We caught up with dancer Emily Fugett to see what she’s been up to after her time at Chicago Repertory Ballet. Here’s what she had to say!
CRB: When did you dance with CRB?
Emily: “I was a company dancer with CRB for about 2 seasons, from January 2017 through June 2018.”
CRB: Do you have a fond CRB memory?
Emily: “ I have many great memories from dancing with CRB. There are so many beautiful humans, who are a part of the organization I was able to connect with while dancing with the company. One of my favorites was when we took a little tour to The Kentucky Center Governor’s School for the Arts.
We rode to Kentucky together, all packed into a mini van driven by Artistic Director, Wade Schaaf. While we were there CRB performed for the school followed by a Q&A and the students also had the opportunity to take class from Wade.
It may have been a short trip, but a great one that I won’t ever forget, I had so much fun!”
CRB: What was a favorite work you got to dance?
Emily: “ I honestly have two favorites that immediately pop into my head and actually both were created by Artistic Director and Founder Wade Schaaf.”
The first work is The Four Seasons, which I learned in my first season with the company. The absolutely beautiful choreography and the music by Vivaldi matched up so very well giving you the true feelings of each season. I was also paired up with another new company member, Pablo Sanchez. We performed the pas de deux in Summer together which help create our friendship. I had such a great time dancing with him.
You can go watch the full performance of The Four Seasons now on Chicago Repertory Ballet’s YouTube page.
The second work, that has to be one of my favorites, is my solo from Illuminations 1-3. It was originally created for the CRB Gala, so I wasn’t expecting to have the opportunity of performing it again, but it was brought back several times. It was a challenging piece, that taught me more about myself and pushed me to become a better dancer. I really enjoyed dancing to this piece of music as well and loved the flowing movement. Each step connecting from one into the next.
I was also able to teach this solo to the students at the CRB summer intensive. Which was a fun experience for me, translating the choreography and watching the students take their own spin on it.
It is one piece that I have done which I always think back on and hope to remember the steps.”
CRB: What are you up to now (personally and or professionally)?
Emily: “I have just begun my 3rd season dancing with Saint Louis Ballet in Missouri. Due to the current pandemic things are looking a little different this season, but I am happy to be apart of it. I have also found great studios to teach at in the area, which has been keeping me busy.”
CRB: Any pandemic projects?
Emily: “The only pandemic project I have is surviving the pandemic. My life has always been very busy, on the go, with lots of dancing. When we were in lockdown from March to May, teaching and dancing were moved over to Zoom, all online. It was a tough adjustment but I was still able to work which I know wasn’t the case for everyone. Even with some work, it wasn’t my normal jam-packed schedule so I found myself with a lot more down time. Some of it was filled with overall stress, but I picked up new hobbies, activities and learned more about myself. Things I might not have had time for before.
But, please corona go away!”
You can stay connected with Emily on her social media outlets.
Instagram: @Emilyannefugett
