Cassandra Trenary ~ A Lingerie on Film Profile

We begin this year’s Lingerie on Film profile series with Cassandra Trenary, Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre. Raised in Georgia, she started dancing at age three and joined ABT’s corps by seventeen. Her promotion to Principal came during the height of the pandemic—an unexpected phone call in the middle of an artist residency that left her in tears.She spoke to us about growing up in a musical home, why Giselle still gets to her, and how time away from ballet reshaped her sense of purpose on stage.

Is there anything you would like to share with us about how you chose to take on this project?   I was so honored to be invited! I fell in love with the brand when I had the chance to wear an Araks slip for a Vogue editorial, which was such a pinch me moment. It always feels so good to have an opportunity to express yourself outside of the dance space with a creative project. This was a welcome outlet during a heavy tour and performance season. It brought so much joy, so thank you!  Can you tell us about your upbringing? What was your childhood like, and how was creativity or self-expression encouraged when you were young?  There was a lot of music in the house. I was a church kid, and my parents played in the band, so I have recollection of hearing a piano, guitar, and trumpet echoing throughout the house when I was younger. I was grateful to grow up in a house where my mom let me draw and paint on my bedroom walls. It was messy, and fun, and I imagine I was ridiculous, always in a costume and never in clothes. I have fond memories of stealing my Dad’s camcorder and making silly films with my neighborhood besties and little brother. I really felt encouraged to do it all.

What are your earliest memories of dance? What first drew you to ballet?

Dance was brought into my life at age three with a tap and ballet combination class in my suburban town in Georgia. My love expanded from there, and I took classes in all forms of dance, just adding every class I could as I grew up. Ballet came into focus for me around age thirteen when I attended my first American Ballet Theatre summer camp. It was there that I found my people and a deeper love for the art form. I remember that summer I saw a video of an ABT performance of Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev’s score paired with the humanlike, cinematic quality of the choreography and staging of the work just grabbed my little brain and heart. That moment really solidified my desire to pursue ballet and ABT specifically

You were promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre in 2020. What does that title mean to you, and what’s the story behind that moment? 

It was a major shock to be promoted when I was. There is a tradition in ABT that one day in the final week of our spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House, everyone gathers in a large studio in the underbelly of the theater. Promotions are announced, and everyone celebrates for a moment together. In September of 2020, ABT was not working as it was the height of COVID, and there were no plans to return in the foreseeable future. I was a Soloist when everything had shut down and was surrendering to the idea that I may not go back, or if I did, Principal dancer would be a long way off. I had found myself leaning on outside projects during this period, hadn’t put my pointe shoes on in quite some time, and was at an artists’ residency in upstate New York, choreographing a short film with a wonderful group of artists. Some folks with us were associated with ABT, some were new friends from other dance companies, visual artists, and musicians. We were all on this property in a bubble and were cooking a meal one night together when I was notified that ABT’s director wanted to speak to me. After some small talk, he notified me that I was being promoted to Principal Dancer. I just sobbed. It was a moment I’ll never forget because it was so far outside the normal path, and of course, it wasn’t done in that iconic traditional way in the big studio at the Met. When I walked out of the kitchen to share with this amazing group of new and old friends, in this moment where I had found so much growth in being on my own, being independent from a ballet institution, it felt so incredibly right. When ABT did come back together, I had the privilege to make the choice to return with life experiences to bring to my work in a more grounded way. 

The Principal dancers I look up to have a strong sense of self, without arrogance. They take the work seriously but not themselves. There is strength in their vulnerability. They are an example of discipline, kindness, and curiosity. When I watch them perform, it feels like an act of generosity. My favorite principal dancers not only have a deep understanding of classical technique, but they also bring an artistry that moves me beyond perfectly executed steps. There is an understanding and an intention behind every movement that invites me to connect on a deeper level, on top of watching beautiful shapes. There is authenticity and life brought to ballet.

It looks like there are opportunities for people in New York to see you perform this summer—with Woolf Works, Giselle, and The Winter’s Tale on the calendar. Is there anything you’re especially excited to share through these roles? 

Yes! I’m so excited about all three because they are each such vastly different characters. I am making my debut as the Virginia Woolf in Woolf Works. Virginia was a fascinating and complex woman who completely broke the rules of literature, and the ballet unfolds in three separate abstract acts to an original score by Max Richter. It was choreographed by Sir Wayne McGregor. Through the evening of dance, sculpture, and video projections, you are left with the feeling of what it’s like to read Virginia’s work and how much of herself she wrote into every character. She was battling so much with societal expectations on women, her queerness, feeling so trapped, and yet she provided us with these works of poetic fiction and essays that I now turn to in moments of darkness for comfort.

Is there a particular character or piece this season that feels especially personal to you? Why?    Giselle was the first ballet I performed with ABT as a Principal. It will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason, and because there is space to approach it differently with whatever life has offered you each time you come back to it. It’s a cathartic experience on stage to lean into what it feels like to be betrayed, for the veil of naivete to be lifted, to fall in love, to deal with fragility and trust broken all for the first time. Who are the artists, dancers, or choreographers who’ve significantly shaped your work?  The LIST! Twyla Tharp, Molissa Fenley, and Alexei Ratmansky, to name a few.  And is there anyone you haven’t worked with yet but would love to?  Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, everyone needs to watch her film Rosas Danst Rosas, 1997.

Ballet is physically and emotionally demanding. How do you take care of yourself, both during a season and in the quieter moments between performances? 

Amazing food, drinks, and friends. Therapy, Epsom salt baths, taking photographs, and other creative outlets. I took up beading and repurposing broken jewelry pieces a few years ago. I turn to that when I need to calm my brain. Reading and journaling also.

Music is such a powerful part of ballet. Are there certain scores or composers that feel especially connected to your dancing or your story as an artist? 

In classical music, I find I turn to Jean Sibelius and Rachmaninoff. I also love Prokofiev so much, and my connection to our production of Romeo and Juliet. One piece in particular that stands out is Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. I’ve had the privilege of taking on a solo choreographed by Molissa Fenley to the entire thirty-five minute score. To this day it’s one of the most fulfilling on stage experiences I’ve had. It’s physically and emotionally demanding as you don’t leave the stage for the duration of the score. There was so much research and development so you are many different people on stage and ultimately it feels like a complete rebirth each time I’ve performed it.

You have a separate Instagram account filled with beautiful film photography – @pearltakespics  How did that begin for you, and what drew you to analog photography specifically?    Thank you so much! It has become such a joy to explore. The camera was gifted to me by an ABT supporter and now dear friend. He was getting rid of this Nikon F (1959). I took it and it sat in a closet for a year or so. When I was traveling solo abroad for the first time to visit other ballet companies as a research trip, I decided to bring it along, ordered some film off of Amazon and watched a little YouTube tutorial. After photographing that trip, I became addicted. I think it’s the process of capturing something and not entirely knowing for sure if it worked or not until I get the film back. Each shot feels precious. It’s also such a tactile thing–there isn’t anything automated on the camera so I appreciate the challenge of having to manually do everything and if I get the shot I had envisioned, it’s so satisfying.

Ballet is often about discipline, control, and precision. Does film photography offer you a creative release from that structure—or do you find unexpected similarities between the two? 

Oh yes, both! I think I approach photography as a beginner, with the freedom of play and curiosity. Ballet is something I’ve trained my whole life for, so there is a pressure to be delivering at a high level. With my photo work, I don’t put that pressure on myself. I’m just enjoying the experimentation. The similarities of analog photography work to live performance are present though. The time it takes to measure light and find the focus on my camera takes patience. I’m often photographing fast paced backstage chaos, so I could get all of the elements right but by the time I snap, everything may have changed. There is surprise every time a roll is developed–an unexpected body enters the frame, the lighting shifts, an expression wasn’t what I saw to begin with… good or bad. Live performance emulates this because I can rehearse and plan every moment, but there are factors on stage that are out of my control and that can push me to make different choices, and I surprise myself, good and bad. Taking photos feels like a form of meditation to me, too. So much of ballet is focusing on myself, what needs to be “better” in my body, or perfecting a step, character development, etc. I find focusing on what’s in front of me through the lens truly allows me to take the focus off myself.

Dream collaborator–dead or alive? Pina Bausch, Vivienne Westwood, David Lynch.

What is something you’ve loved for a long time? The ocean and long audio messages.

What is something you would love to learn? Italian and how to be nicer to myself.

What advice would you give to your younger self? To be clear is to be kind.

Can you share a favorite quotation, lyric, or line from a book or song that has stuck with you? I screenshotted this, just came up on my feed

… The first feminist gesture is to say: ”OK, they’re looking at me. But I’m looking at them.” The act of deciding to look, of deciding that the world is not defined by how people see me, but how I see them. – Agnès Varda in Filming Desire

What is something that you feel is overrated? Planning ahead.
Underrated? Solo fancy dinner.

What artist, project, or book would you recommend we see/follow?
I’m currently reading Flowers for Algernon, and it’s so brilliant. It’s my first time reading it, and it was given to me by a dear friend and fellow ABT Principal, Skylar Brandt. It speaks so much to how we perceive one another, relationship to time and experience, and science fiction-esque, you could say? It’s getting extremely poetic as I’m nearing the end, and my heart is melting and beating really fast at the same time.

What are you terrible at but love to do anyway? Writing.

Can you tell us a joke? Tariffs.

Hidden Talent? Ambidextrous winker.

Can you fill in the blank? – Beauty is___abundant.

What are you most looking forward to? Living in Europe!

What made you smile today? Reflecting on a spontaneous couple of Bowery Hotel nights with a crush.

Thank You, Cassandra!

Follow ~ @cassandratrenary and @pearltakespics