Meet Our People: Caitlin

Caitlin Halmarick | DANCER

Ballet - I love ballet because it enables communities to be brought together to experience art and be exposed to entertaining narratives, as well as thought-provoking abstract ideas all through the capitalisation of movement of the body, and music.

My favourite ballet is Chroma by Wayne McGregor. It's such a physical, athletic ballet, but also can be interpreted many different ways with its exploration of ideas. 

Collect(ive) - I love collecting rings with semi-precious stones in them that I usually buy from markets. I really enjoy markets so they remind me of a good day and they're also beautiful.

Aotearoa - My favourite place in Aotearoa is definitely Wellington. It's such a great city with a mixture of a forward-focussed arts scene, a strong financial district, a lot of university students and families (which keeps the place lively), nature areas, and a free spirit which values self-expression.

Home - I was born and raised in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia, but I consider Wellington to be my second home. 

Training - I trained at The Conlan College in Sydney in their full-time programme for three years, before moving to New York City at age 16 to train at American Ballet Theatre's JKO school for a year. After that I trained at the New Zealand School of Dance, where I graduated in 2019.

Highlights - I performed at American Ballet Theatre's Fall Gala in 2016 at the David H. Koch Theatre in Lincoln Centre, NYC. I also performed one of the solos in Stanton Welch's The Ladies at Houston Ballet's Summer Intensive in 2017, however, as Homemade Jam is my first professional gig being a part of Ballet Collective Aotearoa is definitely my career highlight.

Favourite Jam - Any jam from Ricardo's Tomatoes. It's a tomato and strawberry farm just outside of Port Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia where my family go all the time for summer holidays. They make all their own jams.


Photography: Sarah Davies, Sarah Kaye Photography