Students and company members, together, learning and creating

Throughout my 15 years at Ballet Memphis, I have worked with many teachers. Some have come and gone, and some I have known my entire time here. It was not until I advanced to the higher levels in the school that I started to have guest company-member teachers who would teach once or twice a semester, usually as a substitute or for a workshop class.

I took my very first company-member–taught class in the eighth grade by Steven McMahon. Anyone who is familiar with Steven as a dancer could imagine the immediate intimidation my friends and I felt. Towering over all of us with a serious expression, Steven began his introduction by detailing his experiences at Alvin Ailey, the world-renowned modern dance company in New York City. Needless to say, I was terrified. Who was this Horton he kept speaking of, and why could I never remember the intricate combinations we learned every week in class? (This “Horton,” or Horton Technique developed by Lester Horton, utilizes a whole-body, anatomical approach to dance that includes flexibility, strength, coordination and body, and spatial awareness to enable unrestricted, dramatic freedom of expression.)

I would only get worse before I started making small steps toward understanding and appreciating my discomfort in the class. We continued taking weekly modern classes from Steven, and I can only describe the last five years as one of the most transcending journeys I have encountered thus far. I progressed from the nervous girl who sought to dance in the back, to the person who fights for a spot in the front. I wish I could have seen how important these classes were for my development as a dancer when I first began, but at the same time, I view the struggle that I faced by enduring these classes that much more inspiring.

More recently, company members have begun teaching our ballet classes. Twice a week, they teach our class, including a workshop ranging from pointe variations to Pilates. At the same time, they are able to integrate goals they are striving for in their everyday work and classes into the classes they plan for us.

I love having company members teach our class. I get to watch my own teachers go out onto a stage and exude the same passion and commitment they encourage me to pursue. I can honestly say I have learned more by watching my teachers on stage performing than I think is possible through daily practice in a studio. They have shown us through their own work how to pursue what we love and embrace our artistic abilities in a whole new way.

Aside from regular class, I have had the opportunity to perform with the company in numerous productions of the Nutcracker, once even being granted the honor of understudying and performing as a Snowflake my junior year. What may have seemed like a familiar corps role many company members had performed several times already, was my pride and joy for the few months I attended rehearsals. I was, however, terrified that I was going to mess up or stick out as an obvious student. However, I was faced with nothing but kindness and encouragement from the company women I understudied. I learned so much from my time understudying, and I will always cherish that opportunity as one of great honor and professionalism.

As my time at Ballet Memphis comes to a close when I graduate this year, I also appreciate working with company members who choreograph on us for our Junior Company shows. I have worked with a couple of company members in this atmosphere and enjoyed some of the most fun and most challenging experiences I have had at Ballet Memphis. Aside from getting to know them in a more personal setting, we are challenged to dance outside of our everyday ballet technique and can explore different styles of movement. Learning to work with new choreographers and integrating new repertoire and movement into our dancing allow us to enhance our dance abilities in a way that everyday class cannot.

As we spend more time together—company and students—a different relationship has emerged. At first I attributed the changing relationships to my age and seniority in the school before I realized that the company is not just teaching higher levels anymore. Company members, apprentices and trainees teach younger levels, thus connecting with students of all ages throughout the school.

The Ballet Memphis School is always changing and growing, but I never realized that it might also be changing the relationships between the students and company holistically. Our interactions with teachers and choreographers have opened up opportunities for us to regard them as mentors, role models, and although some of them would refuse to admit it, even friends.

Lauren Petrin (student, left) with dancer Stephanie Mei Hom (right) backstage at Nutcracker.