Miranda Weese facts for kids

Miranda Weese (born May 4, 1974) is an American ballet dancer, teacher, and ballet master. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1993. By 1996, she became a principal dancer, which is a top role. In 2007, she moved to the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She first performed as a guest and then became a principal dancer before she retired in 2010. Since 2017, she has been a children's ballet master at the Boston Ballet.

Early Life and Dance Training

Miranda Weese was born in San Bernardino, California. She lived with her grandparents from a young age. They later adopted her, and she considers them her parents. She grew up mostly in Orange County. She also lived in La Puente for a few years.

Miranda started dancing when she was five years old. A doctor suggested it to help her with her health. She trained with different teachers as she grew up. In 1990, when she was fifteen, she attended a summer program. This was at the famous School of American Ballet. After the program, she was invited to study there full-time.

A Career in Ballet

Starting at New York City Ballet

In 1991, Miranda became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet. This was just months after she started at the School of American Ballet. The next year, she broke her foot. This meant she could not perform for five months. When she returned, she watched videos of herself and other dancers. This helped her get better.

In 1993, she officially joined the company as a corps de ballet member. Her first important role was in a ballet called Who Cares?. In 1994, she was promoted to soloist. This meant she started filling in for principal dancers when needed. She even performed in Walpurgisnacht Ballet after only one rehearsal. In 1995, Miranda won the Princess Grace Award. This is a special award for talented young artists.

Becoming a Principal Dancer

In 1996, Miranda Weese became a principal dancer. She was almost 21 years old. She was the first woman to reach this high rank in the company since 1991. She performed in many ballets by George Balanchine. These included Theme and Variations and Apollo. She also danced in "Emerald" and "Rubies" from Jewels. She was also the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.

Miranda also performed in ballets by other famous choreographers. These included Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon. She even helped create new roles in some ballets. These included Wheeldon's Mercurial Manoeuvres and Evenfalls. She also created a role in Twyla Tharp's The Beethoven Seventh.

Overcoming Challenges

In 1999, Miranda performed in a televised show of Swan Lake. She had to step in at the last minute. The main dancer, Darci Kistler, got injured. Miranda was ready as a standby, but she had never rehearsed with her partner, Damian Woetzel. She still performed the difficult role of Odette-Odile.

In late 2001, Miranda had surgery on her hip. She was off stage for a whole year. During her recovery, she worked hard to get back in shape. She trained with her old teacher in California. She also worked with ballet master Susan Hendl in New York. Other dancers like Peter Boal, Jock Soto, and Woetzel also helped her. She returned to performing in early 2003.

Moving On and Retirement

In 2007, Miranda left the New York City Ballet. She joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle as a guest artist. Her last performance with the New York City Ballet was in Wheeldon's Evenfall. She liked the Pacific Northwest Ballet's schedule. It gave her more time to prepare for her roles. She first signed on for three seasons. Then, she became a principal dancer with the company. She retired from dancing in 2010.

After retiring from performing, Miranda moved to Saratoga, New York. She taught ballet and dance fitness there. In 2017, she joined the Boston Ballet. She now works as a children's ballet master, teaching young dancers.