Merrill Ashley, Ballerina Bravura
Ballo della Regina, Photos: Paul Kolnik
In 1964, at the age of 13, Merrill Ashley was awarded one of the first Ford Foundation Scholarships to the School of American Ballet in New York, the official school of the New York City Ballet (NYCB). She joined the NYCB corps de ballet at age 16 and was promoted to principal in 1977 which is also when George Balanchine choreographed his first ballet for her, "Ballo della Regina."
Ashley's legacy includes having some of the most brilliant technical prowess of any ballerina in the last 40 years and the longest running career with NYCB (30 years.) She retired from performing in 1997 but continues to teach, coach and set ballets for NYCB.
1. How, where, and when did you begin dancing? I started classes in Rutland, Vermont at the age of seven. I had seen my older sister take ballet when I was five and wanted to start lessons right away, but it wasn't possible to start until I was seven.
2. When did you know that dancing would be your career? My memory is that I always wanted to be a ballerina—certainly at age seven I did.
3. What is your current involvement in dance? I am currently working for the New York City Ballet teaching company class and coaching primarily soloist and principal roles in (George) Balanchine and (Peter) Martins ballets.
4. Who were the influential teachers of your career? Why? My most influential teachers were Balanchine, Jacques d'Amboise, and Stanley Williams. Stanley was the first teacher who helped me understand placement and gave me specifics about how to do pirouettes, which I was terrible at. Jacques helped me understand in more detail some of the things Balanchine was asking for in class and he gave me lots of individual attention and coaching as he rehearsed me in ballets for concerts with him outside of NYCB. Balanchine was the most influential of all, teaching me the ultimate in technical refinements, use of the whole body as you dance, enhanced musical awareness, and the ability to dance at any tempo, slow or fast.
5. What dance goals have you reached in life so far? When did you set them? When I was in the school at SAB, my goal was to be a principal dancer in NYCB who could dance any ballet in the repertoire. I wanted to be versatile, technically secure, and distinctive. I think I eventually achieved that, but I was always striving to learn and understand more each day. Even now I am trying to learn more.
6. What dance goals do you have for the future? Now my goals are to inspire young dancers and to help them understand and achieve the subtleties within each ballet and to pass on what I learned from Balanchine. Balanchine style and technique are often misunderstood, and I want to help make the ballet world understand the benefits that come from following his way of working, as well as dispel some of the incorrect ideas that abound.
7. What one or two things stand out for you about your time with New York City Ballet? Having Balanchine choreograph two ballets for me, "Ballo della Regina" and "Ballade" were obvious highlights of my career. I also think dancing the principal role in Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto #2 when I was still in the corps de ballet was an amazing time for me. It was one of the most difficult roles I ever did in my entire career, and I had a tremendous success in it when I made my début in that role. It helped me believe I could achieve my dreams.
8. What do you think about how dance has progressed in America during your years as a dancer? One of the most obvious changes has been the improvement in the level of the male dancers at all levels.
9. What do think is in the future for dance and ballet in particular? The situation in the ballet world, which is what I know about, is so uncertain that one would have to be clairvoyant to say what is in the future. And I am definitely not that!
10. What part do you want to play in that future? I really believe that knowing the heritage of ballet is important. Balanchine brought his Russian heritage from the Maryinsky Theatre and Petipa and expanded on it. Dancers today still need to understand the way his ballets and his technique are directly related to that and how he modified them. That will help not only as they dance in repertoire from the past, but in future choreography. I want to help them attain that knowledge and create a bridge between old and the new.
11. How has ballet changed since you started dancing? More modern dance elements are incorporated in ballets today. It is more than turned-in legs and flexed feet—it is actual modern dance. That rarely occurred when I was dancing. There are also many more companies for dancers to choose from to find the perfect place for them to dance. The professional level of regional companies has increased dramatically and more contemporary dance companies that are neither modern nor classical have been formed.
12. Are there any particular dancers you see as “someone to watch?” The level of talent in general within companies throughout the US has increased dramatically. I don't want to name specific names because many of the dancers I see could fall into that category, and much of this talent has yet to develop.
13. In your opinion, what is missing from the young dancers you work with? Dancers today seem to think primarily about their legs—they forget that the whole body has to participate in even a simple movement. Épaulement, the placement of the pelvis, movement of the spine and torso, and expressive port de bras often seem to be ignored. They seem more interested in extensions and the number of pirouettes they can do rather than the whole body.
14. What do you enjoy most about your career now? Seeing dancers acquire difficult skills, or a different method of doing a step, and seeing the amazement they experience as they realize the implications and applications that can be made to the rest of their roles with these new skills.
15. What do you read for pleasure? I like to read biographies, books on nature and animal behavior and fiction for pleasure. I also read about real life adventures where a great struggle for excellence or survival is involved.
16. What do you do to stay creative and maintain a fresh perspective? Vacations are important not only for your body but for your mind. Seeing the world and being exposed to different cultures and their arts prompts new thoughts and creates new perceptions about things you are already familiar with.
17. What advice would you give young dancers today? In general, I find dancers less focused and less devoted to their art than in my day. I feel that dancing takes a 24-hour-a-day focus, especially in the early stages of one's career. As one gets more established and accomplished you can expand your social life and take more time for outside activities. But since a dancer's life is short, early opportunities must not be squandered. During these stages one must absorb the fundamentals and understand the many aspects of a career in dance.