Ballet Rocks Ambassador Kaitlin Roemer

My name is Kaitlin, a dancer at Ballet Detroit. Each day, my parents and I make the hour long commute to Detroit to train with Sergey Rayevskiy. He teaches me so much as my mentor/instructor, and invites guest instructors from all over the world to Ballet Detroit to work with his students.  I feel fortunate to be here to learn from such seasoned professionals!

It is really interesting to me to see how much the city has changed over these past 4 years! As we've watched outside the studio windows, new parks have been built, old buildings have been renovated and reopened, and the streets have begun to bustle with more and more energy.  Each day I take a challenging class in the studio, watch a performance on the Opera House stage, or have the opportunity to perform a role, my desire to dance professionally is fueled!

After joining them for perfomances of Don Quixote, Swan Lake and La Bayadere this winter, Russian Ballet Orlando and Ballet Fedotov gave me the unique opportunity to travel and perform lead roles in an original version of "Snow Queen" and 16 Nutcracker performances!  Each performance challenged me in a different way and gave me an opportunity to study the nuances of each character from those that have performed the roles all over the world.  While training in Orlando, I was able to meet new friends, experiment with new ways to express personality on stage, and learn how to take care of myself and others while in demanding rehearsal/performance schedules.  As a few additional perks, i was able to try new vegan restaurants around the Orlando area, and perform the final Nutcracker outdoors in a packed ampitheatre.  These events were memorable each in their own way, and reminded me of how humbling it is to have the support and encouragement from teachers at both ends of the country, investing in me and making experiences like this possible.

My 2018 began in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL at the Ballet Detroit Winter Intensive where we worked with a number of international guest teachers.  While studying and keeping warm during an uncharacteristic polar vortex, I was able to rehearse and perform excerps from Paquita and the Bluebird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty!

I am very excited to accept my role as an Ambassador to Ballet Rocks® and look forward to posting more about my adventures and new outreach opportunities as we move further into the year.  I am so grateful for my family, friends, and instructor's support! I have learned so much already this year from all of you and cannot wait to see what other experiences await!

-Kaitlin Roehmer   Ballet Rocks Ambassador