Johnston ready to leave dance career behind

Not many professionals retire from a thriving career at the age of 31. However, ballet dancer Galien Johnston laughingly dubs herself “just past middle-age in the dance world” and has decided it’s time to bite the bullet.

“I have chronic back injury from wear and tear. Everybody has it, but I’m getting tired of dealing with it. I feel I’ve had a wonderful career dancing for 14 years,” she says.

The Alberta Ballet principal dancer is in rehearsal, gearing up to dance in a double bill. She dances a starring role in both legendary choreographer George Balanchine’s Serenade coming this Friday and Jean Grand-Maitre’s Vigil of Angels. on Saturday at the Jubilee Auditorium.

Although retirement is only a few months away, full-blown rehearsals have pushed most thoughts to the back burner. “I want to take a year off to think about it, maybe go to university and do something different. I need time to get to know who I am. Dancing is a large time commitment and I’ve been doing it since I was little. I haven’t had much time to explore other options.”

The St. Albert dancer was accepted at the National Ballet at the tender age of nine and remained there for her entire training. After graduation Johnston made a professional mark through the Hamburg Ballet when cast as the lead in Jiri Killian’s Forgotten Land, a red pas de deux. “It was a huge opportunity for me. I was still so young.”

But in 2006, she returned to her home province, joining Alberta Ballet. At the company, Johnston has spread her wings with numerous versatile roles.

Her favourite remains the doomed Desdemona in Othello and Desdemona, choreographed by the celebrated Kirk Peterson. “She was such an interesting character — loving and loyal to her husband. It wasn’t just the role, but the full spectrum. I had very good communication with Kirk and I felt I grew a lot with him.”

In the company’s upcoming performances, Johnston is challenged with two very diverse roles. Balanchine’s Serenade, a paean to pure movement, is very physical with dancers performing intricate patterns. “It is just about the joy of movement and dance. There’s a certain freedom and pleasure in the dance when you don’t have to think about the character.”

On the other hand, Vigil of Angels is a character role. It tells of a woman who has lost the love of her life and cannot move on. However she finds comfort in playing a cello.

Angels, stirred by the profound sadness and beauty of her music, revisit the cellist’s past to uncover her strange melancholia. “She relives the story of how she found love. In the end she has lived a full life and is allowed to die.”

Johnston finishes the season in May with Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, the world premiere of Alberta Ballet’s new work featuring the music of Sarah McLachlan.