GREENSBORO, N.C. — Heart and dedication are what Natalya Davison said it takes to be a professional dancer.
“If you want to be good at something you have to commit to it, you have to work for it,” Dance Instructor Natalya Davison said.
She is the founder and artistic director of Artistic Motion School of Arts and Preparatory Academy in Greensboro.
For 22 years she’s trained ballet dancers from around the world.
“We were trying to find opportunities for dancers who grew up here, the dancers visiting us to have a venue and honestly to be able to present their art to the community,” Davison said.
That’s when she got the idea to create the Triad International Ballet.
The new nonprofit aims to provide professional work for local and international dancers.
The annual performing season will start in the Fall of 2022 and will run from September to May of each year.
The company is planning three to four production runs a year in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point.
“It’s a wonderful feeling, it’s phenomenal,” Greensboro Dancer Karina Davison said.
The 19-year-old dancer has been dancing since the age of three.
She said finding professional work during a pandemic has been tough.
“This is my hometown, so I don’t have to move very far which can be scary for a dancer. Also, I know it’s going to be a very prestigious company with very high expectations that will make me grow,” Karina Davison said.
The company will also act as a professional ballet school for young dancers aged 10-18.
Executive Director Alexia Maas said full and partial scholarships will be available each year for young students from disadvantaged families to ensure their ability to attend the school.
“Give them that space to do what they do best, but do it right here,” Maas said.
“They don’t have to constantly leave home, leave the state and go elsewhere in search of employment as dancers, we want to bring it home.”
The Triad International Ballet launched October 1 with a launch event at LeBauer Park in Greensboro.
The company is planning additional recruitment events for Winston-Salem and High Point.