Photo By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics
California native Nathan Bland struck unexpected gold when he was hired by the Berks Ballet Theatre to perform in The Nutcracker in 2006. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he’d go on to not only direct the same famous ballet but own the company he performed it with.
Q: When did dance become a part of your life?
I started dancing when I was around eight or nine. I grew up in California, and I trained at a small, but very good, ballet school. I started out taking a class once a week…and the first thing that I really enjoyed was tap dancing. It took a year or two for me to really enjoy ballet, and I was about 15 when I made the decision that I really wanted to pursue it.
“Creating a healthy and welcoming environment for all is something that our students gravitate toward.”
Q: When did you know that you wanted to ` make dance a full- time career?
I went to New York City for nine weeks where I trained six days a week. That is where I was like, ‘I think I can make this my career.’ Then, when I was 17, I moved to Pittsburgh from California to train at Pittsburgh Youth Ballet with a teacher that I had met at an intensive before pursuing a professional career. My first job was at Kansas City Ballet right out of high school. I was still in high school when I auditioned, and I was still 17 when the contract was signed, and that was the beginning of my career.
Q: After dancing across the United States and the world in Italy, Germany and Croatia, what brought you to Berks County?
The first time I came to Berks County was in 2006. I was living in New York City at the time, freelancing, and I was hired by Berks Ballet Theatre as a guest artist to perform in The Nutcracker. From there, my relationship grew with the company, not only as a performer but with choreographing and guest teaching. July of 2012 was when I officially took over, and the rest is history.
Q: In your 13th season as the owner and now artistic director, what has been the most fulfilling part of your role?
We have students that drive 40 to 45 minutes away from Lancaster County because they want to train at Berks Ballet Theatre. They’re willing to drive that far to get the quality of instruction, opportunity and environment that will propel them forward in their chosen path. Creating a healthy and welcoming environment for all is something that our students gravitate toward. Our goal is to push each individual dancer to be the best they can be…there’s so much more about training in dance, and especially ballet, than technique and performing. You learn a lot of life skills, whether you want to enter a pre-professional dance program or attend college to pursue a career in whatever field you choose.
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Many Hats
With his passion for being in the studio with the dancers and sharing the love of ballet, Bland still teaches four to five hours per night, five days per week, on top of his other roles.
The Nutcracker.
Berks Ballet Theatre will take the stage with the Reading Pops Orchestra on Dec. 21 and 22 at the Schaeffer Auditorium at Kutztown University. Visit berksballettheatre.com for tickets.
