Learn about Victoria Manning!
For generations, JMBT hasn’t just trained dancers – it has shaped who we are, teaching lessons that go far beyond the studio.
An alumni of JMBT’s Young Dancers Program, Victoria Manning currently lives in Los Angeles and is a professional dancer with American Contemporary Ballet where she performs in over 70 shows a season.
How – and when – did you first come to JMBT?
I started with JMBT when I was three years old at their satellite studio in the South Shore Conservatory in Duxbury. I was originally in mommy & me music classes with my little sister, but after my mom noticed my clear enthrallment with the ballerinas at the end of the hallway, she enrolled me in classes. I’m proud to say I continued training with JMBT all the way through high school graduation.
What did you enjoy most about dancing at JMBT? Tell us about your favorite repertoire.
When I think back on my childhood and teenage years, nearly all of my favorite memories are at JMBT. I loved that I felt at home at JMBT. My best friends were my classmates at ballet and I loved how many opportunities we had to dance. YouthWorks was my favorite. I enjoyed learning and performing so much choreography. The neo classical repertoire ignited my love for ballets that are “plotless” versus the more traditional fairy tale ballets. I appreciate the guidance I had while discovering the type of artist that I wanted to become. Nutcracker of course is at the top of the list. My favorite memory has to be from when I was Clara. My sisters were in the production as a party girl and a mouse and Jose was rounding out his time as Drosselmeyer. I believe we had about 30 shows that season and I was at all of them, one cast Clara, one cast as Clara’s understudy and the third cast as an angel. I was living the dream. Performing a role I had idolized for years, most days of the week and watching the professionals hoping someday I could be doing it all as my job. When the curtain closed on that final show I was as sure as I ever had been that this is what I wanted to do with my life, so I began auditioning for summer intensives just a few weeks later.
(Credits: Norman Jean Roand and Dirk Reps)
After leaving JMBT, where did life take you?
After graduating from JMBT, I attended Indiana University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in ballet performance and an Outside Field in marketing in three years. I danced with Virginia National Ballet for one season before moving a bit closer to home to join New England Ballet Theatre for their inaugural season. Shortly after beginning with NEBT I founded the affiliate school and served as the director of The School of New England Ballet Theatre, while continuing to dance professionally for the company for three seasons. In an effort to continue to grow as an artist I then entered the audition circuit where I landed a contract with American Contemporary Ballet in LA. I am now proudly in my third season with the company.
Do you think that your ballet/dance training at JMBT helped prepare you for your professional career? How so?
JMBT absolutely helped prepare me for my professional career. JMBT focused on nurturing the whole dancer. I learned about proper etiquette and behavior, and was used to long runs of shows. YouthWorks gave me the ability to learn large amounts of choreography quickly and growing up with a live accompaniment for classes taught me to respect the music. I wouldn’t have the career I’ve been blessed to have without Jose and his team providing me with the most well-rounded foundation. I still hear notes in my head from Jose nearly every day while taking class.
Do you have any advice you would like to give to current ballet students who want to pursue the same career as yours?
Well, everyone says to work hard but if you want a career in ballet, that’s a given. It’s also important that you work smart. Pay attention. Notice the musicality and the details the person at the front of the room is asking for, understand the ballets that are being rehearsed to the point that you could jump into any available spot if you’re just a cover. Most importantly, know your worth and find a place that values you for who you are. At best, this career is short and it’s most fulfilling to share your art in a community that supports and respects you.
Instagram: @victoria.manning.long
Company website: www.acbdances.com