Ballerina Gabriela Asuncion
Gabriela Asuncion is a senior at OHS, and a very committed and talented ballerina. Find out more below in Geeta Shankar's interview with Gabriela.
Pixel Journal: When did you start learning ballet?
Gabriela Asuncion: I took my first class when I was three years old but my mom took me out and re-enrolled me when I was five and a bit more mature/ready to focus.
PJ: When did you really start developing a passion for ballet?
GA: I really started having a passion for ballet and started pursuing it pre-professionally when I was 12 and went away for three-weeks at a summer intensive and attended a summer program at San Francisco Ballet.
PJ: Who is your role model in ballet?
GA: My role model is Misty Copeland. She started [ballet] relatively late, at age 13, didn't have the most ideal body type, and was part of a racial minority in the ballet world as an African American. However, through hard work and perseverance, she earned a Principal spot with the American Ballet Theatre as its first African American principal.
PJ: How often do you do ballet?
GA: I have ballet six days a week for about three hours every weekday and a range of three to six [hours] on the weekends due to rehearsals.
PJ: What are some prestigious shows that you have performed in and great honors that you have received?
GA: I have performed in San Francisco Ballet Student Showcase for four years, Bolshoi Ballet Academy's New York Summer Intensive's Final Performance in nine separate roles, and this year in City Ballet School's Swan Lake and Nutcracker as a Swan, Bride, and Arabian Coffee lead. I was also accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Russia after participating in the National Security Language Initiative for Youth's Student Ambassador Program that I auditioned for and applied to during the spring semester of sophomore year.
PJ: How has ballet changed your life?
GA: Ballet seems to have always been a part of me, so in that sense it hasn't really changed my life. It has definitely shaped who I am as a student, turning me into a determined, analytical thinker but also providing a frequent artistic outlet to escape from the stresses of school and regular life. It has provided a cultural connection to so many other nations and cultures because in dance form it can be universally appreciated.
PJ: How do you think ballet will play a role in the future for you?
GA: I definitely plan to continue taking ballet classes and performing as I enter college but I look forward to exploring other dance forms and witnessing how different music can evoke different movements from dancers. However, beyond that, I think ballet will be a sort of vehicle to connect with other cultures, as I want to do in an International Relations major. It will continue to transcend international divides and I hope that I will be able to share with my community and the rest of the world what I learn.
PJ: Have you changed others' lives through ballet?
GA: Please share anything else that you think is significant to your career as a ballerina.
I think the main thing that I've felt I impacted was my community back home after my six weeks in Russia. I had witnessed this completely different country from a completely different light and had the opportunity to shape the perspectives of my friends and family. I also volunteered with the Boys' and Girls' Club of San Francisco with their Summer Dance Camp and was able to be a role model for these passionate kids who were so curious about my life as a dancer and so happy to practice and develop their own dancing. I felt like I could take this experience further by giving kids without the same opportunities the chance to learn to dance and express themselves in this unique way. I definitely hope to explore this in the future.
