Ballet Kelowna’s Brett Trach is a hometown boy

February 22, 2011 | Write a Comment

While surfing through Ballet Kelowna’s amazing website and reading up on the company members, I was thrilled to discover that Brett Trach hails from Coquitlam! The 23 year old dancer took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions.

JC: You are from Coquitlam. Born and raised or are you a transplant from somewhere else?
 
BT: I was born and raised in Coquitlam.  I’ve lived in the same house with my family since birth.

JC: What high school did you attend? 

BT: I attended Langley Fine Arts School from grade 8 until grade 10.  For my last two years of high school I attended Centennial Secondary School.  I was quite involved with the theatre company there.  This has benefited my performance quality greatly.

JC: How long have you been dancing? How long ballet?
 
BT: I have been involved in acting and musical theatre since the age of 7.  I began my serious dance training at the age of 16 at Tri City Dance Centre owned by Shannon Stewardson.  I studied there for 4 years and that is where my love and knowledge of dance grew.

JC: When did you join Ballet Kelowna and how did you get there? Out of curiosity, does one audition?

BT: I joined Ballet Kelowna for the 2010-2011 season, which begins in late August and ends at the end of April.  Before that I had danced with Josh Beamish’s MOVE: the Company, The Source Dance Company, and The ArtsUmbrella Dance Company.  I moved to Kelowna for the length of the contract and my parents graciously drove me there and got me settled in.

I auditioned for the company back in 2009 (in Vancouver) but was not offered a job at that point. David [LaHay, Ballet Kelowna's Artistic Director] contacted me in the summer of 2010 when he needed to fill a male spot in the 6 person company.

JC: Describe a  typical day for company members?

BT: We have a daily ballet class for 1.5 hours beginning at 8:30am but most of us are there around 7:45am to stretch and warm up.  Then we rehearse till just after 3pm with an hour lunch break.  After that we all try to go swimming, to yoga, pilates, and the gym etc. because our bodies are our instruments.

JC: At Evergreen, the company will be performing  several works including Gioconda Barbuto’s new piece, called “Capture”, “In Stride” and “Dvorak Dances” by David LaHay and Simone Orlando’s “Stage Within”.  Which is your favourite and why?
 
BT: My favourite piece is Gioconda Barbuto’s “Capture,” because it is contemporary ballet and the process of creating it was amazing.  I love to dance and I feel that in this particular piece I can really let go and show it.

I find “Dvorak Dances” most challenging because it is so elegant and classic that there is little room for error.  You also have a female dancer depending on you to be there for her as a partner.

JC: The Spring Tour looks great. Lots of dates. How do you keep your sanity when on tour?
 
BT: This will be my first touring experience for that long so I can’t really say.  I am glad that we all get along and have a really fantastic group dynamic.

Tags: Ballet  |  Ballet Kelowna  |  Brett Trach  |  Waters Edge Festival

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