My first season with Ballet Memphis has been full of fun, sweat, and dancing. I had a lot to do in this first show (Connections:Food, our annual fundraiser and season kickoff) so I really got to work with a bunch of the dancers. It was a wonderful introduction into this thriving family of people. Everyone is very committed and open-making for a fast, engaging work process, which I love.
I really enjoyed that I was able to not only dance with my colleagues but also be part of their creative process. Travis Bradley’s piece, which was inspired by diamonds, was a wonderful challenge for me. I got to dance a long duet with Kendall, and I learned so much. I have done a lot of partnering but when the woman is replaced with a man, things change. You have to find new was to share weight and balance your force in a different way. I was so happy that Travis pushed me in this new territory and trusted me to navigate it.
Julie Niekrasz was a pleasure to work with on her piece. She created a very real world for us to dance in and guided us to define our own characters in it. I found new ways to connect with my fellow dancers. I also got to finish the piece with a gorgeous duet with Stephanie Hom. It was so effortless to partner with her, and I was able to lose myself in the “home” we had created between our shared space.
Matthew Neenan is a person I have wanted to work with, and I feel fortunate that our paths crossed here in Memphis. This piece was different in that I was more of a lone character. With the other dances, I felt I was defined by my relationship with my partners whereas with Matthew and I created a person outside of others. I had a great time during the process and in performing Matt’s piece. As my first performance with this amazing company, Connections:Food was perfect. I got to know my fellow dancers and ballet supporters while having a great time dancing.
Pictured top left, performing in Julie Marie Niekrasz's On the Inside, opposite Stephanie Mei Hom. Photo courtesy of Christopher Blank. Pictured bottom right, Dylan came to Ballet Memphis from TMP.
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