when christina clarke first met her nutcracker At age 5, she didn’t immediately aspire to play the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy or Dewdrop, instead focusing on the dozens of children in the cast. “I was determined to be one of the kids on stage,” she recalls. “Performance is the only goal.” Clark is a native New Yorker. He was admitted to the American Ballet School at the age of 7. In 2016, he became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2017.
With her long limbs and polished bra, Clark is an incredibly composed dancer who uses her 5-foot-10 1/2-inch frame to fully inhabit every dance moment and note. She debuted in 2023 in a variety of roles, including the Tall Girl in George Balanchine’s Ruby and the title role in Ruby. haev funNYCB has not performed since 1994. ’s technique, my artistry, and my approach to my new role.
embrace the unfamiliar
“I love exploring different styles of movement, even if they’re not my strong suit. When I was rehearsing Justin Peck’s Sneaker Ballet The times are racing, I had to solve questions like “How does my weight need to be distributed differently in sneakers versus pointe shoes?” or “How can I syncopate the meter and emphasize certain moments that reveal different aspects of the music?”
Use imagination as a tool
“As an English major at Columbia University, I love telling stories. When preparing for a role, I imagine a character or story to guide my actions. Even for something like this without a plot haev fun or “ruby”, each part has a specific flavor. It’s helpful to think of the steps in terms of analogies and images, from moving my hand through the water to embodying a wisp of seaweed in the ocean.
The recurring pinch-me moment
“Balanchine’s Dance serenade It always felt like a career reaffirming experience. I’ve been doing the show for many seasons, and every time, I realize I’m living the image I’ve dreamed about for so long. This is a community-based ballet and one of my favorite things about this career is connecting with the dancers around me – they are my best friends and biggest inspiration. Dancing as part of a group, especially in a ballet filled with meaning and joy, is always a highlight.
