointe shoes; I feel like this year I went through more than ever.

MCB: MCB has had a jam-packed thirty-six weeks of more than 75 performances — involving plane rides, car pools, hotel stays, rehearsals, multiple theaters, costume fittings, highs and lows, and dancing mostly six days a week. This obviously isn’t a 9 to 5 clock-in, clock-out job. How did you stay positive with a rigorous schedule that is demanding in many aspects?

Jennifer: I love being onstage and performing. The long hours we sacrifice for our job, in the end, are all worth it when you feel the rush of being onstage, and you know an audience is watching and hopefully enjoying themselves. My husband Blake, and my pug Sophie are always there for me. Blake helps me with anything I need, like driving me to work almost every day. It is so nice to have a loving and supportive family at home in Alabama, too. Both my parents were able to come and see me dance Flower Festival and we had two days off after the shows. We made it into a little family vacation in South Beach.

MCB: With your intensive schedule behind you for the moment, what do you look forward to the most during your layoff?

Jennifer: Visiting family and friends, traveling, enjoying life — and giving my body a break. I’m also looking forward to reading Bob Gottleib’s “Reading Dance” that my husband bought me ages ago.

MCB: Do you worry about staying in shape over the summer or do you relax and rejuvenate guilt free?

Jennifer: That’s funny, I think everyone worries about staying in shape, but I feel our bodies periodically need extensive rest, just as other athletes in the off-season. So I relax mostly, but I do take classes when they are available to me wherever I might be. I’ve always found that it only takes a week to really get back in shape once we start our rigorous schedule again.

MCB: After wowing over our audience this year, what’s one thing you think they would never guess about you?

Jennifer: I once performed with Baryshnikov in his solo tour a few years ago, but it was equally fun to dance as Amor with Edward in Don Quixote last year!

Our “First Ladies”

The May issue of W Magazine includes a photo spread by famed fashion photographer Bruce Weber called “First Ladies,” which features Miami City Ballet dancers and School students! This “portfolio of inspirational women” includes a breathtaking shot of Jeanette and Patricia Delgado in flowing dresses by Valentino and Burberry, along with photos of fashion icon Iris Apfel, Haitian human-rights leader Marleine Bastien, among others. Click here to see the image of the Delgado sisters, which was shot on the private beach behind Weber’s Golden Beach home. The magazine is on newsstands now, but before you run out and get it, listen in as the girls chat about their W experience.

It’s a wrap!

With another year with MCB under her belt, principal dancer Patricia Delgado sat down with us to wrap up the season. With roles in Company B, “The Golden Section”, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, The Neighborhood Ballroom, and Who Cares? among others, Patricia spent lots of time onstage. She shares her highlights from each program and what she plans on doing during her time off.

Patricia Delgado’s Season Wrap Up from Miami City Ballet on Vimeo.

Deanna Seay – 21 years with MCB

“Ladies and gentlemen…Ms. Deanna Seay.” The curtain came up to reveal the principal dancer standing onstage about to bid farewell after 21 years of dancing with MCB. That was how this Saturday’s Open Barre: A Dancer Tribute to Deanna Seay began. It was a very emotional event filled with tears, laughter and great performances of some of Deanna’s favorite ballets. Tricia Albertson, her friend and fellow dancer, put together a video tribute about her that was screened during the show. For those of you who missed it, here is the video tribute to Ms. Deanna Seay.

Tricia’s Q&A

Principal dancer Tricia Albertson answers the questions we all want to know about having roles in both Dances at a Gathering AND Who Cares?.

MCB: Tricia, Program IV is a pretty challenging program for you. You dance the “Yellow Girl” in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering and the “Blue Girl” in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?. What’s it like to be on stage for both ballets as compared to maybe just one of three in a night?

Tricia: When I begin any performance I pace myself, and take one section at a time. In this case, I actually prefer to dance both these roles in the same show. Although Dances at a Gathering requires a lot of stamina, there is enough time between the sections in which I dance that I have time to recover and catch my breath. My role in Who Cares? has so many jumps it could be considered a male variation! It’s necessary to be really warm for it so I’m grateful to have already danced so my blood is flowing.

MCB: The “Yellow Girl” is an amazing girl to watch in Dances at a Gathering because she is so sprightly and carefree. It is clear that this role requires a lot of stamina. How do you find the energy to get through the choreography in not only this ballet, but in both ballets of the night? Do you have a technique that you use?

Tricia: When it comes to stamina, I find that when I revisit a role, it’s always easier. I’m more aware of when to rest, when it’s easiest to breathe. Luckily, I have danced both of these roles in the past. Still, before the show, I will make sure I’m well hydrated and that I eat a good, high-carb, energy sustaining meal. I’ll also eat a snack between the ballets, maybe some nuts or juice. Arnica also helps. Before Who Cares? I’ll eat some homoeopathic arnica tablets. They help sustain my energy and keep me from being too sore the next day.

MCB: Dancers are so different when it comes to performances and pointe shoes. Do you wear the same pointe shoes throughout the whole night or do you wear different ones for each ballet? If you switch, what’s the difference in the shoes for each role?

Tricia: I switch shoes for each ballet, and sometimes I’ll switch shoes in the middle of Dances at a Gathering. The pas de deux I dance with the brick boy, known as The Giggle Dance, has some pointe work in it, so I like to have supportive (newer) shoes. After that, I do a lot of jumping and running, which is much more comfortable to do in softer, more broken-in shoes. In Who Cares?, I try to wear soft shoes that I know will pointe easily. My variation is so long, so difficult, and so tiring that by the end it’s hard to even feel my feet. I have to rely on my shoes to pointe for me!

MCB: After dancing challenging, artistically satisfying roles on an opening night, what’s your pleasure, vino, cerveza, or bubble bath?

Tricia: My real pleasure is a good night’s sleep! However, sometimes it’s hard to relax after the adrenaline rush from performing. If that’s the case, I’ll gladly enjoy a glass of wine or beer and an Epsom salt bath.

MCB: For the most part, audiences don’t realize what a toll on the body dancing is — as dancers are skilled in making movement seem effortless. From the high of opening night to the reality of doing it all over again the following day, how do you get your mind, body, and spirit prepared for the next performance?

Tricia: When I know I have another difficult show the next day, I have an extended, but necessary after-show process. First, I make sure that I eat a huge meal. I drink tonic water to help avoid muscle soreness and speed up my body’s processing of lactic acid. Next, I take a hot Epsom salt bath. This calms me and dulls muscle aches. Then I ice whatever needs icing, usually my feet and Achilles’ tendons. Finally, I rub arnica cream on my Achilles’, feet, and calves, and wrap them in saran wrap to help the arnica penetrate. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.

MCB: Do you find it is easier or harder to dance challenging roles at the beginning or end of the season?

Tricia: This is a tough question to answer. In the beginning of the season I feel much more rehearsed for the roles I’m dancing because we are just coming off of a long rehearsal period. Once we get into January, we really have to cram program rehearsals together. Sometimes we go onstage with only two weeks of rehearsal. That may sound like plenty, but it means having only six or seven rehearsals. On the other hand, toward the end of the season, I feel much more in-shape and more comfortable onstage. I don’t get as sore or exhausted. I think part of that is because I’ve gotten into the rhythm of my schedule.

MCB: Final question. In the December/January issue of Pointe Magazine you said, “I am truly a crazy cat lady.” Tell us more.

Tricia: I do love cats. As I said in the Pointe article, cats seem to migrate to me. It’s a sad situation here in Miami Beach with so many stray, unhealthy, homeless and hungry cats. Each year, my boyfriend and I try to catch and spay or neuter as many cats as we can. But, it’s hard to put them back on the street after that. That’s how we’ve ended up with nine of our own!