Please tell us about your background as a dancer and, subsequently, teacher and coach.

I was briefly a jazz dancer in my early years; I won this television show called Star Search. Then, I was a member of Miami City Ballet for a couple years, and then I joined American Ballet Theater. After 18 years with ABT [and achieving the rank of soloist], I came across Justin Peck. I worked with him on some of what would be formative projects of his—I was a part of his Carousel, for which he won his first Tony. I was an assistant to him on the movies West Side Story and Maestro. And then I was an ensemble member and dance captain in his Broadway show Illinoise. I've been a part of the creative process and then mounting, or cleaning that process, with the people that it's being done on, when it’s mounted on another company. 

I also must thank [Health and Wellness Coordinator] Marika Molnar, who got me into New York City Ballet—she brought me on as the company's ballet rehab specialist. I'm very, very fortunate in regards to that.

And how did you come to that unique role?

Years ago, a dancer at American Ballet Theatre didn't have a great diagnosis, and I heard people saying that this individual was going to quit. And I said, “Well, hold on one second,” because I had a passion for not being injured. So I could pass on what I was doing for myself to them. That person ended up going on to last another nine or 10 years as a dancer. And then I worked with some dancers at New York City Ballet—Tiler Peck, Alexa Maxwell, Maria Kowroski. It turns out that the majority of people just need to fall back in love with ballet. That's not to say that they've fallen out of love; it's just that sometimes, it's hard to do class. And I can help. I can help find the light in the darkness. 

Please describe the role of repertory director as you see it. What might audiences not realize about this essential role and the coaching process?

At this moment, I'm a part of helping out choreographers who come in and do new work. The first thing is that you’ve got to make sure you have a good time, and that has to be at the forefront. You also want to make sure that the choreographer has a clean slate in order to create. That is to say, the music is prepared, and you try to get as much information as you can, so that you can facilitate an environment in which the choreographer can do their best. Behind the scenes of each project that I've worked on, a choreographer comes in and gives a ton of material. It needs to be rehearsed, it needs to be reviewed—it needs to be iterated, which is the idea of going over it again and again, in the hopes of improvement. New work is, first of all, the lifeline to the brain of a dancer, because it's easy to get into that repetition. 

It feels as though this position requires a lot of “human” management as much as that of the steps themselves, from the choreographer, to the dancers, to the rehearsal pianists, and beyond. Can you talk a little bit about this aspect of what you do?

You have to assume that people need to review, and that your brain gets tired within an hour and a half of work; certain people can continue, can push forward. But a majority of the time there needs to be a good break, and then there needs to be a review. I feel like that's with every situation—review is key.

People do get frustrated when they can't remember things, especially when they just did it an hour ago; the brain has a way of banking it, but it's hard sometimes to then summon it. People are going to get upset when they forget. It's very upsetting, and it's very upsetting to watch people forget. So it’s important that everyone tries to be on the same page. You have to make sure that individuals feel okay with not being perfect in the moment. And that's hard to do, but you have to do it.

Can you talk about the nature of and managing the relationship between rep director and choreographer? 

Everyone's different. With Justin, when he creates, he creates on himself, and he films that, and sends that footage to me. With Jamar, he had his husband [Alessio Crognale] come in, who knew the steps. So there was another element assisting in the room. But everybody needs the same thing. You need to review. It seems so redundant, but review is key.

You’ve also worked in film and on Broadway, as you mentioned. What do these bring to your artistry, and how do these experiences inform your practice in the ballet studio? 

On Broadway, before opening night, you have done your part—and I’m not going to exaggerate—at least 6,000 times. So when I say iterating, it means that you do things over and over again to get better. How does that affect me now? When you prepare a dancer, you make sure they do it over and over again, so that they don't have to think about it, or that they can at least think about the things that are important—like performance quality. So, on Broadway, it was very helpful to do things so many times, that by the time you do it onstage in front of many people, you're thinking about where to go to dinner that night—which is a good thing.

The movie thing is its own entity. Things change on the day of—especially with West Side Story. But I must admit, Justin Peck, his wife Patricia Delgado, and myself, we were very good at feeding the [choreography] needs to Steven Spielberg, and that was really very successful on Justin’s part. With a movie, when they say “Action,” you have to do well, you have to really train your brain. So many times people are in their head, they have this inner dialogue, and it's usually not about the work. Their thinking is cluttered sometimes. You have to be a clear thinker—and I can help with that.

Who would you describe as significant mentors, influences, or inspirations as you take on this role? 

Well, certainly Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado, they were part of bringing me on to their team creatively. That was huge. Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, any of the living choreographers that I've had the great opportunity to work with. There's a teacher, his name was David Howard; I pass on the sort of training he provided to each individual. But you end up needing to be your own mentor. You don't want to be hand-holding too much. You need to make sure that these people can fly on their own. It is important that you learn how to do it on your own, because people aren't going to be around for you onstage. 

Being “on your own” as a dancer—that seems like a meaningful connection between your work as a rehab specialist and in the rehearsal studio. 

People love to dance. But that alone doesn't make you happy. It's a hard, hard thing to say, but it doesn't. There are many things that you come across. Like pain. I don't think anybody really likes to be in any physical discomfort, and this whole thing is risky. People do hurt themselves, it happens. It's a very sad thing. But if you can get back into doing class and get back into doing your craft, chances are that you'll be okay. But don't be shocked if you're not immediately okay. It is both physical and psychological.

When they return from an injury, the dancer becomes self-reliant. They are back at it. And I'm always here if you need me, but in the end, the curtain goes up, and it's just you. I'm not doing anything magical. If you think about it, what are you doing? How are you doing it, and being safe? Everybody can be Michelangelo, but to paint the Sistine Chapel, you have to climb up onto something. I'm just here to make sure that your scaffolding is tight so that you can climb up. But I am not going to paint the Sistine Chapel with you. The individual does that.

You could say the same thing about the role of the rep director. You can prepare them, the individual—and the group. There's a ruthlessness to it, the show. It's so cliché. I abhor the cliché, but you’ve got to keep going. 

What are you most looking forward to in the coming year?

I'd love to just keep doing this work. I'd love to be of use in this world—in whatever capacity that is.

_{Photos by Ella Spruill © New York City Ballet.}