Brette Benedict | Season in Review
One of our Ballet 5:8 traditions at the end of each performance season is to ask the artists of the company to share some reflections with us. Getting to know the dancers and hearing about their journey is always a treat, and this year is no exception - even in a year turned upside down by a national pandemic! A special thank you to the artists of the company for sharing about their experiences in the 2019/20 Season.
Lead Artist, Brette Benedict
Q. Pick one word to describe the overall season. Why?
A. New. I would say this year presented itself with a lot of new challenges. It was a season of growth in who I am as a dancer and teacher. With all the new life circumstances of being married and moving into our new home together as well as the coronavirus. I definitely had a lot more new experience to work through.
Q. Can you share a favorite moment from on or offstage?
A. I do think we share a lot of great moments together as a company. But the very last scene we filmed for Butterfly is what really impacted me the most and made me feel the most unified with all of my fellow co-workers. I had a much deeper sense of hope during a life trial.
Q. Of course choosing this is probably going to be hard, but out of the works you performed this season, does one stand out as the most meaningful or most notable for you personally? Why?
A. Hmm...You may get this answer a lot, but Butterfly is definitely what stole my heart this past season. The story, the hope, the challenges, the creation process, everything that encompassed that ballet molded us as dancers and as a company to show and present authentic work.
Q. Is there a particular quote or idea that has been inspirational to you this season?
A. The greatest idea came from Julianna Slager's Of Splendors and Horrors. That all life circumstances and encounters with the people around us either bring us closer to glory or further away! These circumstances either grow us and make us better human beings or they destroy us and take us further from the truth.
Q. What was Quarantine like?
A. My time in quarantine was full of dancing over Zoom in my kitchen, as well as teaching my students through the end of the season via Zoom. The one fun thing was that my husband and I were able to also decorate our new home during that time. (Normally, both he and I would have been traveling too much to spend any time on it!)
Q. What are you up to this summer?
A. In June I had a little time off from dance and teaching, but I've begun teaching our Summer Intensive students! I am also ramping up to be back in shape for the beginning of our 2020-21 Season!