-- I X o Q_ Yvonne Fernandez-Cutaran, one of Ballet British C o l u m b i a ' s newest company members this season, and N o r t h Shore resident, was an early ballet bloomer, rising to principal dancer status at the age of 15 w i t h Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de M o n t r e a l - an age at w h i c h most children are still experiencing their first years of high school, and not enduring the immense pressure and rigourous schedule of a professional ballerina. As a young c h i l d , Yvonne trained at the School of Ballet and Dance Arts in M a n i l a , Philippines under the tutelage of Vella D a m i a n - a key teacher Yvonne credits for shaping her incredible career. She was enrolled in her first ballet class at six. "I was a t o m b o y and my m o m was really concerned w i t h h o w I w o u l d g r o w u p , " she explains. "I had such bad posture when I was a c h i l d . I was very bowlegged and my back was not straight at all and my stomach was always hanging o u t . " However, it was an instant affair w i t h the art f o r m . "I loved it from the moment I entered class," gushes Yvonne. "I could totally lose myself in the movement." As principal dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Yvonne danced the lead in the bewitching classical ballet, Giselle. "I was very young when I performed Giselle. It was one of the ballets that I just lost myself i n , " she explains. "Some of the company dancers started crying during (the infamous] crazy scene, and later told me that I had touched them with my performance - that was definitely a memorable moment." After a three-year w o r l d - t o u r with L a L a L a H u m a n Steps, Yvonne bowed d o w n from the stage, taking four-years off from performing. "I had been leading a very stressful lifestyle. I had been living from a suitcase for 13-years, touring non-stop, " she recounts. "I guess I got burned o u t . " Thankfully for audiences, Yvonne's departure from the stage was not long lived. N e w not only to the beautiful North Shore, but to the westcoast as well, Yvonne's excitement is contagious as she reflects upon her decision to join the internationally respected company, Ballet British C o l u m b i a , "I am very proud to be a part of this organization. I'm very happy to k n o w that I am a part of a talented group of dancers." WHO: Yvonne Fernandez-Cutaran WHERE: See her in Dominique Dumais' the weight of absence and Paul Taylor's smash hit Company B. February 16-18 at the QET. TICKETS: 604.280.3311 www.arts-alive.ca January | February