Whitney Mitchell was born a twin in 1986. At the age of six she began ballet instruction. While dancing with the Vallejo Ballet Conservatory, she participated in numerous ballet productions at the Maritime Academy. In 1999, she performed her first solo as the "Fox" in the Carnival of Animals production.

Under the instruction of the Vallejo Ballet Company, Whitney's talent excelled and she began performing with the troupe in local, elderly sick-care centers, at Six-Flag Marine World and in numerous civic functions, including the dedication of the restored victorian Herbert in downtown Vallejo.

In 2001, she performed another solo at the "Rat Queen" in the popular Nutcracker ballet. In 2002, though she declined an opportunity to study with the Cincinnati Ballet, she was chosen to dance in a trio at the Golden Gate Opera in San Francisco and in the popular Hansel and Gretel ballet.

Currently, Whitney is now a senior at Jesse Bethel High School and she participates in both the Napa Regional Dance Company and Lines Ballet in San Francisco. She was accepted in the Lines Ballet summer internship program which she attended after her return from New York. This summer in New York, Whitney studied with the world-famous Joffrey Ballet for several weeks. There she had an opportunity to visit Julliard, The Harlem Ballet, The American Ballet and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. She will decide which dance path to take after graduation from high school.

JBHS
Summer Reporter

June 11th (Pre-Departure)

When I was a little girl, eleven or twelve, I dreamed of going to New York City. I know in my head that some day my tgoal to dance in a professional ballet company would come true. I am excited because I have been accepted to dance with the Joffery Ballet Company in New York this summer. My dream has come true and I will be happy to share my experiences with you.

I woke up at 6:00 am everyday, ate breakfast at 8:00 am and left the Pennington Friends House at 9:oo am. My mother, sister Courtney and I stayed at the Pennington Friends residence built by the Quakers in the 1800’s. The building is stilled owned by the Quaker organization and rented to permanent residents. We were lucky to get one of their 3 guest rooms. The residents were warm and loving and the building was majestic; I loved living there.

Each day, I walked from E15 & 2nd Avenue to 10th & 7th Avenue to the Joffrey Ballet School. Occasionally, I would walk with other students but typically I walked by myself. It was a 20-minute walk to Joffrey. I enjoyed the walk because it it gave my body a warm-up before class. I loved the morning sights, sounds and smells of the East Village. Street vendors were out early to sell food to people on the run to work.

It was exciting to meet young dancers from almost every state in the country and Japan who, like me, studied ballet most of their lives and dreamed of coming to NYC to study with the Joffrey Ballet School. My ballet classes were from 10:00am thru 6:30pm. I had 17 classes per week, which is the maximum at Joffrey Ballet per week.

At the end of each day, I was drained & exhausted. I knew the workouts would build my stamina and definitely improve my dance technique. I also had seven different teachers. The teachers were quite different and wonderful with unique talents that make Joffrey Ballet what it is today.

My goal as a dance student was to give every teacher 100% and more of my effort and attention; I have a lot of goals for my future in the entertainment world.

After my last dance class I would walk “home” to eat. Dinner was prepared by a gourmet cook at our residence and was served at 7:00 pm promptly. After dinner my mother, sister and I would walk around the East Village or go to Times Square to the theatre. On the the first Saturday, I was so exhausted that I slept the entire day. My mother woke me just to give me water and a little food. The following weeks I paced myself better.

The second week, I realized that the level I was placed in during the audition wasn’t a very challenging for me. Rather than stay in the level I was assigned, I decided to do something about it because I knew that to be successful in life you need to stand up for yourself- no one can do that but you. So, I asked the dance director to change some of my classes.

Everything turned out perfect I was placed in a more challenging level that would better develop my skills during the last two weeks. Just because I was placed in a level didn’t mean I had to stay there. In the end, I’m the only one that really knows what I’m capable of doing; “Never settle for less.”

The last week at Joffrey was very difficult because it would soon be over. I truly loved being a “New Yorker” and studying at the Joffrey Ballet. Next year, my goal is to audition for Joffrey Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Lines Ballet in San Francisco for the summer of 2004. Then, in the August of next year, I'll go off to college.

On returning from NYC I began ballet studies at Lines Ballet Pre-Professional Program in San Francisco, which ran from July 14 to August 9th. I was in a Lines Ballet student performance at The Cowell Theater at the Fort Mason Center on August 9th.

Some N.Y.C. Highlights:

• Aida (musical): Winner! 2000 Tony Awards including Best Music on Broadway - “Disney’s Done It Again!” -The New Yorker w/ Elton John and Tim Rice at the Palace Theatre, Broadway and 47th St.
• The Lion King (musical): “There is Simply Nothing Else Like It!” - The New York Time at the New Amsterdam Theatre, Broadway and 42nd St.
• Union Park: Professionals from the Joffrey Ballet performed here.
• Sylvia’s (a famous restaurant in Harlem) :The waitresses sang Happy Birthday to my twin sister Courtney and me; we met Sylvia the owner. The food was unbelievable…
• Bryant Park & Free Broadway performances
• The Apollo Theatre -Amateur Night was unbelievable
• Shopping in Harlem
• Road the subways all over Manhattan
• Metropolitan Museum
• Shopping on Times Square
• Tango dancing at Lincoln Center Plaza
• The 4th of July on the rooftop
• In the audience of the Good Morning America Show