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Wednesday, October 1, 2008
To the en pointe
Central Indiana, IN
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By: By Barbara E. Cohen
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Photo(s) By: Wheeler Family
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Carmel senior Cassie Wheeler lands professional contract in North Carolina dance company.
While most high school athletes are busy writing college admissions essays, a rare few step directly onto their future career path. As one of the latter group, ballet dancer Casie Wheeler, 17, of Carmel, has already landed her first professional contract.
Wheeler expected to spend her senior year as an apprentice on scholarship with the North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina. But her performance at a summer dance workshop at the Chautauqua Institution’s School of Dance in upstate New York caught the eye of the company’s artistic director, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. When another professional dancer withdrew from her contract, the artistic director – who calls Wheeler’s dancing “powerful and free” – offered her the vacated position.
“Basically, I skipped the level of apprenticeship and went right to work,” Wheeler said in a phone interview from her new apartment in Charlotte. “Now, I’m an artist, and I have rights as a professional.”
As Casie’s mother, Karen Wheeler, pointed out, she’s not even old enough to sign the contract herself, but she has all the rights and responsibilities of an adult working member of the dance company.
At the end of the summer Wheeler had planned to return to Indiana for a few weeks to relax with her family and friends before joining the apprenticeship program at NCDT. Instead, she had a long weekend in which to sign the contract and move from Chautauqua to Charlotte to begin work.
So far, Wheeler hasn’t had time to be homesick. There are too many new experiences to miss being home, though she regrets missing out on good-byes with her friends.
As a young professional dancer, Wheeler’s daily routine is simple: rehearse, rehearse and rehearse some more. In between, she’s learning to live on her own for the first time. Most young people have four years at college to learn how to take care of themselves, find a job, get their first apartment, and so forth. Wheeler made the transition to adulthood in a weekend.
Casie already had plans to share an apartment with another young dancer, Katjana Godshalk, from Georgia, who just turned 18 and is a trainee studying with the company. Other members of the dance company live in the same area, which is close to the rehearsal studio, so there are new friends close at hand.
However, as the youngest member of the company, Wheeler needs to take care of herself, which has meant acquiring a certain level of maturity fast.
Learning to cook for herself is one of Wheeler’s biggest challenges. Unlike a college campus, there’s no dining hall, so she has to make her own dinner after rehearsals. Frozen mom-cooked meals are a welcome connection to home and ensure proper nutrition.
“Like any other athlete, a dancer has to eat well to perform well, so I’m working hard to plan well-balanced meals,” she said. “Living on my own is different from studying and living at home, but I love it!”
Fitting in with professionals is no stretch for Wheeler, who has been working toward this day since she started dancing – practically before she could walk. Her work ethic is “If they tell you you’re good, work harder. Talent only gets you so far.”
But it’s not all work. Wheeler loves earning her own money, which she says is “lots better than a typical mall job,” though dancers are rarely highly paid. Had Wheeler moved to North Carolina as an apprentice, as originally intended, her parents would have been footing the bill for her apartment and meals. Instead, she can contribute to her own living expenses.
Casie’s job is in NCDT’s second company. In a second company, dancers understudy key roles for the first company while acting as the education and outreach team in the surrounding community.
“I’m a little nervous about going to schools and talking about dance,” Wheeler said. “After all, I’m a dancer, not a public speaker. Dancers don’t usually have to talk!”
After weeks of rehearsals, Wheeler approached her debut in Charlotte’s elementary schools with growing confidence as she tackled the art of public speaking with her usual hard work, diligence and grace.
With her new responsibilities come new privileges, as well. One of the perks of being a full-fledged member of the company is that Wheeler no longer has to wear the mandated black leotard and pink tights of an apprentice.
A salary and living on your own away from home when you’re 17: nice.
Dressing like a professional: priceless. •
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