Title
Recognizing Martha Chamberlain, one of the Pennsylvania Ballet's principal dancers, on the occasion of her retirement after 21 years with the Company.
Body
WHEREAS, Martha Chamberlain began her dance training at age five at the Fellowship House in Media, Pennsylvania where she was born and raised; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Chamberlain went on to study with Donna Muzio, Paul Klocke and Cherie Noble at West Chester's Dance Center and The School of American Ballet's Summer Program from 1985 to 1988. She is a graduate of Friends Select and The School of Pennsylvania Ballet; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Chamberlain joined Pennsylvania Ballet as an Apprentice in the fall of 1989 and was promoted to the Corps de Ballet three months later. She was promoted to Soloist in 1997 and to Principal after her premiere as Juliet in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet in March 2000; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Ballet is one of the premier ballet companies in the United States and has been at the forefront of American dance since 1963. The Company has earned a national reputation for its impassioned artistry and technical virtuosity and has received widespread critical acclaim for extraordinary performances of a diverse classical and contemporary repertoire with a Balanchine base. The energy and exuberance of its versatile dancers, including Ms. Chamberlain, are the Company's enduring signature; and
WHEREAS, At the Pennsylvania Ballet, Ms. Chamberlain has danced several leading roles including Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanhilda in Coppélia, Myrtha in Giselle, Dewdrop and Sugarplum Fairy in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, and Helena and Divertissement pas de deux in A Midsummer Night's Dream. She has also had featured roles in George Balanchine's Ballo della Regina, The Four Temperaments, Agon, Western Symphony, Serenade, Apollo, and Rubiesfrom Jewels; Paul Taylor's Company B and Arden Court; and Christopher d'Amboise's Franklin Court...
Click here for full text