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6 Questions with... Ashley Bouder

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Born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and initially trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Principal Dancer Ashley Bouder attended a summer session in 1999 at the School of American Ballet and enrolled as a full-time student in SAB's Winter Session of that year. She became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in June 2000, joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet that October, was promoted to soloist in February 2004, and to principal in January 2005. She received a Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2000 and a 2019 Benois de la Dance award for best female dancer. Bouder was the Janice Levin Dancer Honoree for 2002-2003.

While a dancer with the company, Bouder has performed featured roles across the repertory, including in George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Symphony in Three Movements, and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux; Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering, The Four Seasons, and Brandenburg; Alexei Ratmansky's Namouna, A Grand Divertissement and Odesa; Christopher Wheeldon's DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse (NYCB Premiere) and Mercurial Manoeuvres; and many more. She has originated featured roles in Kyle Abraham's The Runaway; Justin Peck's Year of the Rabbit; Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH; and others.

Following an impressive 25-year career with the company, Bouder's farewell performance will be in Balanchine's Firebird on Thursday, February 13 at 7:30 PM. We spoke with her before she bids the NYCB stage adieu to ask about her favorite roles, what she's most looking forward to, and more.

What are your favorite roles to perform?

I have two favorite roles to perform at NYCB. The first is Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. I first danced the role when I was 20 years old and was cast when I was still in the corps de ballet. I got to dance with then-veteran dancer Damian Woetzel, and it was a dream. I love that [across the ballet] Aurora becomes three distinct characters. This was explicitly explained to me by my coach Sean Lavery when I first learned the role. In the first act, Aurora is an exuberant teenager celebrating her birthday; she’s the center of attention and loved, so she exudes love. Second act Aurora is a vision. She is a dream—ethereal, airy, not real. She is the lure that snags the prince. Her visual focus is reserved yet yearning. All her movements must be a plea for salvation. Third act Aurora is a princess becoming a queen. She is regal; she is alive again and must take her place as a royal monarch. It is all ceremony. I love the challenge of encompassing these three characters within a couple of hours.

My second favorite role is Firebird, of course. It was the first big principal role I danced, and I did not/do not take lightly the trust of leadership that was shown to me. To entrust a 17-year-old, learning the role in only a couple of hours, was major. I’ve had the pleasure of working with four different coaches on the role and each time the ballet comes back into the repertory is a new experience. It is a ballet and a character that lives in my soul. She will always be a part of me. Wild and untrusting, won-over and generous, then heartbroken and spent. It is quite a ride each performance.

Is there a tour memory that you cherish, or look back on and laugh?

One tour that I will never forget is Chicago 2006. At that point, I was known for falling in debuts due to going too big. Serenade was on the program and [former Principal Dancer] Ask la Cour was making his debut as the dark angel. At one point in the ballet, I run out and jump into an upside down split on Ask’s back. Or… I’m supposed to. Well, I ran out and took off for my jump, but I hit a super slippery spot on the floor. I felt like I hit an oil slick. So Ask had two choices: let me fall and hit my head on the floor, or catch me, but go down with me. Thankfully, he chose to catch me. We ended up rolling around on the floor in my tulle skirt for a few counts of music. When we got up, Ask looked like he’d forgotten the choreography (which he had!), so I shouted the next step and we met and moved on. After the show, our director, Peter Martins, said to me: “It’s not enough to fall in your own debuts? You have to take someone else down too?” We had a really good laugh about that. And to note, Ask was a full foot taller than me, so I do take a bit of pride in taking him down!

Are there any roles or ballets that you wish you’d had a chance to perform?

Oh my, yes! I wish that I could have been part of the ballet Concerto Barocco. When I got into the company, the corps of the ballet was danced by the senior corps. I never made it to senior corps and did not even get to understudy it. As a soloist and principal dancer, I was never called to learn the ballet, and I always secretly hoped for it. To me the ballet is pure perfection, and I love watching it each and every time. The adagio is to die for. Alas, I will dance it in my dreams.

What will you miss most about performing?

The comradery. Taking class, rehearsing, and performing with the wonderful artists of NYCB will forever be the pleasure and thrill of a lifetime.

What are you looking forward to about this next phase in your life and career?

I’m looking forward to finding a meaningful way to leave the ballet world better than I found it. There are so many amazing things about this wild dance world, but there are also so many things that can be better. I want to be part of the positive, innovative change. So, stay tuned!

 

Photos © Paul Kolnik

Screen Test: Ashley Bouder

Anatomy of a Dance: Ashley Bouder on Donizetti Variations

Ashley Bouder reveals all the things she loves about her absolute favorite role to perform: Balanchine's Donizetti Variations.

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