Ballerina CA R L A KÖ R B E S
Photos by
PATRICK FRASER
Pacific Northwest Ballet, Artistic Director Peter Boal. Seattle, Washington Photography Š Patrick Fraser. 2015, all rights reserved. | Graphic design by Chad Kent Design.
CA R L A KÖ R B E S
Ballerina Photos by
PATRICK FRASER
C A R L A KÖ R B E S
was born in São Leopoldo, Brazil. She began her ballet training in her hometown at age five, and at age eleven began to travel to Porto Alegre to train with Ballet Vera Bublitz. There she discovered her love of performance, and the world began to discover her talents. Ms. Bublitz often invited international ballet stars to Brazil to perform with her students, and this is how the serendipitous meeting of Carla Körbes and Peter Boal came to be. Cast together in George Balanchine’s Apollo, a relationship was born that can only be described as ballet magic.
Carla soon caught the attention of audience and press alike and was eventually promoted to soloist. Her repertory included Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Titania, Helena), Divertimento No. 15, Episodes, and Serenade; Jerome Robbins’ Antique Epigraphs, Fanfare, The Four Seasons, I’m Old Fashioned, and Interplay; and Peter Martins’ Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Sinfonia. Often cast in new works, she originated roles in ballets by Susan Stroman, Richard Tanner, and Christopher Wheeldon.
Peter had never seen such talent in a dancer as young as Carla and quickly mobilized his New York City Ballet connections to secure a spot for Carla with the School of American Ballet (SAB). He then had to convince Carla and her family that moving a fifteen-year-old across the world to study in New York City was a good idea. Carla’s good friend joined her at SAB, a move that helped both young women navigate the transition.
Upon Peter Boal’s appointment to artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2005, Carla moved to Seattle and joined the Company as a soloist. She was promoted to principal the following season. Here in Seattle, Carla’s incredible career soared with stunning performances on the McCaw Hall stage and guest appearances around the world. She shines in all roles and transcends in full-length works, which have included: Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake, Nutcracker, and Cinderella; George Balanchine’s Coppélia and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter Boal’s Giselle, Alexei Ratmansky’s Don Quixote, and Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette. A favorite of choreographers, she originated roles in works by Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Benjamin Millepied, and Justin Peck.
Carla quickly moved through the levels at SAB, mastering a new style of movement, graduating from high school, and learning English. Her second year of tuition was paid by legendary ballerina Alexandra Danilova. She was also the recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for outstanding promise. In 1999, she was made an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and in 2000 was promoted to corps de ballet.
“Imagine a note echoing through the universe long after its sound begins; so it is with Carla’s performances, which appear unfettered by laws of time and space.” —Vanity Fair
In addition to her performances with New York City Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ms. Körbes has performed with Peter Boal and Company, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, and as a guest artist for the Vail International Dance Festival, where she is this summer’s Artist-in-Residence. What will Carla do next? She will soon share exciting news about her future, but one thing is for certain: she is an artist in the truest sense and will continue to share her artistry with the world in everything she does.
“Strong yet delicate with a lush musicality and a gracious demeanor, she is a ballerina that comes along once in a lifetime. ” —The New York Times
“In Carla Körbes, the company has a ballerina
from whom all
Balanchine practitioners
today can learn.” —The New York Times
“Watch her while you can; dancers like this don’t come around often.” —The Seattle Times
“Watching Körbes, you feel the years and years of endless practice melting away; you don’t know what she’ll do next, and the magic of her performance is that it seems that she doesn’t know either —the music takes hold of her, and creates something beautiful with her. ” —The Seattle Times
Photo © Lindsay Thomas.
P AT R I C K F R A S E R
British photographer and filmmaker Patrick Fraser is based in Los Angeles, California. His portraiture is legendary; he has photographed actors, artists, musicians, and news-makers the world over. Patrick fell in love with ballet when on assignment in Seattle, and it was there he fell in love with Carla in the wings backstage at Pacific Northwest Ballet. Patrick’s editorial credits include work for Vanity Fair, Vogue, Rolling Stone, GQ, The London Sunday Times, and Guardian magazines. In his free time, Patrick sketches, works on his cabin in Joshua Tree, rides his vintage bicycle and motorbike, and travels the world.