Dancers Reflect on Opportunities

As part of a professional exchange opportunity, fourth-year dancers are eligible to accept approved professional performance work outside of school for which they receive credit as a substitute for some curricular requirements. Some of the 2024 students reflected on their experiences.

Isaiah Day
Dancer, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
I am certain my dedication to my work at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater comes from my Juilliard education, where I received many tools, from Elements of Performing with Risa Steinberg (BFA ’71, dance) as a first-year to training in a range of classical styles. Also, serving as a Dance Division class representative taught me about entrepreneurship, branding, and problem solving. All these experiences have aided in my success at Ailey. Some of the toughest moments of tour were attributing color to movement and character, but I was able to offer creative resolutions to issues because, as a class representative, I had spent a year at Juilliard acting as a bridge between faculty and classmates. And my training has calmed me in times of worry as it has been a gentle reminder that I am equipped to live the life of a professional dancer.

Kannen Glanz
Dancer, Cincinnati Ballet II
The strengths that I bring to Cincinnati Ballet II are supplemented by my Juilliard education and can perhaps be seen as tools as well. Being in a repertory company requires picking up choreography very quickly, which I was able to accomplish both in person and through video effectively and efficiently. The experience of being here was overwhelming at times, but through grit and determination, it became easier with every repertory piece in which I learned multiple roles. There were many times I had to step into a role when someone was sick or absent, partner someone I had never danced with before, or cover roles at a moment’s notice, but my ability to learn quickly ultimately made me very trustworthy, a strength in itself.

Mykiah Goree
Dancer, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
So far, I have used many tools from my Juilliard education in my professional life. I think about all my classes and training, from Francisco Martinez’s reminders to lengthen my leg from the back of my knee and the ends of my foot to Risa Steinberg’s corrections about my head placement. I frequently refer to Jeff Edwards’ dynamic use of port de bras, Ellie Kusner’s Pilates training, Jean Freebury’s amazing Cunningham class, and Terese Capucilli’s images and information on how to use my back. I also refer back to guest teachers like Ohad Naharin (’77, dance), who asked us to find pleasure in movement when he taught us workshops [in spring 2023], and the experience of learning and investigating Trisha Brown’s postmodern vocabulary [in Spring Dances’ Set and Reset/Reset in 2022].

Tyrone Reese
Swing, Illinoise on Broadway
I have grown tremendously from the start of this process. Not only has the way I approach choreography shifted, but so has the way I approach performing. Over the last few months, I have been constantly reminded of the lessons Juilliard taught me, from rooting into the floor to the small shifts and differences in my focus. I always leave the theater inspired and eager to try it again the next day. Every day, I get to share space with insanely talented musicians, dancers, technicians, and singers. Not only have they made me feel seen and included in this process, but they have also given me so many access points into my own artistry. I have no doubt that this experience will stay with me for the rest of my life and manifest in the ways I approach every job.

Zack Sommer
Guest Artist, Ballet BC
My time at Ballet BC taught me so much, and being in a professional setting informed what I value in dance and how to act and work in a professional space. The word professionalism sums it up. It’s not just a hobby or something you do for fun. Being a dancer is hard work, and to be a professional dancer requires you to be a mature artist and an adult. All of this is to say I still practice all the lessons I learned throughout my time at Ballet BC and all of the experiences I’ve had thus far. It’s important to remember to always be adaptable in a company and that there’s always room to grow and learn. Dance is an endless source of learning and growing. Being a professional dancer has always been what I wanted to do—it may not be exactly what I expected, but being able to experience about three months in a company of such a high caliber has brought life lessons that I will always take with me.

Alejandro Vargas
Wayne, Illinoise on Broadway
While I faced plenty of challenges in the early stages of my Illinoise experience, now that I’ve been performing it for three months, I have been able to reflect on being lucky enough to be a cast member as well as an understudy for several roles. Although it has been difficult and demanding, I feel that I was pushed creatively and physically by having to learn and perform my own track as well as multiple others, which was an unfamiliar aspect of professional life. Making my brain work in this new way was incredibly daunting at first, but now I realize how necessary it was in order to facilitate growth and utilize new skills of observation and understanding multiple tracks. In addition, I have concluded that my strengths lie in areas of community and relationship- building. I recognize that what I add to the company is not only my eagerness and desire to learn from the other cast members—all of whom have years of experience, and several of whom I had looked up to from a young age—but also my warm energy and desire to help contribute positivity to the work environment.