Long ago, like so many other children across the globe, I watched The Nutcracker ballet. Afterward, the Sugar Plum Fairy danced in my head, and I dreamed of one day joining the Nutcracker dancers on stage. While my dreams have changed over the years, I am delighted to see my Pentwater neighbor living The Nutcracker dream.
Local Pentwater residents Dan and Susan Conley put me in touch with their daughter Catherine, whose ballet career began immediately after her high school graduation. She is currently a member of the Atlanta Ballet in Atlanta, Georgia.
Recently I had an opportunity to interview her, and I asked how old she was the first time she danced in The Nutcracker. “I was 8 when I auditioned and turned 9 by the time of my first performance. I was part of the children’s cast, who were 8-14 years old. We danced the role of snow tree angels, and the children’s cast had two groups of 12 children each. I have danced in The Nutcracker for 16 years, missing only the year 2020 when Covid prevented live performances.”
The Nutcracker ballet was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petipa. It is loosely based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fantasy story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” a fairy tale about a young girl who comes of age on Christmas Eve. Her nutcracker miraculously comes alive as a prince and wages war against the mouse king. The ballet made its debut in 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia, and it has become a Christmas tradition of ballet companies around the world for more than 125 years. Its first performance outside of Russia was in 1934 in England, and the first performance in the U.S. was staged in 1944 by the San Francisco Ballet. Its popularity exploded after the New York City Ballet performed it in 1955.
To calculate how many performances she danced in 16 years was a bit challenging. The early years included 10 performances. But since she began her professional career in Milwaukee and moved to the Atlanta Ballet, she has danced in 24 performances each Nutcracker season, December 1-26.
When I remarked how exhausting that must be, Conley concurred. “Normally our work week is Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30-11 a.m. in class and 11:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. in rehearsals. But during show weeks, our schedule is 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. To avoid dropping weight, it actually requires effort to eat sufficient calories during Nutcracker season because dancing the tough schedule burns off so many calories and causes fatigue.”
Does she have a favorite role she has performed? “Yes. Last year was the first year I danced the Arabian, which is performed by one female and three male dancers, and the woman represents a snake. I really liked it. I also like the role of Snow Queen. But even with 40 members in our professional company and about 15 members in our junior company, we all perform multiple roles in each show.” She proceeded to recite a list of 14 different roles she has performed.
Are there different choreographies for the Nutcracker? “Oh yes, there are many. Every company has its own version. The music is the same, but there are variations in the storyline and in the dances. In 2016, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago based a version on the story taking place at the 1893 World’s Fair and the different dances happening in different booths. I’m partial to the Atlanta Ballet version because it is classic ballet with contemporary touches and gorgeous sets.”
Conley’s interest in ballet began in childhood and grew through high school. During her high school years in Chicago, she attended normal classroom education at Walter Payton College Prep School in the morning and spent afternoons at the Ruth Page School of Dance. During the summer months she attended dance intensives in Boston, Los Angeles and London.
She had two options after high school graduation in 2016. She was accepted at the University of Michigan and could pursue dance there. But she was also the first-ever American to be invited to study at the Ballet School of Cuba in Havana, Cuba. She chose the “road less traveled,” and U of M granted her a one-year deferment.
After one year in Cuba, she entered a competition that awarded her an apprenticeship that led to full membership in the National Ballet of Cuba. Study and performances were intense. She is convinced that her three years in Cuba were key to her professional career in the U.S. She may wonder what life would have been like had she gone to U of M, but she has never had regrets about her choice.
“You can take college classes at any time in your life. In fact, I am currently taking online classes at Georgia State University, one course a semester, in business economics. Did I miss out on the college life experience? I think not. Much of my time in Cuba was similar to college. I lived in a dorm and then moved into an apartment with a friend. I had to learn a second language, make my own meals, manage my own transportation and finances, and learn to be independent in a different culture, far from home. It was a real growth experience.”
I was curious what she likes to do in her free time now that she is in Atlanta. She reported, “I like hot yoga, hiking, biking and other outdoor activities, and I guess you could call me a ‘foodie.’ My friends and I love to enjoy different ethnic foods.”
So, you don’t worry about calories? “Oh no! We work it all off with our dancing,” she assured me.
The ballet company provides a modest amount of time off. It schedules five different shows a year: one in the fall, the 3–4-week season of The Nutcracker in December, a show in February, a show in March and a show in May. The dancers are off contract mid-May through July. Conley normally comes home to Pentwater during the break they have after The Nutcracker, the free week in March and the free time in the summer. She loves relaxing at her parents’ home on the lake, biking and hiking, lounging on the pontoon boat and she loves teaching each summer at the Letha Fulton School of Dance in Ludington. “I used to study there each summer and now it’s fun to teach there. My fiancé Angel also teaches there.” She and Angel met in Cuba and have dated for eight years, becoming officially engaged in October of this fall.
Was there any advice she would like to share with young people who love to dance and want to pursue a career in dancing? Absolutely. “It is always good to have balance in your life. Work hard at what you love, but it is easy to burn out if you are not careful. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Have other interests. Have fun on weekends. Prioritize socialization. Keep a balance between ballet and other things. Have a ‘plan B’ in case a professional ballet career does not work out. Illness, injuries and family situations can all impact a dance career.”
Talented, bright, reserved and charming, Catherine is a rising star of whom we can all be proud. She is mature and wise beyond her years.
We extend our cheers and best wishes to you, Catherine!
