You might not be able to distinguish an effacé from an écarté or spot the difference between a jeté and a croisé, but most people watching ballet understand just how physically demanding the performing art form is. American Midwest Ballet (AMB) dancers Marsalis Anderson-Clausell and Alexandra Hoffman are prime examples of the athleticism behind the art. Anderson-Clausell has put his ineffable spin on roles such as the Wizard in “The Wizard of Oz” and the handsome Prince in “Snow White,” whereas Hoffman has pirouetted, been en pointe, and plied plenty of pliés as both the Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in “The Nutcracker.”
The duo has been training since they were young children to become professional dancers. Anderson-Clausell, who has performed for two seasons as a principal dancer with AMB and is originally from Roswell, Georgia, started at age 7, attending school by day and ballet classes at night. Hoffman, who is in her ninth season with the company and hails from Cleveland, Ohio, began ballet at 3 and also trained as a gymnast. She became so devoted to the art form that she didn’t attend football games or prom, the usual rites of passage most teens experience. Instead, she spent her time at the ballet studio.
That intensive training has transformed Anderson-Clausell and Hoffman into not only highly skilled dancers, but also impressive athletes. “They are really strong and also have agility, speed, and precision in their dancing,” said Erin Alarcón, AMB’s ballet master. “Their strength combined with all of these attributes are undervalued in athletes. In addition to athleticism, they need mental stamina and fortitude.”
The dancers’ schedules speak to that discipline. Each morning, Anderson-Clausell and Hoffman begin their routines with physical warm-ups. When the former arrives at the studio, he stretches and rolls out any tightness or soreness in his calves. Hoffman typically heads straight to physical therapy since she nurses an old injury. (She had knee surgery eight years ago.) Unlike her colleague, she wears toe shoes, which contain a sturdy box that allows her to dance on the tips of her toes. That means she must often combat the pain that accompanies performing en pointe. Both often turn to analgesic topical balms such as Tiger Balm and Biofreeze, which help reduce inflammation. The dancers also cross-train: Hoffman likes to swim, while Anderson-Clausell frequents the gym three to four times a week. Both enjoy Pilates. “You have to be strong and also have the flexibility,” Anderson-Clausell explained of the additional physical training.
Just as athletes use visualization techniques to focus and achieve higher performance levels, so, too, do ballet dancers. To master the art of ballet, posture, which involves maintaining an open chest and elongated neck, is crucial. From relevé (rising en pointe) and pirouettes (turns) to petit allegro (quick, small jumps) and ballon (bouncing steps), each movement requires extreme control. “We are creating shapes and lines,” Hoffman explained. “It’s part of our technique as ballet dancers.”
Anderson-Clausell is a virtuoso when it comes to turns, with pirouettes being his performance piece de la resistance. He can execute over 30 in succession on one leg, all the while maintaining the other at a 90-degree angle. “I love doing turns; I’m in my happy place,” he shared. “I do 32 [turns], because back in my training days, they had us do them with a clean double or triple finish. Since I also do a lot of jumping and my variation solos all focus on footwork, when I get into rehearsal, I hone in on that. When I do it, I’m ready.”
For her part, Hoffman executes jumps that can match the height of male dancers, who on average execute 5-foot jumps alongside lightning speed footwork during petite allegro combinations. “You have to build up a lot of stamina and strength,” she said. “I’m known for jumping with the men.”
Partnering together is one of the duo’s greatest strengths. They’ve danced pas de deux in productions like “Cinderella” and “The Wizard of Oz.” “You have to present yourself in your artistic energy but also make sure that you are still performing as you are dancing with [your partner]. It becomes second nature,” Anderson-Clausell explained. “Partnering is just as athletic and more so in contemporary partnering,” Hofmann added. “There’s a big level of trust that goes into it, but so much strength from both parties…of course, the men have to lift us when we’re doing really scary lifts!”
Audiences, naturally, don’t see that scary side. Instead they see magnificent athleticism translated into majestic dance. “When paired together, Marsalis and Alexandra communicate to create a beautiful unit,” Alarcón said.
For more information about American Midwest Ballet, visit amballet.org.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
