Taela Graff

Miami, Florida

Miami City Ballet
Giacobbe Academy of Dance
School of American Ballet

2023

The Pas De Six as well as the 7th variation in Napoli
Principal variation in George Balanchine's Agon

My favorite ballet would have to be Danse a Grande Vitesse or DGV choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.  I distinctly remember my first time ever seeing this ballet. I was around 15 years old and it was my first year in the School of American Ballet’s winter term program.  The ballet was being danced by New York City Ballet in the magical David H. Koch Theatre. The minute the ballet began and the music kicked in, I immediately was uplifted. I don’t think I have ever felt such a change in an atmosphere before.  Something about this ballet is extremely chaotic, unpredictable but inspiring at the same time. It was the first ballet I had ever seen that left me in tears at the end. It was also one of the moments I knew I wanted to be a dancer.

My proudest moment on stage thus far has got to be my final bow at the end of Napoli for the School of American Ballet 2023 Workshop performance.  It was when it finally set in that I was no longer a student and I was ready to embark on this new journey as a professional dancer.  It also marked the end of a childhood era, with a place I was so fond of and that raised me.  It was a beautiful moment, especially to know that all the hard work paid off.