 Janelle Cooke is a quintessential ballerina for the 21st century. A soloist with Colorado Ballet, Janelle is in love with her art and passionate about the world around her. Her performance style encompasses the most delicate and ethereal as well as the most dashing and vivacious. To her artistry she brings not only training and expertise, but also rich and varied life experience.
Janelle's background includes Royal Academy of Dance syllabus (with exam work until age 14), Vaganova technique and training within the Balanchine style. She calls it her "potpourri" training. After study at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan (where a visit from Eliot Feld's Ballet Tech opened her eyes to contemporary ballet choreography), Janelle joined Colorado Ballet, where she has danced for her entire 13-year professional career.
Russian Pointe How have the different elements of your training worked together?
Janelle Cooke My primary training in RAD was beneficial for developing a strong technical understanding of body positions and placement. Balanchine [training] allowed me to learn to move freely, and to explore musicality. Vaganova was very good for my strength and port de bras. I also studied jazz, modern, tumbling and the tiniest bit of tap, which helped me to be a well-rounded dancer.
RP Do you prefer dancing classical or contemporary roles?
JC One of my favorite things [about Colorado Ballet] is the diverse repertoire. Gil Boggs, our new artistic director, has been here two years and has really maintained that diversity. We do one full-length classical ballet each season [plus Nutcracker], and we do contemporary pieces by both up-and-coming choreographers and the more established ones like Twyla Tharp. I always look forward to our contemporary triple bill at the end of the season - we finish with high energy and a fresh challenge. Last year we ended with a piece by Dwight [Rhoden] from Complexions. Every time you felt like you had it, he wanted more. It's easy to fizzle out at the end of the season, but this required everyone to stay on their toes, to stay hungry, motivated and challenged in a  different direction.
RP Do you have any favorite roles?
JC It would be really hard to choose. But one of my favorites will always be Helena in Christopher Wheeldon's Midsummer Night's Dream. The first time we performed it, I loved the part of Helena, but I wasn't [cast in that role]. Watching it was so fun, though, because the choreography is really witty and the acting is great. The next time around, the second-cast Helena and her understudy were both injured. The rehearsal director brought me a video and said, "Could you please learn Helena?" I learned it in three hours, had three rehearsals and did the rest of the shows. The role is a perfect coordination of challenge and fun. It's dancing plus acting and it's great music, with both partnering and solo work. [When I had to step in], the whole company was rooting for me. It was a big deal to get thrown into that situation, [but] everybody believed I would succeed, so it was impossible not to. It was amazing, feeling that kind of support, and being trusted with that kind of challenge.
RP Colorado Ballet sounds like a very supportive company.
JC Colorado does have a nice atmosphere - we support each other and are happy for each other when we get opportunities. Our director is good at giving opportunities [to different dancers] - he believes that it makes us stronger. Dancers know that next time around, it might be their turn. Also, he is family friendly, and has three children of his own. I feel really lucky working for a company that supports dancers being people first. Sometimes that feels pretty rare. Everybody we work with appreciates that what happens in your life brings color to your artistic self.
RP What are some of the happenings that bring color to your artistic self?
JC I like to write poems and short stories, and to make greeting cards with little rhyming poems. My husband and I have two dogs and two cats, and I have a horse named Shiraz. I wouldn't recommend horseback riding generally for dancers because it  builds different muscles, but I don't do it enough to change my muscles. I ride whenever I have time, just for fun although I take private lessons in the summer. I love the speed and the athleticism - it's a different kind of workout, but I have balance going for me, and know naturally [from ballet training] where to position my body, or turn or adjust my seat. It's wonderful being out there, and horses are such trusting animals with really big hearts and you can make a connection. I've always enjoyed doing other things [besides dance] - sometimes what people would call cross training. I walk a lot, including a 60-mile breast cancer walk. Summer's great for staying in shape, even if not top ballet condition. It's good for my body and mind to do different things. I like biking and hiking, and this weekend I'm going river rafting.
RP Do you have career goals outside ballet?
 JC Teaching is something that I really enjoy and will probably always do, but I don't have dreams of opening my own studio and it's hard to say if I would like it full time. When I joined the company, I had to choose between pre-med at the University of Utah and dancing. I chose dancing but I still have interest in medicine. Maybe I'll study physical therapy or sports medicine or chiropractic care. I've started doing college classes online - just the basics.
RP Last but not least, tell us about your pointe shoes.
JC I've worn Russian Pointes for a year and a half, since I tried on a friend's shoes. I wear Entradas in length 37, vamp 2, width 2 and medium-soft shank. I'm interested in trying out some of the other shank options, too. I don't get a custom order - I wear them "off the shelf." Before I wear them I sew down the sides [to highlight the arch] and I darn the perimeter of the platform, to widen the platform and [adjust the angle on pointe]. The [Entrada] pre-arch is nice because I don't feel like I have to break in the shoes before I wear them. They are durable [and] I try to make each pair last a long time because I've darned them and I don't want to throw them away! Fortunately, although my feet aren't super flexible, they are very strong - I could hop on pointe for days...
Photo credits, top to bottom:
*Janelle Cooke by dancer and photographer John Henry Reid, courtesy of Janelle Cooke
*Janelle Cooke as Dew Drop Fairy in Colorado Ballet's Nutcracker: Terry Shapiro, courtesy of Colorado Ballet
*September with Janelle Cooke and Shiraz: John Henry Reid, courtesy of Janelle Cooke
*Janelle Cooke and John Henry Reid by Allen Birnbach, courtesy of Janelle Cooke
You may also read this article, and our other Spotlights, here. |
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Russian Pointe provides highest-quality pointe shoes, ballet slippers and costumes, through authorized retailers and at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Russian Pointe publishes monthly newsletters highlighting news from the company and featuring Spotlight interviews of stars of the dance world.
Colorado Ballet began as a ballet school founded in 1951 by Denver natives Freidann Parker and Lillian Covillo, and has grown to become one of the foremost arts organizations in the region, with a company of 31 professional dancers of national and international acclaim, 15 studio company dancers, a $6.6 million operating budget, an expansive repertoire, and the Academy of Colorado Ballet. Performances include fall, spring and Nutcracker seasons. Visit www.coloradoballet.org for more information. |
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