Charlottesville Ballet’s “Meet the Artist” profile for January 2012.
This issue features company apprentice Moira Price– check out her interview below and enjoy!
Moira Taylor Price
THE BASICS
Name: Moira Taylor Price
Age: 22
Astrological Sign: Pisces
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland
Role in C’ville Ballet: Apprentice
FAVORITES…
Food: avocados, tomatoes, berries, and brownies. Also obsessed with No Bull Burgers.
Color: pink, particularly obnoxious Barbie-style hot pink. I have a collection of 5 or 6 hot pink leotards in my rotation. I’m an unabashed girly-girl!
Book: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. I re-read it every year or so. All of the locales in the novel remind me of the four amazing years I spent in Pittsburgh at the same age as the protagonist.
Movie: Woody Allen’s seminal masterpiece, Annie Hall.
Musician/Band:
What a hard question! I’m more of a song person than a band person. Judging by my iTunes, my favorite songs are “Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley, “Night Moves” by Bob Seeger (this is mildly embarrassing), “Laundry Room” by The Avett Brothers, and “I’m Not Calling You a Liar,” by Florence and the Machine
Quotation: “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”-Harper Lee
Spot in C’ville: Market Street
Business/Store in C’ville:
Revolutionary Soup, Cha-Cha’s, South St. Brewery
NERDY BALLET QUESTIONS
Tell us about your dance background and training:
I began my dance training at the age of three and studied ballet at a small studio in Annapolis until high school, when I began training seriously at the Ballet Theatre of Maryland School. I performed as an apprentice at BTM for my last two years of high school and I made my professional debut in Swan Lake at age 16.
After high school, I attended the Point Park University Conservatory of Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am so grateful for the versatility that Point Park gave me, and for the incredible performance opportunities I received. I studied ballet, modern, and both traditional and contemporary jazz.
My favorite performances at Point Park include Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations, Patrick Frantz’s Cote Jardin, and Kiesha Lalama’s Patterns.
Upon graduating with my BFA in dance performance with an emphasis in ballet, I joined Charlottesville Ballet as an apprentice for the 2011-2012 Season.
What genres of dance do you enjoy?
Ballet, modern, contemporary ballet, jazz (particularly theatre jazz). I enjoy watching tap very much but I’m so bad at tapping that it’s best I don’t even try.
What kind of pointe shoe do you wear?
Freed Classic 5XXX (yes, I have really, really wide feet. Now you all know my secret.)
Favorite dancers or role models?
You will all just have to bear with me because one of my favorite things to do is collect role models. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I talk about my family: my two big sisters and two big brothers, and my mother and father are my role models. All six of them are great advice-givers, role models and problem-solvers. They’re also all brilliant! And much, much better at math than I am!
My dance professors from Point Park University are so important to me. In particular, I am forever in debt to Peter LeBreton Merz and Cynthia Ridler for their continuing support, advice, and all-around hilarity (and the baby/housesitting gigs).
My favorite dancers (besides my C’ville Ballet colleagues) are Donna McKechnie, Jenifer Ringer, and Daniel Ulbricht.
Do you have a favorite ballet:
Among my favorites are Trey McIntire’s “Blue Until June,” Balanchine’s ‘Who Cares?’ Jerome Robbins’ “The Concert” and deMille’s “Fall River Legend”
What’s your favorite ballet/dance step: 
Pas valse en pointe.
Tell us, why do you dance?:
Wow, what a loaded question! I think a lot of people love to dance because it helps them express themselves in a way that words cannot. I talk way too much-I love communicating. Dance just gives me one more way to communicate.
Betsy McMillan, a former teacher of mine, once said “Dance is the dynamic of generosity.” I love that sentiment. Generosity is my favorite quality in human beings and in dancers. I want to give back with my dancing– I always aim to tell a story or impart an idea with my dancing. I also love the pas de deux; I love the cooperation and camaraderie plus the vague danger and intrigue and romance of dancing with a man.
OTHER QUESTIONS
What other jobs/activities/academic pursuits are you involved in?
I’m a server at Brixx Woodfired Pizza on Emmett Street, and I am a ballet teacher at Albermarle Ballet Theatre. I’m also (pretty lackadaisically) studying for the GRE’s.
This season, I’ve been blogging about some of my experiences with Charlottesville Ballet– you can check out my Lynchburg Tour Diary from October 2011 here.
What other talents or passions do you have?
I’m a voracious reader, an erstwhile swimmer, and I love performing in musicals! Though I don’t love running, much of my spare time is spent on the elliptical.
Anything else you’d like to express:
I am so blessed to be here in Charlottesville, a nearly perfect city, working with (and for) some of the kindest, most generous, most hardworking, most talented people I’ve ever met.
