Alum Feature: Cecily Khuner

As we continue to celebrate BBT's 40th Anniversary, we are delighted to share thoughts and memories from BBT Alum.

Cecily Khuner began her dance training at Berkeley Ballet Theater and then attended San Francisco Ballet School. She joined Ballet Memphis in 2010. Her favorite works/roles with the company include Juliet in Steven McMahon’s Romeo and Juliet, Sugar Plum and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Square Dance, Trey McIntyre’s The Reassuring Effects of Form and Poetry, Matthew Neenan’s Water of the Flowery Mill, Julia Adam’s Devil’s Fruit, Gabrielle Lamb’s Manifold, and Helena in Mark Godden’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Cecily is a National YoungArts Foundation award winner for ballet.

I danced at BBT from 2001 to 2009 under Artistic Directors Corinne Jonas and Sarah Marcus.

My most prominent memories of dancing at BBT were Saturdays as a BBT Youth Company Member. I remember looking forward to Saturdays for Miss Sally’s class in the morning, and a day full of rehearsals for Nutcracker or our Spring Show, depending on the season, and hanging out with my friends and walking to get lunch on our break!

BBT has a wonderful atmosphere of support and joy. The hard work of learning ballet technique and striving for perfection was combined with a creative, fun, and friendly environment that made me fall in love with dancing.

I decided that I wanted to become a professional ballet dancer when I was twelve. That was my first year in BBT’s Youth Company.

Often, if I’m warming up on my own for a performance or a rehearsal, I go back to combinations I remember from my time at BBT. I do a lot of Miss Sally’s barre combinations. If I feel particularly nervous for a performance, I try to bring myself back to the way I felt about performing at BBT, a fearless exhilaration to be on the stage.

My advice for a BBT dancer who would like to become a professional would be to work hard every day in class and absorb everything you can from your teachers and fellow students. As a professional dancer, you will never be done learning and growing; it is a constant process of striving for more. Also, be confident, and watch as much dance as possible!

I would advise parents/guardians of a dancer seeking to become a professional to be supportive and patient. The career path of a dancer can be hard at times, especially finding that first job. My parents were wonderfully supportive even when things weren’t going as smoothly as I had hoped.

I had so many wonderful teachers at BBT who both guided my technique and artistry and helped me on my quest to becoming a professional dancer. Getting to rehearse and perform a lot as a Youth Company Member made me sure that I wanted to do this professionally. Then my teachers helped suggest companies to look into auditioning for and alternative paths into a professional career. I am glad that I was advised to also apply for colleges so that I had alternatives ready. Even after getting a job, I have loved being able to come back to take class at BBT to continue to work on my technique with teachers who know me so well and for ongoing advice about an ever-evolving career.

I dance with Ballet Memphis, where I have been for almost eleven years now!

Ballet has entirely shaped my life and who I am today. It gave me discipline and an outlet for my creativity at a young age, and I feel very fortunate that I have been able to make it my career as well.

Interview, Alum FeatureRobin DekkersApril 7, 2021