On Point: Ballerinas at Visitation

ON POINT The corps of women who have successfully navigated the rigors of a Visitation education concurrent with formal ballet training is small, but those who have find that the intensity of the experience and the lessons they learned define their lives in ways they never imagined.

We spoke with four graduates to learn about their experiences as Visitation ballerinas: KATE MATTINGLY ‘89 , a tenure-track

Assistant Professor in the School of Dance at the University of Utah; ANDREA SALVATORE ‘96 , Assistant Director of the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University (NYU), ALLIE HUTCHINSON ‘13 , a professional

ballerina with the Dance Theater of Harlem; and BRITTANY YEVOLI ‘18 , a dancer with the American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles.

CAROLINE COLEMAN HANDORF ‘96

A DAY I N T H E L I F E

PAS DE DEUX In a pas de deux1, two ballet dancers move in harmony with one another, each dancing their own steps, exquisitely choreographed with those of their partner. In much the same way, Visitation ballerinas have two lives—their academic education and their ballet training—each separate, yet inextricably linked. The movement of one must be in sync with the other.

From a time management perspective, Visitation ballerinas carefully coordinate their academic and dance schedules.

Whether changing in the car en route to class, furiously finishing an assignment during a free period, or catching up on missed classes before school, every moment counts. “At times, it was hard to find enough hours in the day to do all the things that needed to get done between school assignments for classes at Visitation and rehearsals at the Washington School of Ballet (WSB),” notes Kate. “You want to give the same amount of energy and time to both of your experiences,” adds Allie, “finding the balance, being prepared for tests at Visitation and WSB, keeping up attendance at both.”

The experience challenges these young women to hone expert time management skills, even as they learn what can (socializing) and can’t (sleep) be sacrificed. “I learned to be smart about my time, to not stay up too late, to get plenty of rest, and to take care of my mind and body,” Allie continues. “It was always better to tackle assignments early rather than later in the day.”

Beyond the very real physical challenge of squeezing in all of their assignments and classes, Visi dancers also face the emotional and psychological challenge of having an atypical high school experience.

As Brittany explains, “I always felt like I was living in two different worlds.”

“The socialization was hard,” notes Andrea, “there wasn’t a lot of downtime in my schedule to bond with friends. When I was [at Visitation], I was working, I was in 1

A dance for two

KATE MATTINGLY ‘89

class. There wasn’t a lot of hanging out in the Playroom or Lodge.” Looking back, Kate “[can] see that I had a somewhat unusual teenage phase, more focused on ballet and academics than dating or relationships.”

But that also offered the women opportunities to bridge their two worlds.

Allie joyfully recalled the moment she took the stage for the Black Women’s Society assembly to perform a piece by Alvin Ailey, a pioneering African-American choreographer; it was the moment she was able to share her passion and gift with her friends, to help them understand why she left early every day and juggled Visitation with her intense training.

All four women were able to work with their ballet schools to secure a week off to participate in Gold-White—as cheerleaders, of course!—which became a highlight of their Visitation experience.

Despite the rigors of this double life, Kate, Andrea, Allie, and Brittany all cherished their Visitation experience and, in fact, found the two paths were complementary. “[There were] a lot of parallels between the discipline and research required in my academic courses at Visitation and the lessons we were taught at WSB,” noted Kate. Her teachers in both places were “simultaneously supportive and challenging. … This instilled in me an understanding that learning can, at times, be uncomfortable and it can push us to our limits, but the discoveries that are possible through this process are irreplaceable,” she added.

Notes Brittany, “I think that Visitation was as challenging as ballet, but the two extremes—the physical and the intellectual—created balance.” Andrea explains, “I loved balancing the academic rigor of Visitation and the physicality and artistry of WSB. Training requires so much focus on the body and the discipline of training the body; you use a different part of your brain when dancing. It doesn’t allow for a lot of thought.” •

In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, Visitation had a fixed schedule, meaning that students took the same class at the same time each day (i.e., math first period, English second…). Young women who wished to participate in the Washington School of Ballet’s “Release Time” program, a pre-professional track with classes from 2 - 4:30 p.m. from September through May, would arrange their schedule so that the last few periods of the Visitation day would be free, allowing them to zip up Wisconsin for their afternoon ballet training. This required several program adjustments, including a physical education class waiver and, often, taking classes over the summer to free school year time.

The result was an intense day that started well before the school bell rang at 35th Street at 8:00 a.m. and often didn’t end until 6:30 p.m., particularly when there were show rehearsals. And that’s before homework! Weekends were often spent in rehearsals as well.

In 2009, Visitation switched to a rotating schedule. Classes “tumble” daily on a seven-day rotation. So, a student might have math first period on day 1, second period on day 2, and so on. This schedule offers many benefits to Visitation students. However, it makes leaving for WSB’s “Release Time” program virtually impossible.

Current students and recent graduates who have pursued ballet training concurrent to studying at Visitation must take classes after their Visitation classes have ended for the day, as late as 3:10 p.m.

Brittany would train until 9 p.m. before returning home for dinner and homework.

Allie managed to juggle the “Release Time” program with the rotating schedule, but it required missing classes, which she would catch up on by meeting with teachers during her frees. Looking back, she can’t believe she did it, but credits the experience with forging an incredible sense of discipline and dedication.•

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A MASTER CLASS IN PERSEVERANCE AND FAITH

ALLIE HUTCHINSON ‘13

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Being forced to forge their own path cultivated a sense of independence and confidence, an ability to think differently about not only their education, but their lives. Both Kate and Brittany took “non-traditional” paths after Visitation. After attending Princeton, majoring in architecture, and obtaining a master’s in dance performance at New York University, Kate sustained a career-ending injury that forced her to reimagine her future. After writing dance criticism for several years, she decided to return to school later in life to pursue a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in performance studies. “If most of my friends and colleagues chose to pursue a college degree, then a career, marriage, and children, I feel I have taken a different road by returning to school later in life to get a doctorate and deciding not to have children.” Of her experience so far, she says, “At times it can be challenging to take a future that doesn’t conform to most other people’s. … Each time I have appeared to run into an obstacle, it has become an opportunity that opened new doors and new paths. I think Visitation was instrumental in shaping this outlook because of its … spirit of faith.”

Brittany just graduated last spring, and has elected to defer matriculation at Georgetown, where she was accepted, in order to dance professionally. After months of grueling auditions, and countless hours driving up 95 to New York City with her mom, she was invited to join American Contemporary Ballet, which performs interactive pieces that challenge the way audiences experience and think about ballet. Of the sacrifices she’s made to attain her professional dream, Brittany says, “You may feel like you’re missing out sometimes, but you are forging your own path.” She credits two of her teachers with giving her the courage and faith to postpone college: Sr. Mary Roberta, who recommended that she pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and religion teacher Luke O’Connell, who counseled her to make the decision out of love, not fear.

These two teachers were just some of the inspiring Visitation role models the young women recalled from their time here. French teacher Claire Brinkmann, physics teacher Bernard Griggs, Dean of Students Eve Grimaldi, and English teachers Catherine Mattingly (Kate’s mother), Christine Murphy, Patty Branson, and Stella Schindler all played formative roles in these women’s education. Along with the Sisters, these lay teachers have modeled dedication, generosity, and leadership. “I am forever grateful for having an education that centered on women’s voices and women’s perspectives,” noted Kate.

Throughout the experience, Visitation ballerinas cultivated grit, humility, perseverance, and flexibility (literally and figuratively!).

“You had to prepare for the unexpected—running late, hitting traffic,” recalled Andrea. “I became much more flexible.” Andrea observed that the the two programs “taught me to juggle and balance priorities.

It helps me in parenting every day—juggling the needs of two children and a husband and a full-time job.”

In addition to support from Visitation’s faculty and staff, the women also leaned on their Visitation sisters and fellow dancers, including Jacquie Farrell Moen ‘88, Laura Desmond Martin ‘86, Lesley Thompson Vecsler ‘97, and Angelica Lirette ‘97. “In contrast to images of ballet dancers as competitive, what I remember most is the incredible camaraderie,” noted Kate. “We supported and nurtured the growth of one another … we grasped that each of us had distinct talents and together we could elevate the level of our dancing rather than vie for attention.” •

B R AV E B A L L E R I N A After dancing for a year with the Nashville Ballet, Allie earned a position with her dream company, the Dance Theater of Harlem (DTH). Founded in 1968 by Arthur Mitchell, the first Black principal dancer at the New York City Ballet, DTH was one of the first companies to welcome dancers of all colors. Allie recalls, “It was my dream company growing up. It is a new experience for me after growing up being the only African-American in the room in my ballet classes. It is an honor to dance here.”

Alumna and former faculty member Michelle Mitchell Meadows ‘88 recently published a book, Brave Ballerina, about another Black ballet pioneer: Janet Collins.

Janet studied ballet during the segregated 30s and 40s and, consequently, was rejected by countless dance schools and companies. She persevered and became the first African-American prima ballerina in the Metropolitan Opera.•

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ENCORE Ballet is still an integral part all four women’s lives—both Kate and Andrea even combine the arts and education, continuing to explore and fuse the two passions they cultivated at Visitation.

In her current role at the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, Andrea works to integrate the life of the mind and the life of the body, framing ballet both “as an academic study that is taken seriously, but also as an art form that is moving forward.” Likewise, as a professor, Kate remains a strong advocate for arts in education: “There’s a quote I often share with students that says, ‘I teach dance, not because I expect you to dance all your life, but so you will recognize beauty, and be sensitive, and have more compassion, more gentleness, and more to love…’ I think in this time when students are so busy and there are many pressures on their time, attention, and thinking, it is important to ask why we do what we do. An artistic education deepens our abilities to communicate, gives us other modalities (singing, painting, acting, dancing) to access, offers insights into internal landscapes, helps us feel and process emotions, and teaches discipline, perseverance, and self-knowledge.”

The lessons learned at Visitation—both in and out of the classroom— and through their dual studies still inform their lives. All credit the strong academic program at Visitation with their success beyond the Green Gate. “My hybrid education from Visitation and WSB … prepared me well for [Princeton],” asserted Kate. “I am grateful the school supported our ballet training and worked with us to ensure that we could pursue both educations.”

Notes Brittany, “Visitation gave me the skills to have intellectual conversations and to be confident in myself and my decisions. I know how to carry myself.” Allie echos that sentiment, ”Being a dancer, you always need to carry yourself with faith, vision, and purpose. I learned that at Visitation. It sets me apart,” says Allie. She notes that her Visitation education and her Catholic faith ground her.

Likewise, Andrea notes that her work is deeply informed by the Visitation charism: “I still think about the call to service that is such an important part of the Visitation philosophy.”

“The greatest lesson from Visitation has been that modesty and integrity are paths to knowledge,” observed Kate. “Being able to shift from the question ‘why is this happening to me?’ to ‘what can I learn from this?’ was something I learned early on from Visitation and WSB. … [We don’t] control the circumstances or people around us, but we can control our responses to them.”

All four women encourage students following in their footsteps to pursue their dreams. “Take a deep breath and go for it. You can do two very hard and rigorous things at the same time,” says Andrea. Adds Allie, “It’s definitely not easy, but nothing is. If you love something and you work really hard at it, you can do great things.” •

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B AC K S TAG E AT T H E K E N N E DY C E N T E R I knew I wanted to be on the Opera House stage at the Kennedy Center from the time I was five years old, when Michele Wiles was playing the role of Odette and Odile in American Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake. She had come out of the stage door, smiled at me, then opened her bag. She brought out her pair of pointe shoes she had just danced on, signed them, and then gave them to me.

From then on, I wanted to be a ballerina, and dance on that very stage she did. Ten years later, I was walking through the Opera House stage door—the very same one Michele Wiles walked through.

Things like this were only in my wildest dreams; never truly going to come true. Entering through the stage door of a theater holding 2,362 people is any dancer’s dream.

I danced in the Kansas City Ballet’s The Nutcracker, getting a chance to get a glimpse of backstage, and into the everyday lives of the professional dancers. The two-hour performance consisted of over a hundred costumes, each costing $1,000–$3,000. Jewels were carefully stuck on the bodices and tutus, which were made with precise detail. Costumes seemed to be made to reflect the country they represented, with the Russian child’s outfit made to look like a traditional peasant woman’s regular wear. Life-size matryoshka dolls were used as background props onstage during this act, reminiscent of the smaller toys.

Professional dressers dress the

A BALLERINA TELLS ALL

dancers in their costumes in the dressing room, which is complete with walls of mirrors and huge makeup lights. The room was abuzz with supernumeraries doing their hair and makeup. Costumes were swirling in the back, and a few dancers were being hurried along for a quick outfit change during intermission, sometimes including a different hairstyle change as well.

When the costumes were not hanging on racks, ready to be worn, they were kept in large wooden armoires, away from light damage and prying hands.

In the wings on either side of the stage, props were held, from huge hot air balloons and expanding Christmas trees, to shepherds’ staffs and fairy wands. Marks on the floor of the stage told scene changers where props were to be placed. Drosselmeyer’s harnesses for flying over the stage were stored on the far wall, along with the fog machines to replicate clouds where the angels danced at the beginning of Act II. The professional dancers in The Nutcracker are from the company located in Kansas City, Missouri. They rehearse separately for months before they rehearse with the supers from D.C. two days prior to opening night. The stage directions are cleared up, as one

dress rehearsal involved a matryoshka doll running into Drosselmeyer, earning the Russian girl a severe admonishment.

Despite the mishaps onstage, from lost handkerchiefs, to flying Sugar Plum Fairy earrings, dancing at the Kennedy Center is an experience right out of my childhood dreams.• ADELAIDE MACHADO-ULM ‘21, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR FOR THE WICKET

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