Storytelling From the Heart

Ballerina. She is as powerful as a panther and as graceful as a gazelle. She speaks not a word but can bring you to tears. She is beautiful, she is intuitive, she is a storyteller, and she is refined yet disciplined. She dances to delight the audience.

George Balanchine, choreographer and founder of the New York City Ballet said, “I don’t want people who dance. I want people who have to dance.” Ballerina, Dahlia Denicore has to dance.

“I want to bring my very best to the audience who has taken the time and spent their money to come see the performance. I love them and have been preparing all my life for this day,” says Dahlia, senior ballerina with the Loudoun Ballet Performing Arts Company. There are many virtuoso ballerinas, yet very few can connect on a level where they are dancing just for you. An exceptional ballerina transports the audience to the magical place and events of the story.

Not yet 18, Dahlia, is a ballerina in every sense of the word. She says, “I love performing; telling the story and connecting with the audience on a personal level.” She bring a character  to life through movement, expression, musicality, line,  to the smallest tilt of her chin, glance of her eye, or reach of her finger.

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Cinderella Photo by Chas Sumser
Image Courtesy of Dahlia Denicore

Dahlia’s roles with the preprofessional ballet company have included most, if not all leading roles including Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Cinderella, Alice, Snow Queen, Arabian Princess, and Odette. She has danced supporting and corps roles with the same enthusiasm and passion. She  invests herself entirely.

“What does it feel like on the day of a performance?” I asked Dahlia. She told me,  “On show day, everything I do is for the show. I  know that I am prepared. Yet, the excitement and the nerves are very real. I have a set pre-performance routine,” she told me. Interestingly, her warm-up and run through of choreography is not to the performance music, but to a completely different genre of music. “I love all music. I love jazz, pop, 80’s  music. It inspires me,” she told me. “Before the performance, I go through barre and floor exercises. I work on my feet by rolling up and down and flexing and relaxing every joint and muscle. Then I put on my pointe shoes and again work my feet stretching, and rising and rolling, to get blood flowing. I keep practicing until the show.”

Staying focused is paramount for a successful and safe performance. In ballet, timing is everything. Pre-show, Dahlia relies on her ear buds to deliver music and keep her focused. Maintaining focus is a learned skill of ballet training. Dahlia explained that she listened to a phycology podcast about nerves, “I learned that people are nervous because they are afraid of being afraid. When I know that I am nervous, I accept it. I know that I  will do what I love. Then, I feel my feet sink back into the ground. I visualize the performance and get lost in the story and the emotion of the moment.”

Before the curtain rises,  “Roll-down sequences tell me it’s time to go. It  wakes up my body,” she explained. Finally, positions and places and the music begins. “On stage, I am living it up! My nerves give way to my love and passion for the dance and pleasing the audience,” says Dahlia.

Asked about her character development, Dahlia explained, “I become that character. When I danced the Arabian Princess in Nutcracker, ‘I AM the Arabian Princess.’ I love to stay in the zone.”

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Staying focused is paramount for a successful and safe performance. In ballet, timing is everything. Pre-show, Dahlia relies on her ear buds to deliver music and keep her focused. Maintaining focus is a learned skill of ballet training. Dahlia explained that she listened to a phycology podcast about nerves, “I learned that people are nervous because they are afraid of being afraid. When I know that I am nervous, I accept it. I know that I  will do what I love. Then, I feel my feet sink back into the ground. I visualize the performance and get lost in the story and the emotion of the moment.”

How do I know Dahlia? I am a crazy ballet girl who once danced with a burning passion and refused to  settle for ‘good.’ Several years ago, my husband and I happened to be invited to fill stage space in a ballet production as ball guests. There was 14-year-old Dahlia, with the brightest genuine smile, the captivating eye contact, and the beautiful dancing. She caught my attention as someone going places. Because I happen to be friends with the company’s artistic director, I was pulled into way too much participation, but the result was developing a relationship with what the French would call, the “etoile,” Dahlia.

Dahlia repeatedly surprised me with her characters’ development, her emotional involvement, and her connection with the other dancers and the audience. There is a point where choreography ends and personal involvement takes over to reach to the back of the auditorium. How does one so young, accomplish something so difficult that many mature prima ballerinas lack? “I love acting. I have done some community theater. I love to tell the story,” she shared.

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In addition to performing with the preprofessional company, Dahlia has  competed in the Youth America Grand Prix in Pittsburgh. She won the junior ballet division and competed in New York. This year she placed second in contemporary and in the top 12 in ballet. “I see myself more of a performer than a competitor,” said Dahlia. “In a performance, I tell the story. In a competition, there is very little time to develop the character. I have to bring the character with me and to bring it to life in the few minutes on stage.” She elaborated that competition is very helpful in developing her stage and dance skills . She loves the classes during the event.

In any given week, Dahlia will dance up to 40 hours. She takes class, has private coaching, and rehearsals every week. She is completing her first college year where she is earning top grades and excels in the sciences. While her time precludes her from acting in community theater, she stays involved by providing choreography for their shows.

“How do you feel when a performance ends?” I asked her.  Dahlia told me, “The most special part of a performance is  the curtsey and audience appreciation. That day is high adrenaline and joyful. The following day feels like something is missing and somewhat sad. Yet, I try to stay hopeful  and happy for the next performance.”

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Dahlia has been studying ballet since she was two years old. In addition to her regular ballet and contemporary classes, she takes masterclasses with most of the major ballet companies that come to the Kennedy Center. She stands on the threshold of her professional career. She has received a number of offers from amazing ballet companies. In the summer she will be attending the San Francisco Ballet’s Summer Intensive program. She is evaluating opportunities for the coming year.

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Dahlia is the oldest of three exceptional dancing children. She and her family live in the historic village of Waterford, Virginia where they have a fluffy dog, named Toby, a cat, a rabbit, and several chickens. Her younger sister, Daisy, is a beautiful ballerina, her brother, Tucker is an incredible singer and dancer who loves baseball and theater, although he has been “Fritz” in the Nutcracker for many years. Their mother, Amy, helps support the ballet company by sewing costumes, writing for grants, and getting the family fed. Their father, Mark, an attorney, is  co-founder of Changing Latitudes, a non-profit organization focusing on education in Haiti where Dahlia has also worked during summer and spring break vacations.