Julie Kent, Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre
Where did you grow up and how did you get interested in dance? How did your background, and your family's background affect your passion for dance? JK: I was born at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. My father was a Captain in the USPHS and my mother was an aspiring dancer in New Zealand. She met and married my father while he was stationed in Antarctica during "Operation Deep Freeze" in the early 1960's. After I was born, my mother went back to ballet class and brought me with her. I have no memories of life before dance.... it was simply always there. I loved to watch my sister in her leotards and tights and anxiously awaited the time when I was old enough to begin studying ballet. Dance was simply a natural part of my life. I will never forget the joyful discovery in my first performance of expressing myself without words. For a shy child, with a full imagination, this was a gift. The lights, the silence, expect for the music and the applause, left an impression on me that lasts to this day. Has being a mother charged your dancing? JK: Motherhood changes everything in all the best ways.
How many years have you danced with ABT? What is next for you?
JK: I signed my first contract as an apprentice with ABT in October of 1985, 30 years ago this fall. In my post ABT performing career, I hope:
~ to share my voice as an American artist, a woman and a mother
~ to be an ambassador for dance
~ to be an advocate for the arts and for the benefits of arts education
~ to guide dancers and parents of aspiring dancers, through the benefit of my own experience
~ to help shape and develop the next generation as a mentor, teacher and inspirational figure
Hair and Makeup by Juliet Jane, Black dress by Trash-Couture Thank you to Cara Lynn Moccia for your help on the shoot