Samara Rittinger: An Interview

Samara Rittinger (“Sam”), from North Vancouver, Canada, is a professional dancer with The Washington Ballet. Prior to this, she trained at The Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in Canada. She is also an accomplished baker and whips up delicious made-to-order cakes and other goodies in her spare time.

1. To get off to an unconventional start, please write a haiku about anything that comes to mind at the moment. The weirder, funnier, or more random the better!

Cookies make you smile 
All ooey gooey and good 
They won't make you sad 

editor’s note: Washington Ballet dancers are often the lucky recipients of Samara’s baking, and they are among her biggest devotees… Follow Samara on Instagram, @sweets_by__sam

2. How did you get into dancing?

Since as early as I can remember, I’ve been surrounded by ballet; this stemmed from being raised in a family that’s very involved in the arts. My mother was a professional ballet dancer at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and my father was the stage manager for the same company (he also dabbled in tutu making!). I used to watch old performances of my mom over and over until I knew all the steps and danced them around my room. Ever since seeing her in the ballet Big Top, I knew I wanted to be just like her…and I still do.

3. Did dancing help you through anything difficult in your life?

I think one of the biggest things that dancing got me through was the struggle I had with homesickness that lasted for almost two years. I moved away from home to go to ballet school when I was twelve, and even though people warned me that I would miss home, I didn’t think I was going to be affected as much as I was. After all the excitement of starting this new adventure with new friends died down, the realization of starting a whole new life finally sunk in. The only time I wouldn’t be thinking about home and my family was in ballet class. You kind of go into a different state of mind while dancing, and I think every dancer can relate to this. It was that escape to a clear mind that helped me get through it all.  

4. What adversities have you had to overcome to continue pursuing your profession?

I’ve been super lucky to have a very supportive family in all aspects throughout my entire training and professional career. One of the biggest adversities I had to overcome, though, which a lot of dancers face, was self confidence. After joining a professional school, that was the first thing they noticed and told me that I needed to really focus on. The stress I put on myself to change and change fast got to be so much that I started showing the frustration I was feeling in my classes. There were a few times I was asked to leave ballet class to “collect myself” before returning. I was so incredibly lucky to have the teachers I had, who never gave up on me no matter how mad I got with myself in class or rehearsals. After getting so comfortable in the bubble of a ballet boarding school, the thought of auditioning for companies started bringing those self-doubting thoughts back slowly. I think every dancer goes through a version of this, and there is no one way to get past it; there is no timeline for it either. Definitely something I’m still working on! Having self confidence in this profession is such a big part of being a successful dancer.   

5. Tell us your funniest story about the dance world.

The first thing I thought of was the party scene in Nutcracker. Since The Washington Ballet does so many shows, each party scene is something completely different and unexpected, and seeing all the things people come up with to keep the magic alive for 30+ shows is hilarious.

6. In your time as a dancer, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever had to do?

It’s not super crazy, but at my ballet school we had this thing called Concert Hour ballet, where we would tour around Winnipeg in the winter performing in school gyms. As well as performing, we were the ones setting up the lights, the sound, and even rolling out and taping the marley floor. Everyday we would have a call time for 5 am to load up the bus with all the equipment, and then we would set out to the first of two (sometimes three) schools for that day. We wouldn’t get back till late evening, at which point we would unload the bus. Looking back on it now, it was quite intense (especially since it would be negative thirty degrees Celsius most days), but it was also one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of school! It let us feel what it was like to tour.

7. What would you say to someone who is hesitant to go see a ballet performance?

What do you have to lose? If you really don’t like it, there’s the chance to leave at intermission. However, I am 99% positive that if people go to a ballet with an open mind, they will love it. Most people I talk to after they see their first ballet say it changed their whole perspective about the art form in more ways than one. 

8. If you had only one sentence to convince someone of the importance of the arts, what would you say?

If the arts didn’t exist, the world would be a very bland and blank place to live with no creativity and color.  

9. If ballet had a slogan, what would it be?

Lots of pain for a slow but worth it gain 

Responses edited by Adelaide Clauss