From New York to Forest Grove, in one easy plié

Juilliard School ballerina Macy Sullivan hosts class at local dance studio

By A.p. Kryza

The Forest Grove News-Times, Jul 28, 2010

courtesy of Forest Grove Dance Arts

Macy Sullivan puts Forest Grove ballet students through their paces.

ADVERTISEMENTS

Forest Grove Dance Arts (FGDA) owner and artistic director Patty Petersen considers her studio of more than 450 students a family. Last weekend, that family got its token famous cousin back East in the form of Macy Sullivan, a dance student at New York’s ultra-prestigious Juilliard School.

The Camas, Wash., native spent two days in Forest Grove teaching four intensive master classes in ballet to students ranging from elementary to high school age.

According to students, “intensive” might have been an understatement: For approximately 90 minutes, they were under the tutelage of a teacher whose experience is at the highest caliber.

“It was definitely intense. I could barely walk (after the class),” said Liza White, 14, who teaches at the studio and participated in two classes with Sullivan. “She was an amazing instructor. I learned how much it takes to be in the professional world.”

Sullivan, 20, enters her third year at Juilliard this fall, specializing in tap. She started dancing in a small studio not unlike FGDA before joining Oregon Ballet Theatre at age 13. That same year, she won the World Tap Dance Championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where she was told by the American adjudicator that tap was the best discipline for a dancer of her height, 4-foot-11.

Small-town girl

A small-town girl with lofty ambitions, Sullivan said she was shocked when she was accepted to Juilliard – a school so exclusive only 12 dancers are admitted each year.

“I never saw this coming. I didn’t expect the admissions call from Juilliard,” said Sullivan, who strives to enter the world of musical theatre. “I always knew dance would be part of my life, but I didn’t think I would go through all the levels of the school and dance at Juilliard. It’s an exciting journey.”

Currently on summer vacation, Sullivan came to Forest Grove after being contacted by Petersen for a guest teaching spot.

Between teaching and taking summer classes, she hasn’t had much time to hang up her dancing shoes – and that’s just the way she likes it.

“When you’re a dancer, not dancing makes you batty. When I’m not dancing, I’m always doing something physical,” said Sullivan. “It’s kind of hardwired into dancers.”

1 | 2 Next Page >>