Senior Spotlight: Anna Roberto

When Anna Roberto started as a freshman at UGA in Fall 2010, she arrived with 5+ years of dance experience from Atlanta Ballet’s Center for Dance Education. It makes sense then that after seeing auditions for Prelude advertised on the UGA Master Calendar, she (ever the prim and proper ballerina) sent a polite “To whom it may concern” email enquiring about auditions and then went on to show up in full stage-makeup, ballet tights, and a leotard. Almost four years and eight semesters later, Anna now regularly shows up to rehearsal wearing a sorority T-shirt and leggings instead of her ballet leotard and tights, but she still brings the same energy and love of dance that she brought to that first audition. We asked Anna to reflect on her experiences with Prelude since that time:

Prelude Dance Ensemble: You come from a ballet-focused background. What got you more interested in contemporary dance?

Anna Roberto: Dance has always been an outlet for me. In elementary/high school, dance was where I blew off steam; it was the place where I could physically exert myself and get it all out. When I started choreographing I learned that dance had a power to express in a way I hadn’t fully explored with ballet. A friend of mine likes to say language has only so many words with which to express ourselves yet our bodies have limitless ways to express themselves. I feel a similar analogy with ballet and contemporary. While ballet is beautiful and certainly expressive, I sometimes find the structure to create boundaries when I am choreographing or dancing. Contemporary lets me break those boundaries down and “speak” dance from the heart.

PDE: Has Prelude helped you explore more choreographically, then?

AR: I had only choreographed a couple of times before joining Prelude. I would now call it one of my strongest skills in the dance world. I am so appreciative for the opportunity Prelude has given me to explore my creative, choreographic side and to be inspired by so many of my talented peer choreographers whom I happen to call my friends!

"Hide and Seek" with Stephen Patton, Spring 2011

PDE: If you could choose anyone (dead or alive) to choreograph with, who would it be and why?

AR: I would hands down choreograph with Twyla Tharp. She has the most incredible ability to combine all types and genres of dance into cohesive pieces that have real meaning and tell incredible stories. She is an inspiration to me every time I sit down to choreograph. And of course it wouldn’t be a complete answer if I didn’t say how much of a pleasure it has been to choreograph with some of my fellow Prelude members. My inspiration is renewed each time I step into the studio with any one of us!

PDE: What is your favorite dance that you’ve choreographed?

AR: It’s hard to say. A piece of myself has gone into every dance I’ve choreographed and choreographing is a deeply personal process for me. I will say that “Gravity” and “Stay” are two of my favorites. Watching “Gravity” come to life on stage really felt like watching my vision come to life. I had the incredible opportunity to work with Will [Prigge] and two incredibly talented dancers in “Stay,” and I feel as though our choreography spoke from the heart and the dancers did a remarkable job of telling a true story. Not to mention I finished choreographing/teaching it while in a boot so there’s a real sense of accomplishment in finishing that one… Honorable mention to “Happy Ending” and “Falling Slowly”! … and “Hide and Seek” for starting it all off.

PDE: What’re your top 3 favorite dances that you’ve performed in with Prelude?

AR: THIS IS HARDDDDD…“Den of Thieves” (Spring 2012), “Oblivion” (Spring 2014), and “To Whom it May Concern” (Fall 2012). [Note: you’ll have to come to our show on May 13^th to see “Oblivion.”]

"To Whom It May Concern" with Rand Pope, Fall 2012

PDE: What’re your top 3 favorite Prelude dances (that you haven’t necessarily been in)?

AR: “Poison and Wine,” “I Won’t Give Up,” and “We Don’t Eat.” [Anna adds that had she spent more time browsing our YouTube channel, she would never be able to choose 3 because she would “pick 90% of them.” Additionally, “like every duet Sarah [Mitchell] has ever been in would be on my wish-I-could-be-in list.”]

PDE: What’s your favorite show that you’ve been involved in with Prelude?

AR: I don’t think I can pick just one. Every show has had a different feel that has made it as unique and wonderful as the people in it.

PDE: You’re one of Prelude’s oldest members, so you’ve worked with a lot of those “unique and wonderful” people. What has been like to see so many of them come and go through Prelude and see the company evolve over time?

The company after its first show, Fall 2010

AR: It’s been fun and challenging at the same time. Some of my favorite people I’ve met at UGA have been through Prelude, some when I first joined and some who joined this semester. Many of them have graduated. The sadness of watching them go has been consistently balanced with the joy of making new friends. Prelude has had a hugely different feel every semester. I think it speaks to the fact that we are a truly student led organization and we let our personalities shine through.

PDE: What are some of the greatest changes you’ve seen in Prelude over the years?

AR: It’s hard to say. Things have changed and changed back and back again. Certainly the change that’s the most fun is that we are starting to be a recognizable name on campus, at least in the arts community. It’s fun to not have to explain who we are EVERY time we are rehearsing in Ramsey (it only happens most of the time now).

PDE: What’s your proudest accomplishment in Prelude?

AR: Starting the program with the Boys and Girls Club of Athens where Prelude members went once a week to teach the kids dance. It was a great way to give back to the community AND bond as members together! We always had a great time.

PDE: What are some of your favorite Prelude memories?

AR: Every Prelude potluck ever, and cuddle puddles on the floor before shows. Honestly, pretty much any time I’ve been in a room with Prelude members, aside from maybe normal weekly rehearsals (and sometimes even then), wonderful memories have been made. I can’t say enough how incredible every group of people who has called themselves Prelude Dance Ensemble through the years truly is.

Bonding with fellow company member, Margaret Hruschka

PDE: How do you feel about this being your last Prelude show?

AR: It’s not, thank goodness! Can’t get rid of me that easy! While this isn’t officially my last show (I’m taking an extra semester), it is a sad show for me regardless. Next semester, I will be the only Prelude member left who remembers what the very first Prelude show was like. I will be the only member who has a relationship with the person who first created what was then just a dream of Prelude. It will be sad to see those people who helped create the very basis of what Prelude is today go. They are not only fellow dancers for whom I have the utmost respect; they are some of my closest friends. I couldn’t be more grateful for the experiences I have had with each of them. I am also incredibly excited to see Prelude in its true second generation, being led by dancers who didn’t experience the first iteration of Prelude.

PDE: What will you miss most about Prelude after next semester?

AR: I will miss the incredible ability for a group of people who didn’t know each other from Adam on the first day of rehearsal come together and bring a choreographer’s vision to life. There is nothing more beautiful. And of course I will miss my friends and the joy they bring to my life, though I know they will continue to do so even from far away.

Photoshoot for the Spring 2014 show, "Compass"

In December, Anna will graduate with a BS in Biology and a BBA in Finance. After that, she would like to move to New York City and get a job in health administration consulting or a similar field, “in whatever order they happen.” When asked about dancing after graduation, Anna remarked, “I think it would kill me to stop dancing completely!” She hopes to stay involved in dance when that time comes, even if it means just taking the occasional class.

Anna, best of luck performing in “Compass,” and we’ll see you back next semester!

Be sure to see Anna and the rest of our company in our show, “Compass,” April 13 at the East Athens Educational Dance Center.