Dancer Retirement: Christie Sciturro
Today, we celebrate dancer Christie Sciturro, who is retiring from the stage after 15 great years with MCB. Christie, whose light shines just as brightly off stage as on, shares some incredible moments with the ballet and offers a bit of advice to young dancers.
Fondest Memories: Dancing in Paris in 2011. Standing there after three weeks of shows with the whole company on stage, receiving a standing ovation for the final performance was unforgettable. Performing Balanchine’s Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements at New York City Center and Serenade at the Koch Theater are incredible memories. Plus, dancing Swan Lake under the moonlight at the Fairchild Botanic Garden was an experience I’ll never forget.
Funny Memory: Nutcracker season is rigorous and demanding, especially for the corps de ballet. Sometimes we perform “Party Scene,” “Snow,” “Flowers,” and even “Hot Chocolate” all in one night. One season all the corps members started a “door décor war” competition to help boost our energy to get through the shows. The competition got so serious that the final reveal, if you can imagine, was a live nativity scene! It involved homemade costumes, a fog machine, a laser light show, music, etc. We had such a good time doing that, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.
Favorite Roles: George Balanchine’s Serenade, La Valse, “Phlegmatic” in The Four Temperaments, “Rubies Solo Girl” in Jewels, “Coffee” in The Nutcracker, “Hippolyta” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Striptease Girl” in Slaughter on 10th Avenue, “Five Pieces” pas de deux in Episodes; “The Wife” in Jerome Robbins’s The Concert; Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera, Mercuric Tidings, and “I Can Dream Girl” in Company B; “Myrtha” in Giselle; and “Big Swans” in Alexei Ratmansky’s Swan Lake.
What She Will Miss: I will miss most the camaraderie and the feeling of being a part of a unique family. I will miss getting ready for a show with all the other corps girls and getting to dance with my friends every day, sharing laughs and jokes while I’m at the back of rehearsals, and being around people who get my quirky sense of humor. Getting to hear beautiful live piano music every morning in class while putting my body together like a puzzle piece at the barre.
Advice for Aspiring Dancers: Throughout your training and professional career, keep an open mind, stay curious about learning new things, and don’t be afraid to ask questions whenever you can. An older dancer or rehearsal director would most likely be happy to share advice or words of wisdom about their past experiences with you. Keep your eyes and ears open and learn as much as possible from all different styles and methods. In my experience, there isn’t just one right way. Sometimes, something you heard from your teacher when you were a young student might not click at the moment, but maybe it will make sense to you later in life.
Where Can You Find Christie: Next year, I will be teaching for Ballet Elite in Coconut Creek, Florida. I am excited to start this new journey as a teacher, and I can’t wait to start this summer!
See Christie during her final performances of Prodigal Son May 21 & 22 at the Broward Center.
Photo credit: Christie Sciturro in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Photo © Daniel Azoulay. Christie Sciturro and Chase Swatosh in Episodes. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Photo © Daniel Azoulay.