Q&A with Corps Member Abby Jayne DeAngelo
Do you have talents or passions outside of dance?
I have studied music since I was a young girl and I play the piano and the harp. Music is a huge part of who I am and partially why I love dancing so much. George Balanchine famously said “see the music, hear the dance,” and I resonate with this very much, as dance and music are heavily intertwined in my daily life.
What inspires you outside of the studio?
In March of 2021, my husband and I opened Adage Ballet Studio, a small studio in SoDo Seattle. There, I have been teaching the next generation of ballet dancers. My students inspire me every day and I have learned so much about myself as a dancer through learning and growing into my teaching. It is a marvelous daily discovery!
If you could replay one special performance, what would it be?
My last year of training at Central PA Youth Ballet, they put on a special 60th anniversary performance where I had the opportunity to dance a principal role in George Balanchine’s Serenade. This was such a special and meaningful performance for me since I danced alongside PNB Dancer Leta Biasucci, who had returned home for the 60th celebration. The last time I had shared the stage with Leta, she was my first Sugar Plum Fairy when I was an Angel in The Nutcracker my first year. Dancing Serenade with Leta, I did not know that I would be moving to Seattle 3 months later to study in the Professional Division at PNB and then further be hired into the company. I would love to go back and re-experience the magic of that performance now knowing how significant it was for me. So happy to be colleagues with Leta now. She has always been an inspiration!
What significance does being part of PNB during the 50th Anniversary have to you?
My father worked at Starbucks for 18 years and had many work trips that brought him to Seattle. Always a “ballet dad” since I started dancing, he would not miss PNB performances when he was in town. He always marveled at the diversity of the repertoire and the strength of the company and would come home with many stories and dreams of seeing me dance with PNB one day. I caught onto his dream and it very quickly became my dream to be a part of PNB. I am definitely proud of how far I have come now that I am here living the dream, but more importantly, sharing that dream with my Dad is very special. He has hardly missed a performance since I joined the company in 2019.
