When soloist Kathryn Morgan made her entrance as the Striptease Girl in Miami City Ballet’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue last October, the audience greeted her with a burst of ecstatic applause. This was more than Morgan’s debut in the role, or her first performance as a new member of MCB. It was her first time appearing with a major ballet company in nine years.
Morgan is a born actress, and she dances with an expressive musicality. She leaned into the jazzy elements of the choreography and nailed the character’s flirtatious energy. In any good production of Slaughter, there’s a moment in the pas de deux between the Striptease Girl and her Hoofer that always feels somewhat cathartic, an expression of freedom set to an exultant burst of music. Leaning in a deep backbend against his arm, she marches slowly across the stage, marking each beat of the music with a percussive kick.
When Morgan did it, it felt especially triumphant. “At the end, it was just like a rock concert,” she says of the energy in the audience, who gave her a standing ovation. “For me it just felt like home. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
Morgan’s debut marked a return to the stage that, not long ago, she would have told you was impossible. Starting her career with a bang as one of New York City Ballet’s most promising young stars, she had seemed destined to rocket to the top. By age 20, she’d danced roles like Juliet, Sugarplum Fairy and Aurora, and become known for her knack for lyrical, romantic ballets.
But after illness sidelined her career, Morgan left the professional world, and never expected to dance for a company again. Now, she is readjusting to company life as a Miami City Ballet soloist.
Read the full story at Dance Magazine.
Photo by Jayme Thornton, via Dance Magazine
