‘Pushed each other’: Twin ballerinas danced together, retired together

The determination of twins Jennifer and Alexandra Gibson to put down their pointe shoes and discontinue mightiness person seemed effortless, overmuch for illustration their performances onstage.

But akin to nan classical creation form, which requires aggravated beingness training to execute elegant manoeuvres, nan 2 mainstays of the Alberta Ballet opportunity their move to gracefully plié into status required strength.

“The prime to discontinue is mostly a very large woody successful nan creation world,” says Jennifer.

“There were a batch of discussions connected nan couch. The acceptable ways to time off is either you get an wounded truthful bad you can’t support dancing (that) you consciousness for illustration you’re excessively aged to beryllium doing nan magnitude of activity that is required, aliases you pain out.”

The 34-year-old sisters opportunity they weirdly began reasoning astir retiring astatine nan aforesaid time. Their past capacity was successful May of “Der Wolf” and “The Rite of Spring.”

“The thought that 1 of america would proceed dancing connected nan shape without nan support of nan different conscionable didn’t consciousness correct to us,” says Alexandra.

The Alberta Ballet’s creator director, Francesco Ventriglia, says nan twins shone during nan 15 years they performed for nan company.

“Their activity showcased dedication, passion and outstanding talent, and their careers person resonated pinch countless awe-inspiring performances and unwavering committedness to excellence,” he says.

“It’s a heartfelt infinitesimal for america to bespeak connected nan galore years they’ve devoted to spreading joyousness and inspiration among Alberta Ballet’s audiences and communities.”

The twins were calved successful Ontario and moved to Calgary erstwhile they were seven.

They opportunity their parents, pinch nary inheritance successful nan arts, decided to enrol them successful the Alberta Ballet School to support them progressive and busy.

After their first fewer classes, nan twins opportunity they were hooked connected nan music, nan tutus and nan beingness situation of moving successful utmost ways to show a story.

“Dancers are athletes. Ballet is simply a sport. There’s deterioration and tear,” Jennifer says.

“Your legs are higher. Your jumps are higher successful utmost positions. You person to look beautiful, because you can’t show nan effort.”

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At property 12, they moved into nan master section of nan schoolhouse and “the training became much intense,” says Jennifer.

When it was clip to graduate, they had to determine whether to proceed successful ballet aliases prosecute different education.

They had conscionable go supplemental dancers for nan company’s “Nutcracker” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream” productions, which gave them a sensation of master ballet. And they learned they didn’t want to stop.

“We conscionable pushed each different to support exploring really overmuch we could get retired of dance, and nan remainder is history,” says Alexandra.

But Jennifer says their like-mindedness made it difficult for them to find their individual styles.

“Our style of dancing, because of training together and having genetically identical assemblage shape, limb magnitude — it did look very akin erstwhile we were younger,” she says.

“As we matured and gained much experience, we started to bask different elements of ballet and ballet technique.”

Jennifer enjoyed slower, languid movements.

Alexandra was dynamic, quickly changing her gait to nan hit of nan music.

After performing successful much than 80 productions together pinch the Alberta Ballet, nan sisters opportunity they’re happy they joined nan institution together and person near it together.

They opportunity they still spot each other. They unrecorded adjacent doorway to 1 another.

“Ballet will ever beryllium a portion of us, but nan world is your oyster,” says Alexandra.

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