I started dancing at age 11 because my mom wouldn’t let me play tackle football until I had some coordination.  If I took one ballet class a week I could play football…and that’s exactly what I did!  The next year, I signed up for a jazz and a tap class and that’s when I really fell in love with dance!  I started going to summer programs like The Rock, San Francisco Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem.  I got accepted into The Rock School’s year round program where I finished out my junior and senior year of high school.

After graduation, I went on to study at University of the Arts in Philadelphia.  I danced shortly for Eleone Dance Theatre before I got a contract for Contrast Dance Theater at the end of my freshman year.  The next fall, I went on two tours with Circus Nexus performing in “Rites and Rituals” and “Sugar Plum Dreams.”  After the second tour I came down to Orange, Virginia to teach at Orange School of the Performing Arts….and that’s how I found Charlottesville Ballet!

I really love all genres of dance because it’s all a form of self-expression. But if I had to really pick one, I would have to say tap.  Tap is so fascinating and so complex, but so much fun at the same time.  It’s great because you can look up the history of tap and see the originals on YouTube and you also see where it’s going because the people out there today are just amazing and are constantly pushing the boundaries!

 

My favorite dancers are:  Carlos Acosta (Royal Ballet), Herman Cornejo (ABT), Daniel Ulbricht (New York City Ballet), Osiel Gouneo (National Ballet of Cuba).

My role models would definitely be my Mother and Father, and my Uncle Ricky.

I do enjoy Swan Lake.  That was the very first ballet I saw as a kid and I fell in love with it because of the beautiful dancing and powerful music!  I went with my regional ballet company in Bakersfield (now known as Imagine Ballet Company) to see ABT perform in Los Angeles and after that performance, I knew I wanted to dance!

You can ask anyone in the company– I love to turn.  It’s one of those things I could do forever and ever and never be tired of!  I like to really push myself to do absolutely ridiculous things that I would normally never do in ballet or any other dance genre.  It’s like a game for me to hit fifth position, tendu to second and then just go for whatever comes to mind!  It’s so much fun for me and I always want to remember that even though this is my job, I’m having a lot of fun doing it!

Tell us, why do you dance?:  

 

In high school, the reason why I danced was that it provided an escape for me.  I was a very sensitive kid back then and high school was not fun for me, so I would head over to dance and just let it all out.  Now dance is my identity.  It’s the one thing that makes me normal and gives me purpose.  It’s a freedom for me when someone puts on music and says ‘dance!’  Whatever I’m feeling at that exact moment in time is what you are going to see because I’m always telling you a story with my dance.  I don’t think I’ve ever danced without purpose because to me dance is such a special and personal art form.  I feel that most people in America see dance as recreational because not only is it being mocked by TV shows like “Dance Moms” but a lot of people don’t see it as a legitimate job.  So naturally for me dance then becomes much more personal to me and has more meaning as well!

I teach at Orange School of Performing Arts in Orange, VA as well as West End Academy of Dance in Richmond, VA.

I love to play music!  I play bass, saxophone, harmonica and guitar!  If there were more instruments around me I’m sure I’d pick them up and learn to play them as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voltaire on Guitar (left) & playing with Boston-based band Meadowlarks

 

Anything else you’d like to express:

I absolutely love Charlottesville Ballet and all of the artists involved in it!  The artistic team is full of such great people who want nothing but the best for their dancers.  Everyone in this organization works so hard and they are so amazing as well.  I’m truly blessed to be a part of this company!