Each morning, Lanie Jackson stretches and shakes off the rust of sleep before strapping into her pointe shoes for her 9:00 a.m. company class.
Her company is the Philadelphia-based BalletX, which has built an international reputation for its contemporary and eclectic dance. By the afternoon, Jackson is barefoot and bending her long limbs into jagged corkscrews, dancing so close to the ground she feels almost “subterranean.”
The dancer returns to Norfolk, where her professional career began, on Thursday, as BalletX kicks off the Virginia Arts Festival's 29th season.
Jackson describes BalletX’s style as “off-kilter” and “gritty,” full of innovative movements designed by international choreographers who maintain high technical standards. The shows are relatable to a diversity of audiences.
“You have to have a mastery over your classical technique in order to extrapolate upon it," she said. “This takes that line and distorts it, but there's still the element of elegance, I would say. We just add quite a bit of quirk.”
As a 9-year-old growing up in Austin, Texas, Jackson first encountered ballet while watching her cousin perform in “The Nutcracker.”
“I became obsessed,” she said, and she watched “The Nutcracker” on VHS on repeat. She enrolled in ballet class, but her classmates had years of dance experience on her.
“Everybody else was getting ready to put pointe shoes on for the first time and I never even stood in first position.”
With private lessons and extra practice, Jackson caught up to and exceeded many of her peers. While in her high school troupe, she performed in Austria. For college, she attended The Juilliard School in New York.
“She sets high expectations for herself and she's really thorough,” said Lisa McCarty, communications and development director at Ballet Virginia in Norfolk. “She will do the work and she will come in two hours early to go over stuff.”
Jackson arrived at Ballet Virginia after graduating from Juilliard in 2021. Her military husband was stationed in Norfolk, and she was looking for somewhere to train. She didn't care that the summer intensive catered to younger dancers.
“I remember seeing her the first day and thinking, ‘Why is she dancing with the teenagers?’” McCarty said. “But that's Lanie for you. She's very humble … She does not mind putting in the hard work to prove herself. I think she thrives on that.”
Halfway through the summer, Ballet Virginia offered Jackson a contract. She danced with the company for two years while teaching youth classes.
“It was a very nurturing environment,” Jackson said. “I had a lot of anxiety growing up … I would hear in my head that I'm not good enough, or why am I even trying or things like this.
“The people at Ballet Virginia were just very welcoming and forgiving and understanding without asking too many questions. I don't think that you need to know the exact details of what's going on in somebody's mind to sit with them and help them recover,” Jackson said. “It was really useful for me to learn how to be a professional.”
In 2023, Jackson accepted a position with BalletX, but saw her Ballet Virginia students through their end-of-year performance. That night, after the last senior took her bow, Jackson got in the car and drove to Philadelphia for work the next morning.
The Chrysler Hall performance features three pieces. “Heroes” by Takahiro Ueyama is a barefoot and physically grounding story about communities rebuilding after the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. Justin Peck's “Become a Mountain” is a lyrical sneaker ballet.
“Big Wig” by the Irish choreographer Marguerite Donlon is a pointed tongue-in-cheek interpretation of Irish stepdance, complete with over-the-top props and costumes that evoke traditional aesthetics.
“We are creating new narratives and pieces that touch the souls of the audiences of now. And I think it's in the effort of bridging that gap and sort of eliminating the elitism.”
This week, Jackson will be teaching at the Governor’s School for the Arts and Ballet Virginia.
McCarty said that more than 20 members of Ballet Virginia will be in the audience Thursday, including some of Jackson’s former students. McCarty said that it’s inspiring for the young students to see a familiar face up on the big stage.
“You need mentors, you need role models,” McCarty said, “And there she is.”
BalletX will perform on Thursday at Chrysler Hall for Connie & Marc Jacobson Opening Night Celebration, part of the Joan and Macon Brock Dance Series at Virginia Arts Festival. Visit vafest.org for tickets and more information.
