A Day in the Life of a Young Choreographer

Myles Thatcher, the young choreographer who in 2014 won a mentorship under Alexei Ratmansky (through the Rolex Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative), continues to make waves at San Francisco Ballet. After creating Manifesto for the company in 2015, he has now premiered a second work, Ghost in the Machine, whose super cool trailer was shot by none other than TBB favorite Ezra Hurwitz. Myles sent us below some highlights of a typical day juggling his work as a corps de ballet member and making dances for his colleagues:

Saturday 8 April, 2017

9:00 AM - Warming up before class:  

“I like to make sure my hips and feet are warm so I can jump back into rehearsal after giving notes to dancers.”

Myles Thatcher. Photo: © SF Ballet

11:00 AM - Reviewing notes:

“We have limited time in the studio, so I always look through my notes to help prioritize and figure out how I want to utilize our time together.”

Myles Thatcher. Photo: © SF Ballet

3:00 PM - Studio rehearsal:

“The movement [for Ghost in the Machine] is all set, so today we’re talking about the emotional intention behind a few of the moments in the ballet. Choreography is a continuous process, and I even changed some of the first movement the day of opening night.”

Myles Thatcher rehearses Ghost In The Machine.
Photo: © Erik Tomasson

6:30 PM - Dressing room:

“Today I’m also performing Christopher Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour, so I’m going watch Ghost in the Machine from the wings in costume and makeup. I’ll take some time to mentally refocus and do a few tendus before performing onstage.”

Myles Thatcher. Photo: © SF Ballet

Showtime!

“Ghost in the Machine is about the human experience, about how we positively and negatively affect the community we’re in. It’s about how we deal with the people we surround ourselves with in today’s social and political environment.”

Carlo Di Lanno and Dores André in Thatcher’s Ghost In The Machine. Photo: © Erik Tomasson

San Francisco Ballet artists perform Ghost In The Machine.
Photo: © Erik Tomasson

Myles Thatcher’s ‘Ghost in the Machine’ continues until 18 April 2017 as part of San Francisco Ballet’s Program 7. For tickets and information visit the SF Ballet website.