Jefferson School Alumnus Returns as Professional Ballerina
When Alice Murphy left Jefferson Elementary School in 1995 she probably never imagined she would one day return to grace the stage at the school as a professional ballerina. Yet, that’s what the 24-year old will do on Dec. 20 when she dances the role of the sugar plum fairy in the Ballet Ambassadors’ production of the “Nutcracker.”
An alumnus of the world-renowned School of American Ballet, home school of the New York City Ballet, Ms. Murphy performed at Lincoln Center with the NYCB from the time she was eight years old through her teen years.
At the peak of her training, Ms. Murphy commuted from her home in Huntington to Manhattan six days a week for classes, rehearsals, and performances. By special arrangement, she left Jefferson School early enough to catch her scheduled LIRR train, but she continued to maintain a superior grade point average at Jefferson and later at J. Taylor Finley Middle School and Huntington High School, where she graduated in 2001.
“I did my homework and ate my dinner on the train,” Ms. Murphy recalls of these hectic years. “I didn’t mind at all because I love ballet so much and I was honored to have been accepted into the School of American Ballet.”
Ms. Murphy was chosen by audition to dance the lead child’s role in “Still Life at the Penguin Café” with the Royal Ballet of England at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1991. She went on to attend prestigious summer intensives here and abroad.
A founding member of Ballet Ambassadors, Ms. Murphy holds a bachelor of arts degree with honors from Goucher College, where she was the Marvin Perry Scholar majoring in art history with a minor in dance.
Ballet Ambassadors, which is based in Manhattan, has been working in the Huntington School District with primary grade level students since 2001 with support from Western Suffolk BOCES. In addition to the performance at Jefferson School, Ballet Ambassadors will work with students at Washington Primary (Dec. 17), Flower Hill Primary (Dec. 18) and Southdown Primary (Dec. 19).
The “Nutcracker in a Nutshell” visit is sponsored by the Huntington’s Arts-in-Education program. The instructional program will see Ballet Ambassadors spending the day with first graders in each building, conducting a two-hour rehearsal in the morning, as well as a formal dress rehearsal, in preparation for an afternoon performance, which will be attended by the entire student body in each building. Guests of the first graders will also be invited to attend.
“Working with Ballet Ambassadors is a truly rewarding experience,” says Ms. Murphy. “As teaching artists, we conduct workshops with up to 180 children so that they can share the stage with us in our productions. We bring all the costumes and props and a sound system. I’m just as excited about leading the little angels and mice in their dances as I am about dancing the role of the sugar plum fairy.”
According to Ballet Ambassadors founder and artistic director Sondra Forsyth, many ballerinas are too self-absorbed to be able to connect with children. “Alice, on the other hand, is not only a beautiful dancer but also a born teacher,” says Ms. Forsyth. “I am fortunate to have her as a principal dancer in my company. I was her first teacher before she went to SAB and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
As for Ms. Murphy, she is thrilled about the prospect of dancing at Jefferson. “I have so many memories of my time there,” she says. “Back then the school went all the way from kindergarten up to sixth grade so I attended it for many years. I’m very happy to have this opportunity to give back.”
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