It’s not often that locals head out into the world to pursue their artistic ambitions and then return to Tahoe to pass on what they’ve learned, but it happens. Christin Hanna, born at the Truckee Hospital, who now lives in Tahoma, is one such role model who has taken the knowledge of her experiences in New York and brought it west, luckily for us. Her dream to start a dance company has only just begun, but this seemingly modest organization is already catching the attention of local communities and stimulating young dancers to pursue their professional dreams. With successful fundraising in the works, Tahoe Youth Ballet is off and running. Offering classes for young serious dancers, TYB exposes dancers not only to Hanna’s 20-plus years of experience, but to renowned dancers from around the country who are brought in to workshop as well as perform in TYB’s productions.
On June 13, Hanna, her executive director Shannon Barter, three guest artists from New York and Cincinnati, and six local dancers assembled the ‘Company Debut Performance,’ an inaugural event revealing the new company and its dedicated members. As I watched the stage from a prime tenth-row seat in a packed house at the North Tahoe High School Theater, I was both stunned and awed by the level of skill and artistic creativity. In layman’s terms: I was blown away. Even days after the performance had ended, I found myself thinking about certain dances; the beauty of the movements and the edginess of the choreography. Of the performance, I would tell friends, ‘It was like seeing a ballet in San Francisco.’
A lot of high-spirited, creative, hardworking artistic groups have sprung up in the Truckee-Tahoe area in the past five to 10 years, and now TYB joins the ranks of those art communities that inspire and encourage us all to bring our creative voices, in whatever form, into existence. To learn more about Hanna’s new company, I sat down with her and one of her students, Sierra Barter, to discuss their personal achievements, their local connections and ideas on the art form of dance.
Moonshine Ink: How did you get interested in ballet?
Christin Hanna: Baryshnikov and Fred Astaire. I was going to marry Fred Astaire. When he died, I was devastated; it felt like my first big tragedy. I took dance lessons as a child, then danced for the Nevada Festival of Ballet in Reno and received full scholarships to study with the Joffrey Ballet in New York when I was 14 and 15 years old; I then studied at American Ballet Theater the following three summers. After apprenticing with the Oakland Ballet I boarded a plane to New York with only 200 dollars and moved into a friend’s apartment in Washington Heights. It’s hard to believe, now, that I was that brave. From there, I danced with a variety of companies in New York, Connecticut, Cincinnati and most prominently Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet. I returned to Tahoe in June 2008, teaching advanced classes at the Tahoe Dance School before starting the TYB in February 2009.
MI: How would you describe your new company, Tahoe Youth Ballet?
CH: Our unofficial slogan is ‘This is not a recital.’ My idea is to have the students learn from other professionals, as well as myself. As a result, the company will help educate the community as to the art form of ballet and dance, showing Tahoe a variety of dance styles. We perform both classical and contemporary pieces. Our repertoire is comprised of ballets choreographed for professionals taken from companies throughout the country. This not only gives our dancers the opportunity to perform a variety of works, but also brings the art form to our community without ‘dumbing it down’ with the excuse that we are a youth ensemble. Having guest dancers alongside our girls on stage is a big part of that, too. My ultimate objective is to empower young women. They don’t have to become professional dancers necessarily, but I think it’s important they know how to conduct themselves in a professional surrounding.
MI: How many students do you have and what is the criterion necessary to become part of your company?
CH: Dancers are selected by audition. One of the main things I look for in a dancer is passion: she has to show determination and drive. If a student tries his or her very best, puts all her effort into the work, I consider that a significant attribute. Of course technical ability counts too, but the sacrifices one must make in order to attain the level I expect of them require tenacity. Most of my dancers have had years of training already, so I’m raising the bar of expectations. We have a very positive working environment and the girls have risen to the occasion with this new challenge. Currently, there are six dancers, ages 13 to 17, and for the moment I’d like to keep the company a manageable size.
MI: How do you see TYB in the future, say five to 10?
CH: I’d love for TYB to be more incorporated within the community. I was asked to sit on the board of directors of the Tahoe City Downtown Association to represent the need for arts and culture in our area, which the organization is eager to support. A lot of our events and festivals are centered on tourism; I’d like to include more education and entertainment for locals – as well as the national audience – by presenting high quality work. There are many resort towns with arts festivals that are able to boost tourism in slower times, and even the most unlikely place can become an oasis of culture. A dance or arts festival would give people a reason to come to Tahoe from all over the world, perhaps at a time when it’s too cold to go to the beach, but too warm to ski.
MI: As a professional dancer, how do you perceive art?
CH: I believe that for art to be successful there must be some kind of connection between observer and work, even if the observer doesn’t understand the intention. If art connects to a viewer’s life it is successful. When people who have never been to the ballet prior to our performance approach me about how much they enjoyed the experience, my work is done.
MI: What’s coming up at TYB?
CH: August 10 to 15, Madame Peff Modelski, Master Teacher of Classical Ballet, Choreographer, and Guild Certified Feldenkrais© Practitioner visits TYB for six days to engage the public in dance workshops, teacher training, and ‘Feldenkrais© Awareness through Movement,’ with a workshop focusing on hamstrings, knees and shoulders. While working with the dancers, she’ll be setting her ballet Celebration Tarantella which TYB will be performing as part of our winter season, dates to be announced soon. She’ll also be the first guest interviewed in our company’s new ‘Meet the Artist’ series. These will be public discussions in which the audience can hear the story of the visiting artist, adding a further understanding of their work. Peff is a magical person in many ways. She has taught me about working ‘smarter,’ the necessity of letting go. It created an entirely new way of thinking about movement and suddenly a realm of possibilities opened up. After my experiences with Peff I liked the way I was dancing for the first time.
MI: Sierra, I especially enjoyed the last dance of the inaugural TYB performance ‘Just Holding On,’ choreographed by Deborah Lohse and performed by you and guest artist Elizabeth Brown. The program describes the piece as ‘A duet of influence, dependence and frustration revealing the struggle and challenges of trying to protect someone that cannot be saved.’ Could you speak a little bit about that dance?
Sierra Barter: I could relate to the dance a lot because I have a brother with special needs, so the idea of the dance really struck home for me. I also took the phrases of the dance and thought about what the character is trying to say. I thought about what point I was trying to convey; I made a story up in my head and went with it. I really enjoyed exploring it and seeing what I could create not only for myself, but for the audience so they could make up their own story as well.
MI: What is your background in dance?
SB: Actually, I was kicked out of my first ballet class for talking too much, which is odd since I’m not a talkative person. At the age of 6 or 7 I joined another class but had some catching up to do. Honestly, I wasn’t that interested in dance; I was more interested in soccer. As I got older, I was attracted to poetry as a form of expression as my mom read a lot of poetry to me. Later, I envisioned ballet as an art form, with an element of modern dance. When I was 11 or 12, I knew I wanted to be a professional dancer and so auditioned for a summer program with the Lines Pre-Professional Summer Course in San Francisco; I was accepted as one of the youngest dancer they had ever accepted. After those two summers, I met Christin.
MI: What are you doing now, and what are your aspirations?
SB: I’m a senior at North Tahoe High School and am thinking about college but also dance companies. At this point, I’m trying to figure out the best plan. Do I get a degree in dance or do I join a company and get experience? If I attend college, college could take away some of my prime dancing years, so I’m not sure yet.
MI: What does the TYB provide for you and what do you give back to TYB?
SB: TYB provides technique. It pushes me. It challenges me both physically and mentally. When I learn something and succeed, I think, ‘I can trust myself, I can make this happen.’ In return, I encourage younger kids to love ballet, both classical and contemporary. I want to inspire the art aspect, make people see what I feel.
~ To learn more about TYB or to register for upcoming workshops, visit tahoeyouthballet.com or call 530-613-4363.
