Village Connect
Ahead of representing the Philippines in the 2023 USA International Ballet Competition, one of most prestigious in the world, Danielle Kleiner shares how “grace and grit” has supported her journey to becoming a professional ballerina over the past two decades.
Kleiner, 23, is the sole Filipina expected to compete with 116 other dancers from 17 countries in what is considered the “Olympics” of ballet, to be held June 10-24, 2023 in Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
“I feel very fortunate, blessed, and honored to be the Philippine representative in the coming USA International Ballet Competition, which I believe would be a great platform to showcase Filipino talent that is at par with the rest of the world,” she said.
Kleiner started her ballet journey at the age of four under the tutelage of Toni Lopez-Gonzalez, who had taught her to perform various roles such as the “Cygnets” from Swan Lake, “Swanhilda” from Coppelia, Raymonda, Tchaikovsky Pas, “Aurora” from Sleeping Beauty, and many other roles that unlocked her skill and potential.
She had also enrolled in Ballet Philippines and Washington Ballet, the latter where she trained under world-renowned teachers and met talented dancers in various parts of the world.
At the age of 15, Kleiner sought training in other ballet schools where she met teacher Effie Nañas, who had encouraged her to join competitions in the Philippines and abroad, while supporting her training in Seoul at Julia Ballet Academy. She also danced under the tutelage of Elena Kunikova at Steps on Broadway in New York.
She made her debut in the international competitive scene in 2019 at the Asian Grand Prix Ballet Competition in Hong Kong, where she snagged a bronze medal, the sole mint for the Philippines in the senior category that year.
Shortly after she was invited to receive further training at the United Ballet Theatre under Joseph Gatti in Orlando, Florida. But this was short-lived as her family decided to fly back to the Philippines when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
After several weeks of settling back in the country and helping out in outreach programs, Kleiner applied for Ballet Philippines where she trained under its director Mikhail Martynyuk.
It was in December 2022 when she made her principal debut role as “Marie” in the beloved classic The Nutcracker.
Recently, she performed as Goddess of Air in Ballet Philippines presents “DIYOSA” an original contemporary ballet written by Architect CARLO CALMA and choreographed by BP artistic director Mikhail Martynyuk shown April 14-16, 2023 in The Theater by Solaire.
“There was a point during my career when ballet became more of a work than a passion, but once I had a deeper understanding of life, the hardships and sacrifices that came alongside it, and with the proper guidance from my mentors, I never quit,” she said.
For Kleiner, reaching one of the most prestigious stages in the international competitive ballet scene, required two things that remained with her to this day.
“Grit and grace will always be the two qualities I carry on my sleeves,” said Kleiner. “The world can be cruel sometimes, and we already face problems each day, but we use these to our advantage and live to fight another day. As for me, I live to dance another day.”
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