Ballet X

Alumna Andrea Yorita, B.F.A. ’12, is one of only a dozen professional dancers from BalletX, a premier national contemporary ballet company based in Philadelphia, which presents a diverse and innovative repertoire. In January, BalletX performed for one night only at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, and Yorita took time out of her busy schedule to teach a master class to current ballet students in the Department of Dance.

“It’s so inspiring for our students to have an alum, like Andie, come back and share their experiences,” said Molly Lynch, chair of the department. Yorita credits UCI with seeking out a position with BalletX. She shared with the TimesOC: “Going to college really opened up my eyes to the contemporary dance world… I was so lucky to have been exposed to a large range of styles, from classical ballet to modern to jazz… I don’t think I would have auditioned for BalletX had I not gone to UCI.” While at UCI, Yorita was a William J. Gillespie Foundation Scholar and studied under Diane Deifenderfer, Molly Lynch and Donald McKayle.

Photo: Emily Zheng