Paloma Herrera

ABOUT ME Born December 21, 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her mother Marisa Herrera is a professor of literature at the University of Buenos Aires. She also designs copies of period furniture. Paloma's Father, Alberto Herrera, is a lawyer and her oldest sister is following his footsteps by going to law school. "I couldn't understand my sister, why she didn't know what she wanted to do in life. I was seven, and I just knew!""From the beginning," says Marisa, "Paloma danced and pranced around the house, even though nobody in the family had ever been a dancer. Then, when she was seven, Paloma announced that she wanted to be a dancer, and in no uncertain terms demanded toe shoes and a tutu. Paloma was very determined. We had no choice but to find her a very good teacher in Buenos Aires."Paloma Herrera began her training at the young age of seven under the watchful eye of Olga Ferri. "Oh, yes! I loved my teacher and my dancing classes. I didn't want to miss a single day. I was so happy! You know, other little girls at seven or eight don't really know what they want. But I knew right away. From the very first day I knew I wanted to be a dancer, and there was no way I was going to change my mind. I have always danced. When I was little, I would move the furniture in the living room and dance all the time."She attended an audition for Argentina's famous Teatro Colon among five hundred other hopefuls. There were only fifteen spots open. She was chosen to be one of the lucky fifteen, she was only eight years old. She started working six hour days in the studio and perfecting her point work. She learned very quickly and was asked to do ballet competitions. "To tell you the truth, I don't really like competitions. Competitions are better suited to something like gymnastics, not to ballet. For me, ballet is an art, and art is not something you compete over. But my teachers insisted that I compete. They felt it was important." At age ten she won a gold medal award at a competition in Lima, Peru. She also, that same year, won first prize for a competition sponsered by Coca-Cola in Argentina.At fourteen, Paloma participated in the Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria, in l990. Natalia Makarova noticed her potential and encouraged her to pursue her dance studies else where at the English National Ballet in London. "It was such an honor to be invited by this great ballerina! Makarova was just then setting her version of Swan Lake on the company. It was incredible to watch her work and to see all those wonderful dancers! I was still only fourteen and very impressionable, but the performances I saw and the classes I took with the company have really stayed with me. I never saw Makarova dance, but I saw her videos--her Swan Lake, her Giselle. What a fantastic artist!" After her time with Makarova in London, she returned home to Buenos Aires and performed in one more competion. One of the judges was Hector Zaraspe, an American based teacher and choreographer. He was so impressed by her natural ablities that he encouraged her to come to the States. So in 1991 she moved to New York City on her own, at only the age of fifteen. "Well, you can imagine! Going so far away. We were very hesitant to let Paloma go to New York. She had just turned fifteen--she was too young to be alone in such a big city. But, as always, Paloma knew what she wanted, and finally my husband said, 'We must make this sacrifice. We must let her go.' And off she went!" says Marisa Herrera.In New York she studied at the School of American Ballet. "Always my dream was to go to New York. Always, I wanted to see all the great dancers who were performing here--and the great companies like American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. So, I wanted to make my dream come true--and I came to New York. I followed Hector Zaraspe's advice and enrolled in the School of American Ballet. I was placed in C-11 class, which is the last class of the curriculum. But the minute I started, I was shocked to see that at SAB you had a completely different way of working. I mean, all my training had been in the Russian style. I was completely confused. The teachers said to me, ..You have talent, but you have to change your style.' Well, I worked very hard to accomplish this, and it was good, because now I know exactly how New York City Ballet dancers are trained and how the ballets of Balanchine should be danced." She was asked to dance the lead role in Balanchine's Raymonda. "I was completely taken by surprise. I mean, I had been at the school only six months. My teacher for this was Suki Schorer, and she was just wonderful.""Two days after my SAB workshop performance, I learned that American Ballet Theatre was holding auditions. I decided I had to take it. At the time, Jane Hermann was ABT's director. She saw my audition. When it was over, Miss Hermann offered me a contract to enter the corps de ballet of American Ballet Theatre. It was the happiest day of my life. To be at ABT! Misha was always my idol. I would watch him and Natalia and Gelsey Kirkland on TV. ABT has everything--including Balanchine. I knew that once I joined the company, I would eventually do all the classical ballets. I would get to do Tudor. I would get to do de Mille and MacMillan and many other choreographers. I would dance in so many different styles. I feel that a dancer has to be exposed to a wide variety of styles--it's the only way to grow and mature as an artist. Of course, New York City Ballet is also a wonderful company. When I was at SAB I went to many performances and really learned a lot just by watching. And there are ballets I really love, like Symphony in C, Serenade, Raymonda Variations, Who Cares?--they are so beautiful! But right now, ABT is the place for me to be." American Ballet theater quickly offered her a contract. "I was fifteen. I said yes." Her parents did not know that she had signed the contract."It was so exciting to be in New York. It meant changing my life completely. It meant learning English, making new friends. When I joined the company, it was a dream. I loved everything about it, especially the touring. I learned so much! Of course, it was a little scary when we changed directors. I had joined ABT when Jane Hermann was in charge. I liked Jane Hermann. She gave me my contract, and she gave me many opportunities in the company. I mean, I was in the corps, but I was given some important soloist roles in La Bayadere and Don Quixote. When Kevin McKenzie came as our new director, it was a big change for everybody. But I must say, I'm very, very happy he's there. He really cares for his dancers. He is always at rehearsals. He gives corrections. He's there all the time. He has also given me some wonderful opportunities, and, of course, I was thrilled when he promoted me to soloist last year."She performed her first soloist role in Balanchine's Theme and Variations gaining rave reviews! "Destined for prima ballerina," said Alice Helpern in Ballet Review. Twala Tharp noticed Paloma's talent and choreographed a piece for her in How Near Heaven. At the same time she was asked to dance Kitri in Don Quixote. After that she was promoted to Principal in 1995 she was age nineteen, the youngest principal in ABT's history. One day while rehearsing for How Near Heaven, she fell hurting her hip. She continued dancing and so did the pain. She had to take a break for several weeks. "I was dancing too much."While resting her enjury, Kevin McKenzie, American Ballet Theater's Artistic Director, asked her to be Juliet. "My whole life I wanted to dance Juliet, I wanted to be very young when I did it, to be nineteen and doing Juliet!" She quickly recovered and dubuted the role in Chicago. "When I was dancing, it was 'Oh! I'm doing it!' Three hours, three acts. In the third act you go through so much. You cry, you have your big pas de deux. When I finished, I was empty--nothing else left. I had given so much."At ABT Paloma has performed many roles including Mathilda Kchessinska in Anastasia, Terpsichore and Polyhymnia in Apollo, Gamzatti and Nikiya in La Bayadère, the second movement in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, the title role in Ben Stevenson's Cinderella, Swanilda in Coppélia, Medora and Gulnare in Le Corsaire, the pas de deux Diana and Acteon, Kitri in Don Quixote, Katherine in Christopher Wheeldon’s VIII, the first girl in Fancy Free, Giselle in Giselle, His Memory and His Experiences in HereAfter, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the Paquita pas de deux, Cerrito in Pas des Déesses, the Siren in Prodigal Son, Raymonda in Raymonda, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, a Lover in Sin and Tonic, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Coupava in The Snow Maiden, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, the Waltz in Les Sylphides, Sylvia in Sylvia, the first movement in Symphony in C, the Sylvia Pas de Duex, the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and leading roles in Americans We, Ballet Imperial, Études, The Howling Cat, In The Upper Room, Petite Mort, Stepping Stones, Symphonie Concertante, Theme and Variatons and workwithinwork. Herrera created leading roles in The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Cruel World, Disposition, How Near Heaven, Turnstile and Without Words.Since 2003, she is member of the Artist Committee for The Kennedy Center Honorees, a National Celebration of the Performing Arts. The Prize is given by the President of the EEUU at the White House.Awards and Mentions:September 1999: The Konex Platinum Prize, as the Ballerina of the Decade 1989-1999June 2000: The Maria Ruanova AwardDecember 2001: The New Immagrant Acheivement Award as “outstanding immigrant whose contributions to America have greatly enriched our Nation”2003: Clarin Prize in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Nominations:June 2000:Benois Prize, in MoscowNijinsky Award, from The Monaco Dance Forum