Mitch Kilby is now a successful ballet dancer with the New York Theatre Ballet, but his original career path didn't even include dance. His fascinating journey began in Newcastle, Australia where as a hyperactive child he discovered a passion for In-line hockey.
Hockey brought him many achievements including representing his state at five national championships and playing for Australia twice, which resulted in him winning the gold medal at the Oceanic Games.
Once a local ice rink opened, he traded his blades for skates and captained the Bantam division of the Newcastle North Stars to a state championship. During this time Mitch also showed a passion for dance and performance, but had only danced in high school before taking his first real ballet class at age sixteen. After his instructor noticed a natural dance ability, his strong work ethic and focus for the art, she helped convince his parents to let him study ballet full time, while still continuing school studies at night.
After nine months, and at the age of eighteen, Mitch travelled solo to New York to study at The Joffrey Ballet School. This opportunity allowed him to work with Prima Ballerinas Francesca Corkle and Eleanor D'Antuono. After two years of study at the school, he performed the Bluebird Pas de Deux in their production of Sleeping Beauty and then landed a job with The New York Theatre Ballet. There he danced many principle roles such as the Devil in Three Virgins and a Devil, the Dance Master in Cinderella, the Lion in Carnival of the Animal, Snow Pas de Deux in The Nutcracker, as well as many others. He performed many works by such names as Agnus de Mille, Antony Tudor, Jose Limon and Merce Cunningham. Other career highlights for Mitch included performing the Tudor Master Class at the Antony Tudor Centennial, performing at the Careers Transition Ceremony for dancers at City Centre, and having the role of the Grinch created for him by Lisa Gennero, for the New York City Pops at Carnegie Hall. Mitch has also performed in Grease the Musical, at the Hands Free Physical Theatre Company, in numerous guesting performances around the United States, and has had several write-ups in the New York Times as well as other publications.
We spoke to Mitch about his many talents, successes, and how New York has taken his career to new heights.
Did you immediately know, once you started dancing, that it was the career path for you?
I enjoyed dancing ever since I was about nine years old. Then I got into hocky but I still did dancing and I knew there was a chance for me to take dancing to another level. I knew it would be a lot of work but I had the determination. I wanted to perform and do acting, and there is an element of that in dance. I started dancing in school and my dad tells stories of when guests came over the house they never left until they saw a show. I was a very "out there" kid and I would have friends over and I would direct mini shows. I never had a problem performing in front of people. It was natural for me to live in a dream land. I would put a white sock on my hand, sing and dance, and pretend to be Michael Jackson all afternoon. I always enjoyed doing that. When I was in the sixth grade, all the public schools from around Newcastle put on a week long show called Star Struck. They discover new singing, dancing and acting talent there. I joined a boy's dance group and did Star Struck, and someone at the school discovered me. Her name was Maria Mawks, a dance teacher at the local school. She took a lot of care and time with me. I would literally be the only one in her dance class, so she gave me a lot of private time and lessons. She really got me into dance and I still keep in contact with her to this day.
I also always had a natural talent and love of hockey. The first time I saw Champions I wanted to do hockey. I was playing roller blade hockey and it felt natural for me. To take it to the next level I did training. I always had a natural flexibility and rhythm. I understood how music worked so I already had assets that other people didn't have. I played for Newcastle, and I then got selected for the state and national competitions. After playing for 2-3 years, I then made the Newcastle team in 1998. I didn't think I was going to make the State team, but I also made the Australia team soon afterwards. So it was a good year.
I started dancing with the Marie Walton-Mahon Dance Academy and was there for two years. I met her and started dancing with her at the age of sixteen. She was fantastic and really encouraged me. She spent a lot of time on me, developing my talent. She helped convince my parents to go full time with dance. I had ADD growing up and was very hyperactive. I had trouble concentrating on anything that I wasn't interested in, but that wasn't apparent when I was dancing. I had incredible concentration when I was dancing. I put in the work coupled with her great influence on me. She had a list of dance schools around the world, so she made a dance video of me. I sent it around to various schools in the United States like Chicago, New York and Washington DC. The timing wasn't perfect because of the season differences and I didn't realize you had to do a summer program in January here. I was thinking that maybe one day I could start something that had more direction. In order to have a good career you very much have to do it yourself and open up your own doors. You can't expect a ballet school to help you get a job or internship. There is a lot you need to do yourself. Everyone has a dream, and everyone is dying to hear how they can make their own dream come true. Well you have to make your own dreams come true. Even if other people mean well ultimately you have to do it yourself.
When I told my dad I was accepted to the New York Theatre Company he didn't believe me. I had also heard back from the school in Chicago and they wanted me as well. I felt New York was the center of everything and I needed to get in amongst it to make things happen, so this was the place for me. Just being here is one of the most thrilling things ever. I had already won a gold medal at the Oceanic Games and I owe all my success to my parents. They are just the best parents ever. My dad is the best I could ever want. If I grow up to be half the dad he was it would be wonderful. I don't know how he dealt with some of the things that me and my siblings did while growing up, but they trusted us and we had a lot of freedom. We never took advantage of that and I was always honest with my parents and never kept secrets from them. It is so beneficial not having parents as your enemy. I saw that happen to a lot of my friends and that was never a problem with my own parents. They have come to New York 3-4 times now and saw me perform, which makes me very proud. They do it very cleverly so they can save money on flights, and come at certain times of the year or when there is a discount. Dad is a surfer and we grew up on the beach. We would never go on a holiday unless it had to do with surfing. New York City is the first holiday they took that wasn't a surfing holiday, but dad really loves it. It's a very special place for me and right now I am happy with New York. I want to base myself out of New York, as Australia is so far away from everything. It is in it's own little world and the luxury of flying somewhere from Australia and staying there for only two days doesn't exist. So I am going to base myself from here because it's more convenient, for Europe and most everywhere else in the world. I have been here seven years now, since September, 2004. I have a lot of my friends here now and I've had the same roommates the whole time, so they are like brothers to me now. I am now used to doing things the American way as well. It's home now.
Do you still find time to play hockey or skate yourself, or do you just follow hockey matches as an avid fan?
I still have roller blades here and periodically I go to Central Park and play there a bit. I love getting together and playing other guys in the park. I would love to do it again in the future, but right now I am dancing and my body is my instrument, so I have to be careful not to get an injury. I also love snowboarding but I can't afford to have anything happen that would jeopardize my dancing. It depends on one's level but my legs are not insured so I have to be careful. In a bigger dance company they might do that or maybe being part of a union they would have a general insurance for that. Big ballet stars like Margot Fonteyn might have her legs insured. The union has health insurance but our company is not under the union, so it is my responsibility to stay healthy and be careful. We finished this seasons performances on May 15th and we go back again in late September. We work from September through May so it's a consistant paycheck during that time, which is good. I have friends auditioning for Broadway shows and it is very competitive right now and hard to get a job, so having a consistent job is nice. People are leaving New York because of a lack of jobs and they are unhappy, so I am very lucky that I can live off my dancing. I have also been recognized for my talent and been photographed in the New York Times and other publications. There is even a talent to posing for photographs as I found out on one shoot, where I didn't even realize that I had been clenching my face for 45 minutes until the photographer pointed it out.
What have you learned and how has your craft grown since joining the New York Theatre Ballet?
One thing I always knew in my heart was that I was going to leave where I was from and I never felt I truly fit in there. I always knew I wanted to live somewhere else and when I came to New York I fit in right away. I also find religion is not a big thing in Australia. There is a lack of understanding of other people's religions. I like the "live and let live" mentality in New York. Respect each other and other cultures. New York City is definitely it's own thing and separate to the rest of America, except for maybe California. I have already been to more places in America than Australia.
The biggest thing I learned at the ballet company is the artistry and character of dance. I got to learn technique and do something with it at this company. Its not just about dancing to music and choreography, but you tell a story through movement. Dance is symbolic and metaphorical. I love having a character as well, and I dance but I am also a person and acting too. I love to do character roles and I get to do that with this company. I am coming to a role from an actor's point of view as well as a dancer's point of view. You get to go beyond the performing and play with things on stage. You can do your own show, and you are pulling that show apart in your head and doing one more new thing with each performance. When I am on stage all the nerves are gone and I think about doing a new and specific thing for myself and also for the audience. I tweek the character each performance to find out what works best. The slightest change in intent can completely change it for you, as well as for the audience. Doing the same thing every day with this method keeps it interesting for me and for whoever is watching me. By the time you finished a show you are spot on with the performance and knowing the character.
Our company has a lot of signature performances. They have 3-4 a season in New York. It is called the Signature Series with more adult oriented works. We also do performances at City Center and other locations, as well as touring around the US. The company has also done international tours in the past. I have toured the Midwest numerous times. Many times on tour I will see a lot of the same people I worked with during the last tour. Sometimes I will tour the Nutcracker in the Northeast. Every year is different but I have done a lot of touring. It just depends on the agency that books them. There is a lot of dependency on the currency of the times. Right now a lot of people couldn't afford the funding or going to the ballet. City Ballet even needs help. American Ballet Theatre, the biggest company in America, is having a hard time too. Funders are going to give money to the larger companies rather than the smaller companies. When our company tours, they go to places that don't normally get ballet. We go to a lot of small places so it's a loss for them and for the kids when we can't go there. The kids that never get to see ballet suffer. Our company does a lot of Agnes de Mille work and the Florida audiences usually really like that. They know the music and those were the pop stars of their day.
During the season I do classes every day so during the summer I need a break, although I still exercise and work out during that time. I am 25 now, so I don't feel the need to go to dance clubs anymore and I also get muscley very quickly, so I don't work out too much. I need long and thin muscles, not bulky muscles. I just work out for stamina. I work out differently from other people because I am a dancer and my body has different needs. After rehearsing a dance number I will still jog on the stop for another five minutes to build stamina. I push myself further. There is a method to how I work out so that I can come back next season and still be able to dance in the future. I go into my workouts the first week of rehearsal not to get to some extreme level, but just to get myself there safely and within reason. Being male, I don't have a special diet and I am lucky that I don't gain weight. I definitely eat healthier when I am performing and I'll eat a lot of chicken, rice, oatmeal and veggies. Mental happiness is important to your work though, so if it makes you happy to have McDonalds then go ahead and do it. I eat for my energy level but I also don't deprive myself. A lot of dancers smoke heavily, but I am not one of them. Dancers have a different level of training. Athletes play against each other and need a lot of stamina. They also have to rise to the occasion and whatever their competitors throw at them. Athletes have to go beyond the level they train, but dancers know their routines and what is expected of them. Dancers don't have to go beyond the level they rehearse. A lot of dancers enjoy the buzz of cigarettes and to stay thin as well. In my company they don't smoke as much now but a lot of dancers do smoke. With aerobic training you get your heartbeat up to a certain level after twenty minutes but dancing involves stopping and starting, so it's really anaerobic. Dancers are not really that fit stamina wise compared to athletes. Dancers can't run a marathon because they don't have to run a marathon. It's all different types of training and fitness levels. Muscle memory is also another factor. The body knows how to dance and the body already knows when you have reached your peak requirement.
What are some of your favorite characters to play or pieces to perform?
My favorite is the Devil in Agnes de Mille's play. I am a method actor and I really enjoy playing that role in a comedy. The devil persuades the three virgins to go to hell with him. I have the photo of Baryshnikov playing the role and he looks mean and conniving. I love doing that type of role. I also love being the dancing master in Cinderella. They show that role in all the movies. The guy is very camp and fake. He teaches the ugly fatties to dance; it's another comedy. I also like doing the little monster in Firebirds. It's unlike other Firebirds in that this guy is your father figure and you are tormented. I took that role to another level. The director and people noticed I took it to another level. I liked being the boy in Little Improvisations. The real treat for me was when I got to play the Grinch at Carnigie Hall. I have definitely have a bit of a devil and a grinch in me. I got to dance to a sold out crowd at Carnegie Hall and I loved that. It was sold out months in advance for one performance on a Sunday afternoon at Christmas-time. I had the green face and outfit and when you do the dress rehearsal and then the actual performance it's really an OMG moment. You look up and see all the people and it's something I will never forget. I can't even imagine how a rock concert in a stadium would feel. I didn't feel nervous. It was a feeling I had never felt before. It was more like pride and it took my breath away. It was a really good experience.
I like playing roles that are either funny, evil or strange. In a way I felt my dreams had come true at the Carnegie Hall performance. There was a reception afterwards and everyone really loved it and I had a lot of great feedback. I like to think of myself as a selfless performer. I do it for myself but I also do it for you. I don't let ego get in the way of a great show. I don't mind doing anything and making it real for the audience. I love the good feedback and that is what matters at the end of the day.
There is so much destructive ego in dance. There are some really good dancers and they hold themselves back. They let their ego get in the way. I know what to avoid to become like that. The more you can expose yourself to an experience, the more it will help in opening yourself up to it. Training to do the character is what I develop. It is so much more than just about how high your leg goes up or pirouettes. It's more about performance, the story, and the music. A lot of dancers show off and it's not gymnastics. To be musical and to tell a story while lifting your leg is really dancing. There has to be a purpose and intent to the story and dance. Some dancers need more character work, but my company requires that and is more into the performance aspect rather than just the level of dance. I really get inside my thoughts when dancing and get into the character. Stefanovski, the man who wrote the book on acting, said "you don't play the character, you become the character". When I am the Devil or the Grinch I really become the character. That also helps with nerves because I become the character and not Mitch anymore. When the audience sees me they see he has the Devil in his eyes.
What do you think makes your dance company stand out from others?
Our dance company has children's classes and shows, and they are the best I know of. The children work really hard and they are taught the proper form of ballet and are expected to perform at a high level. You are not getting way with anything while performing for and with the kids. They are very well choreographed. Our shows are also very entertaining for children. There is a whole section of magic in Cinderella and the kids don't know how it's done.
The company has a children's program, as well as a regular program. The children's program normally has at least four shows including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker and Mother Goose. They are an hour program each, which were originally 2-3 hours long but compacted for the kids. We also modify it for children such as taking out the party scene at the beginning of Nutcracker for example. I feel it's a perfect introduction to dance for young people. Something else we do very well is the children's outreach program. The company does four of them a year, three shows a day, at 11am, 1pm and 3:30pm.
We also do a lot historical works, classics and a lot of other pieces that other companies don't do anymore. We do a lot of performances by old choreographers such as Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, Jose Limon, and Merce Cunningham. Our company still does their work while most others don't. We especially do many de Mille and Tudor works and they are very well documented. The Performing Arts Library filmed a lot of our works for their archives. The works are old but they have their own techniques which look simple, but they are not. We also worked with Gemze de Lappe, who was our eighty-six year old protege. She is the "it" woman of dance, so we are getting instruction from the best sources possible. She wanted to carry on her legacy of dance so she works with us directly and teaches us her techniques.
What are some myths about ballet that aren't true?
Stereotypes are there for a reason but ultimately everyone is an individual. I could definitely show you people that are anorexic or like the character in Black Swan, but there are a lot of people that aren't like that. People are always sacrificing for what they want. They work so hard and then they die young because of the stress. There is a level of sacrifice to reach your dreams but it is up to the individual how much they want to give up. Every day you look at yourself in the mirror and there is a pressure to be perfect, but there is no such thing. You are setting yourself up to fail if you expect perfection. You have to keep yourself mentally healthy and balanced. There is more pressure for girls to be thin, but you have to remember it's a preference to lose weight. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to live up to the director's preference, but you can't beat yourself up about it. It should be an understanding about what is expected of you, follow the simple steps, change a couple of things in your life and it will change. Dancers need a support group to help them not take the criticism in a negative way, but they have to remember it is just a preference to be super thin. You have to be happy with yourself and it's got to be for you. You have to reach your goals for yourself otherwise you will be disappointed. No one can ever be as disappointed in themselves as we can as individuals, so you have to follow your own heart.
How long do performances normally run and how long in advance do you get to rehearse them?
All performances are different. Sometimes we start rehearsing a piece and it is dropped and of course some things do go to stage. The past five years or so, I haven't had a lot of rehearsal time because I have repeated a lot of my shows so I already know the character. We might have to rehearse with someone that is new and teach them what to do. A whole new work can take a while to learn depending on the choreographers. It's hard to give a hard and fast answer because they are all different. We also learn dances in bits and pieces. It's done when we have time or when it works into our schedules. Also as we are doing a show, we may also rehearse for another show.
Our shows usually run one or two weekends each, and 3-4 shows a season. With the children's shows we do three a day. We could spread it out over more weekends but we cram it, to save on renting out the space. So it is a very full on schedule, once it starts. While we are dancing everything else in life takes a back seat. You can't go out drinking all night or go to work and play solitaire. Everything is about dancing once we are in season. Sometimes in the summer months when I am off from dancing, I will do guesting and lighting gigs to make more money. I might also try out another career I have an interest in, but only when I am off from dancing. I enjoy my time off in the summer time and sometimes I like just doing nothing all day, because once the dance season starts it is very demanding.
I still take classes in the summer sometimes but I find I usually need a mental and physical break from dance during that time. I might go back to Australia for a visit soon but it's a long trip and, if I go, it would be for a month at least.
What are some future goals and aspirations for your career?
There are so many things I don't even know I want to do yet, meaning I still have to discover so much and try things to see whether I want to pursue them. I do want to keep performing and take it to another level. I would love to be in a play or muscial on Broadway. I have friends that are performing in Broadway shows, such as Billy Elliot and I have another actor friend that is the lead in Oliver performing in Los Angeles right now, so I would love to pursue that avenue. Once I get my green card, I will have more artistic freedom and that will open up a lot of opportunities for me. I might have to wait a year for this to happen but in the meantime, I will develop my acting skills and many times opportunity is 20% talent and 80% good timing, opportunity or luck. You see a crack in the door and it's up to you to open it. There are so many people out there with the talent but they never had the opportunity or drive to take it further. Jennifer Lopez can dance and sing, but she really knows how to sell herself to the media and that is why she is so huge now. She has the ego, look and is a great business woman. Understanding that timing counts and that you can't feel rushed, because then you put pressure on yourself and you set yourself up to fail. Anthony LaPaglia and other older actors reached their peek at older ages. So it doesn't matter what age you are, because some things come at the right time. Just stay in the game, pursue your dreams and something will work for you. You have to be in it for the love of what you do
Hockey brought him many achievements including representing his state at five national championships and playing for Australia twice, which resulted in him winning the gold medal at the Oceanic Games.
Once a local ice rink opened, he traded his blades for skates and captained the Bantam division of the Newcastle North Stars to a state championship. During this time Mitch also showed a passion for dance and performance, but had only danced in high school before taking his first real ballet class at age sixteen. After his instructor noticed a natural dance ability, his strong work ethic and focus for the art, she helped convince his parents to let him study ballet full time, while still continuing school studies at night.
After nine months, and at the age of eighteen, Mitch travelled solo to New York to study at The Joffrey Ballet School. This opportunity allowed him to work with Prima Ballerinas Francesca Corkle and Eleanor D'Antuono. After two years of study at the school, he performed the Bluebird Pas de Deux in their production of Sleeping Beauty and then landed a job with The New York Theatre Ballet. There he danced many principle roles such as the Devil in Three Virgins and a Devil, the Dance Master in Cinderella, the Lion in Carnival of the Animal, Snow Pas de Deux in The Nutcracker, as well as many others. He performed many works by such names as Agnus de Mille, Antony Tudor, Jose Limon and Merce Cunningham. Other career highlights for Mitch included performing the Tudor Master Class at the Antony Tudor Centennial, performing at the Careers Transition Ceremony for dancers at City Centre, and having the role of the Grinch created for him by Lisa Gennero, for the New York City Pops at Carnegie Hall. Mitch has also performed in Grease the Musical, at the Hands Free Physical Theatre Company, in numerous guesting performances around the United States, and has had several write-ups in the New York Times as well as other publications.
We spoke to Mitch about his many talents, successes, and how New York has taken his career to new heights.
Did you immediately know, once you started dancing, that it was the career path for you?
I enjoyed dancing ever since I was about nine years old. Then I got into hocky but I still did dancing and I knew there was a chance for me to take dancing to another level. I knew it would be a lot of work but I had the determination. I wanted to perform and do acting, and there is an element of that in dance. I started dancing in school and my dad tells stories of when guests came over the house they never left until they saw a show. I was a very "out there" kid and I would have friends over and I would direct mini shows. I never had a problem performing in front of people. It was natural for me to live in a dream land. I would put a white sock on my hand, sing and dance, and pretend to be Michael Jackson all afternoon. I always enjoyed doing that. When I was in the sixth grade, all the public schools from around Newcastle put on a week long show called Star Struck. They discover new singing, dancing and acting talent there. I joined a boy's dance group and did Star Struck, and someone at the school discovered me. Her name was Maria Mawks, a dance teacher at the local school. She took a lot of care and time with me. I would literally be the only one in her dance class, so she gave me a lot of private time and lessons. She really got me into dance and I still keep in contact with her to this day.
I also always had a natural talent and love of hockey. The first time I saw Champions I wanted to do hockey. I was playing roller blade hockey and it felt natural for me. To take it to the next level I did training. I always had a natural flexibility and rhythm. I understood how music worked so I already had assets that other people didn't have. I played for Newcastle, and I then got selected for the state and national competitions. After playing for 2-3 years, I then made the Newcastle team in 1998. I didn't think I was going to make the State team, but I also made the Australia team soon afterwards. So it was a good year.
I started dancing with the Marie Walton-Mahon Dance Academy and was there for two years. I met her and started dancing with her at the age of sixteen. She was fantastic and really encouraged me. She spent a lot of time on me, developing my talent. She helped convince my parents to go full time with dance. I had ADD growing up and was very hyperactive. I had trouble concentrating on anything that I wasn't interested in, but that wasn't apparent when I was dancing. I had incredible concentration when I was dancing. I put in the work coupled with her great influence on me. She had a list of dance schools around the world, so she made a dance video of me. I sent it around to various schools in the United States like Chicago, New York and Washington DC. The timing wasn't perfect because of the season differences and I didn't realize you had to do a summer program in January here. I was thinking that maybe one day I could start something that had more direction. In order to have a good career you very much have to do it yourself and open up your own doors. You can't expect a ballet school to help you get a job or internship. There is a lot you need to do yourself. Everyone has a dream, and everyone is dying to hear how they can make their own dream come true. Well you have to make your own dreams come true. Even if other people mean well ultimately you have to do it yourself.
When I told my dad I was accepted to the New York Theatre Company he didn't believe me. I had also heard back from the school in Chicago and they wanted me as well. I felt New York was the center of everything and I needed to get in amongst it to make things happen, so this was the place for me. Just being here is one of the most thrilling things ever. I had already won a gold medal at the Oceanic Games and I owe all my success to my parents. They are just the best parents ever. My dad is the best I could ever want. If I grow up to be half the dad he was it would be wonderful. I don't know how he dealt with some of the things that me and my siblings did while growing up, but they trusted us and we had a lot of freedom. We never took advantage of that and I was always honest with my parents and never kept secrets from them. It is so beneficial not having parents as your enemy. I saw that happen to a lot of my friends and that was never a problem with my own parents. They have come to New York 3-4 times now and saw me perform, which makes me very proud. They do it very cleverly so they can save money on flights, and come at certain times of the year or when there is a discount. Dad is a surfer and we grew up on the beach. We would never go on a holiday unless it had to do with surfing. New York City is the first holiday they took that wasn't a surfing holiday, but dad really loves it. It's a very special place for me and right now I am happy with New York. I want to base myself out of New York, as Australia is so far away from everything. It is in it's own little world and the luxury of flying somewhere from Australia and staying there for only two days doesn't exist. So I am going to base myself from here because it's more convenient, for Europe and most everywhere else in the world. I have been here seven years now, since September, 2004. I have a lot of my friends here now and I've had the same roommates the whole time, so they are like brothers to me now. I am now used to doing things the American way as well. It's home now.
Do you still find time to play hockey or skate yourself, or do you just follow hockey matches as an avid fan?
I still have roller blades here and periodically I go to Central Park and play there a bit. I love getting together and playing other guys in the park. I would love to do it again in the future, but right now I am dancing and my body is my instrument, so I have to be careful not to get an injury. I also love snowboarding but I can't afford to have anything happen that would jeopardize my dancing. It depends on one's level but my legs are not insured so I have to be careful. In a bigger dance company they might do that or maybe being part of a union they would have a general insurance for that. Big ballet stars like Margot Fonteyn might have her legs insured. The union has health insurance but our company is not under the union, so it is my responsibility to stay healthy and be careful. We finished this seasons performances on May 15th and we go back again in late September. We work from September through May so it's a consistant paycheck during that time, which is good. I have friends auditioning for Broadway shows and it is very competitive right now and hard to get a job, so having a consistent job is nice. People are leaving New York because of a lack of jobs and they are unhappy, so I am very lucky that I can live off my dancing. I have also been recognized for my talent and been photographed in the New York Times and other publications. There is even a talent to posing for photographs as I found out on one shoot, where I didn't even realize that I had been clenching my face for 45 minutes until the photographer pointed it out.
What have you learned and how has your craft grown since joining the New York Theatre Ballet?
One thing I always knew in my heart was that I was going to leave where I was from and I never felt I truly fit in there. I always knew I wanted to live somewhere else and when I came to New York I fit in right away. I also find religion is not a big thing in Australia. There is a lack of understanding of other people's religions. I like the "live and let live" mentality in New York. Respect each other and other cultures. New York City is definitely it's own thing and separate to the rest of America, except for maybe California. I have already been to more places in America than Australia.
The biggest thing I learned at the ballet company is the artistry and character of dance. I got to learn technique and do something with it at this company. Its not just about dancing to music and choreography, but you tell a story through movement. Dance is symbolic and metaphorical. I love having a character as well, and I dance but I am also a person and acting too. I love to do character roles and I get to do that with this company. I am coming to a role from an actor's point of view as well as a dancer's point of view. You get to go beyond the performing and play with things on stage. You can do your own show, and you are pulling that show apart in your head and doing one more new thing with each performance. When I am on stage all the nerves are gone and I think about doing a new and specific thing for myself and also for the audience. I tweek the character each performance to find out what works best. The slightest change in intent can completely change it for you, as well as for the audience. Doing the same thing every day with this method keeps it interesting for me and for whoever is watching me. By the time you finished a show you are spot on with the performance and knowing the character.
Our company has a lot of signature performances. They have 3-4 a season in New York. It is called the Signature Series with more adult oriented works. We also do performances at City Center and other locations, as well as touring around the US. The company has also done international tours in the past. I have toured the Midwest numerous times. Many times on tour I will see a lot of the same people I worked with during the last tour. Sometimes I will tour the Nutcracker in the Northeast. Every year is different but I have done a lot of touring. It just depends on the agency that books them. There is a lot of dependency on the currency of the times. Right now a lot of people couldn't afford the funding or going to the ballet. City Ballet even needs help. American Ballet Theatre, the biggest company in America, is having a hard time too. Funders are going to give money to the larger companies rather than the smaller companies. When our company tours, they go to places that don't normally get ballet. We go to a lot of small places so it's a loss for them and for the kids when we can't go there. The kids that never get to see ballet suffer. Our company does a lot of Agnes de Mille work and the Florida audiences usually really like that. They know the music and those were the pop stars of their day.
During the season I do classes every day so during the summer I need a break, although I still exercise and work out during that time. I am 25 now, so I don't feel the need to go to dance clubs anymore and I also get muscley very quickly, so I don't work out too much. I need long and thin muscles, not bulky muscles. I just work out for stamina. I work out differently from other people because I am a dancer and my body has different needs. After rehearsing a dance number I will still jog on the stop for another five minutes to build stamina. I push myself further. There is a method to how I work out so that I can come back next season and still be able to dance in the future. I go into my workouts the first week of rehearsal not to get to some extreme level, but just to get myself there safely and within reason. Being male, I don't have a special diet and I am lucky that I don't gain weight. I definitely eat healthier when I am performing and I'll eat a lot of chicken, rice, oatmeal and veggies. Mental happiness is important to your work though, so if it makes you happy to have McDonalds then go ahead and do it. I eat for my energy level but I also don't deprive myself. A lot of dancers smoke heavily, but I am not one of them. Dancers have a different level of training. Athletes play against each other and need a lot of stamina. They also have to rise to the occasion and whatever their competitors throw at them. Athletes have to go beyond the level they train, but dancers know their routines and what is expected of them. Dancers don't have to go beyond the level they rehearse. A lot of dancers enjoy the buzz of cigarettes and to stay thin as well. In my company they don't smoke as much now but a lot of dancers do smoke. With aerobic training you get your heartbeat up to a certain level after twenty minutes but dancing involves stopping and starting, so it's really anaerobic. Dancers are not really that fit stamina wise compared to athletes. Dancers can't run a marathon because they don't have to run a marathon. It's all different types of training and fitness levels. Muscle memory is also another factor. The body knows how to dance and the body already knows when you have reached your peak requirement.
What are some of your favorite characters to play or pieces to perform?
My favorite is the Devil in Agnes de Mille's play. I am a method actor and I really enjoy playing that role in a comedy. The devil persuades the three virgins to go to hell with him. I have the photo of Baryshnikov playing the role and he looks mean and conniving. I love doing that type of role. I also love being the dancing master in Cinderella. They show that role in all the movies. The guy is very camp and fake. He teaches the ugly fatties to dance; it's another comedy. I also like doing the little monster in Firebirds. It's unlike other Firebirds in that this guy is your father figure and you are tormented. I took that role to another level. The director and people noticed I took it to another level. I liked being the boy in Little Improvisations. The real treat for me was when I got to play the Grinch at Carnigie Hall. I have definitely have a bit of a devil and a grinch in me. I got to dance to a sold out crowd at Carnegie Hall and I loved that. It was sold out months in advance for one performance on a Sunday afternoon at Christmas-time. I had the green face and outfit and when you do the dress rehearsal and then the actual performance it's really an OMG moment. You look up and see all the people and it's something I will never forget. I can't even imagine how a rock concert in a stadium would feel. I didn't feel nervous. It was a feeling I had never felt before. It was more like pride and it took my breath away. It was a really good experience.
I like playing roles that are either funny, evil or strange. In a way I felt my dreams had come true at the Carnegie Hall performance. There was a reception afterwards and everyone really loved it and I had a lot of great feedback. I like to think of myself as a selfless performer. I do it for myself but I also do it for you. I don't let ego get in the way of a great show. I don't mind doing anything and making it real for the audience. I love the good feedback and that is what matters at the end of the day.
There is so much destructive ego in dance. There are some really good dancers and they hold themselves back. They let their ego get in the way. I know what to avoid to become like that. The more you can expose yourself to an experience, the more it will help in opening yourself up to it. Training to do the character is what I develop. It is so much more than just about how high your leg goes up or pirouettes. It's more about performance, the story, and the music. A lot of dancers show off and it's not gymnastics. To be musical and to tell a story while lifting your leg is really dancing. There has to be a purpose and intent to the story and dance. Some dancers need more character work, but my company requires that and is more into the performance aspect rather than just the level of dance. I really get inside my thoughts when dancing and get into the character. Stefanovski, the man who wrote the book on acting, said "you don't play the character, you become the character". When I am the Devil or the Grinch I really become the character. That also helps with nerves because I become the character and not Mitch anymore. When the audience sees me they see he has the Devil in his eyes.
What do you think makes your dance company stand out from others?
Our dance company has children's classes and shows, and they are the best I know of. The children work really hard and they are taught the proper form of ballet and are expected to perform at a high level. You are not getting way with anything while performing for and with the kids. They are very well choreographed. Our shows are also very entertaining for children. There is a whole section of magic in Cinderella and the kids don't know how it's done.
The company has a children's program, as well as a regular program. The children's program normally has at least four shows including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker and Mother Goose. They are an hour program each, which were originally 2-3 hours long but compacted for the kids. We also modify it for children such as taking out the party scene at the beginning of Nutcracker for example. I feel it's a perfect introduction to dance for young people. Something else we do very well is the children's outreach program. The company does four of them a year, three shows a day, at 11am, 1pm and 3:30pm.
We also do a lot historical works, classics and a lot of other pieces that other companies don't do anymore. We do a lot of performances by old choreographers such as Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, Jose Limon, and Merce Cunningham. Our company still does their work while most others don't. We especially do many de Mille and Tudor works and they are very well documented. The Performing Arts Library filmed a lot of our works for their archives. The works are old but they have their own techniques which look simple, but they are not. We also worked with Gemze de Lappe, who was our eighty-six year old protege. She is the "it" woman of dance, so we are getting instruction from the best sources possible. She wanted to carry on her legacy of dance so she works with us directly and teaches us her techniques.
What are some myths about ballet that aren't true?
Stereotypes are there for a reason but ultimately everyone is an individual. I could definitely show you people that are anorexic or like the character in Black Swan, but there are a lot of people that aren't like that. People are always sacrificing for what they want. They work so hard and then they die young because of the stress. There is a level of sacrifice to reach your dreams but it is up to the individual how much they want to give up. Every day you look at yourself in the mirror and there is a pressure to be perfect, but there is no such thing. You are setting yourself up to fail if you expect perfection. You have to keep yourself mentally healthy and balanced. There is more pressure for girls to be thin, but you have to remember it's a preference to lose weight. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to live up to the director's preference, but you can't beat yourself up about it. It should be an understanding about what is expected of you, follow the simple steps, change a couple of things in your life and it will change. Dancers need a support group to help them not take the criticism in a negative way, but they have to remember it is just a preference to be super thin. You have to be happy with yourself and it's got to be for you. You have to reach your goals for yourself otherwise you will be disappointed. No one can ever be as disappointed in themselves as we can as individuals, so you have to follow your own heart.
How long do performances normally run and how long in advance do you get to rehearse them?
All performances are different. Sometimes we start rehearsing a piece and it is dropped and of course some things do go to stage. The past five years or so, I haven't had a lot of rehearsal time because I have repeated a lot of my shows so I already know the character. We might have to rehearse with someone that is new and teach them what to do. A whole new work can take a while to learn depending on the choreographers. It's hard to give a hard and fast answer because they are all different. We also learn dances in bits and pieces. It's done when we have time or when it works into our schedules. Also as we are doing a show, we may also rehearse for another show.
Our shows usually run one or two weekends each, and 3-4 shows a season. With the children's shows we do three a day. We could spread it out over more weekends but we cram it, to save on renting out the space. So it is a very full on schedule, once it starts. While we are dancing everything else in life takes a back seat. You can't go out drinking all night or go to work and play solitaire. Everything is about dancing once we are in season. Sometimes in the summer months when I am off from dancing, I will do guesting and lighting gigs to make more money. I might also try out another career I have an interest in, but only when I am off from dancing. I enjoy my time off in the summer time and sometimes I like just doing nothing all day, because once the dance season starts it is very demanding.
I still take classes in the summer sometimes but I find I usually need a mental and physical break from dance during that time. I might go back to Australia for a visit soon but it's a long trip and, if I go, it would be for a month at least.
What are some future goals and aspirations for your career?
There are so many things I don't even know I want to do yet, meaning I still have to discover so much and try things to see whether I want to pursue them. I do want to keep performing and take it to another level. I would love to be in a play or muscial on Broadway. I have friends that are performing in Broadway shows, such as Billy Elliot and I have another actor friend that is the lead in Oliver performing in Los Angeles right now, so I would love to pursue that avenue. Once I get my green card, I will have more artistic freedom and that will open up a lot of opportunities for me. I might have to wait a year for this to happen but in the meantime, I will develop my acting skills and many times opportunity is 20% talent and 80% good timing, opportunity or luck. You see a crack in the door and it's up to you to open it. There are so many people out there with the talent but they never had the opportunity or drive to take it further. Jennifer Lopez can dance and sing, but she really knows how to sell herself to the media and that is why she is so huge now. She has the ego, look and is a great business woman. Understanding that timing counts and that you can't feel rushed, because then you put pressure on yourself and you set yourself up to fail. Anthony LaPaglia and other older actors reached their peek at older ages. So it doesn't matter what age you are, because some things come at the right time. Just stay in the game, pursue your dreams and something will work for you. You have to be in it for the love of what you do
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