Alexandra Blacker began her training in St. Petersburg, Florida at Judith Lee Johnson’s Studio of Dance. At 16 she attended the School of American Ballet. After graduation she joined Los Angeles Ballet where she danced in works by George Balanchine and numerous contemporary choreographers. She was also the ballet coach of actress Mila Kunis in the movie Black Swan. In 2010 she joined New Chamber Ballet, where her roles included parts in Five Songs for Piano, 104 Fahrenheit, Sculpture Garden, Sketches of a Woman Rembering, and Virtuosa. She left New Chamber Ballet in 2011 to return to California.

Read a Backstage profile of Alexandra: Coaching the Black Swan's Rival (February 2011)

 

INTERVIEW:
Alexandra Blacker in conversation about dancing and her time at New Chamber Ballet.

How old were you when you started dancing?
I was three years old when I first started ballet classes, but I never wanted to go. I only wore my ballet slippers to the grocery store. I started up again when I was six.

Where did you get your training?
I started training at Judith Lee Johnson’s Studio of Dance in St. Petersburg, Florida. I continued at the Miami City Ballet School and the School of American Ballet in New York.

What drew you into ballet?
Simply, I loved moving and I loved performing.

How did you find New Chamber Ballet?
I found out about New Chamber Ballet through Lauren Toole—we danced together at the Los Angeles Ballet.

What do you think makes NCB special?
NCB’s dancers make the company special. A group of talented women, in different stages of life, are all brought together through their passion for ballet.

What do you love most about being a dancer?
Performing!

What do you love least?
Uncertainty.

Do you have a favorite piece to dance?
Yes; it’s Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments— the Phlegmatic section.

You trained actress Mila Kunis for her role in the movie Black Swan. What was that like?
The opportunity to train Mila was once in a lifetime. Training an adult as a beginner in ballet taught me aspects of ballet that I had never discovered. The experience is one I will never forget.

If you weren’t dancing, what would you be doing?
I would - and soon will be - open a dance studio for children. At the end of the 2010-2011 season I will leave NCB, move to California to finish school, and begin this new venture… I am so grateful for this year with New Chamber Ballet, and I will miss everyone immensely!