With a fresh routine to show off, the company has to learn new choreography. But a trio of new dancers in the company have to learn new moves, and a new town.
The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet company practices in the basement of the upvalley Colorado Mountain College campus. It’s a big room. There are mirrors on one side, so the dancers can check their form and technique. It’s a bit stuffy and the dancers are clearly working hard. Sweat is showing through their clothes.
They are working on a new routine. One that will make its Aspen debut this weekend. Three new company members will also make their debut this weekend.
“I was dancing on point, all day, everyday," says Jenelle Figgins, the newest female member of the company. "I haven’t put my point shoes on since I’ve been here so that’s different.”
She grew up in Washington D.C. and was most recently dancing in New York. She says coming from two of the biggest cities in the country to a mountain town was a big change, especially when it comes to people getting to work.
“I give myself at least thirty minutes to an hour to get here before work and everyone else just kind of shows up," says Figgins. "I think that’s a general thing in Aspen. Take your time and get there and do your job and do your best I guess.”
Pete Leo Walker joins Jenelle as another first-time Aspen Sante Fe company member. He saw the Ballet perform while visiting with other dance groups in New York. That’s when he got hooked.
“And a buddy of mine who I was staying with said, ‘I have two tickets to this performance tonight.’ And so it got to a point where I had just finished a meeting and my buddy asked me to come to the show and it was Aspen Santa Fe Ballet,” says Walker.
A third new company member Anthony Tiedeman, grew up in New Jersey, and went to school in New York City. He says that he was ready to leave the city.
“For me, I was ready to get out of New York and experience something different," says Tiedeman. "This felt like a really great fit.”
Anthony graduated from Juilliard in May and was in Aspen only four days after finishing school.
Jenelle says it is comforting to know that because of the new choreography, the entire company is learning new things together.
“So it kind of puts us all on the same page rather than us coming in and learning rep that they’ve already been doing for years," says Figgins. "It makes - how does it go? You level the playing field.”
They all have to prepare from the same place. The beginning.
