Photos by Bruce Davis

It is not certain whether the word prodigy describes Corry James but if that is not the word it is something like it. In one year, he has acquired the skills of a dancer with four to five years of training. He has raced through the ballet vocabulary of steps and leaped over the normal time frame of what it takes to develop as a highly skilled ballet dancer. “It takes about eight to ten years to train a ballet dancer. At the rate, he is going he could do it in less than five. He’s in the highly unusual position of being able to overcome a late start in ballet and go on to have a professional career. His chances are excellent,” said his instructor Hugh Nini. This is coming from a director that knows talent when he sees it. Mr. Nini helped launch careers such as Mark Godden, also a late starter, who went on to dance as a soloist in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and as an international award-winning choreographer. Corry excelled in high school pushing himself to graduate two years early in order to pursue ballet. When you meet him, he looks a little older but when you talk with him, his maturity level is astonishing. He is extremely focused and goal oriented. Corry’s parents support his possible future in Ballet instead of college at this time because he has the talent and discipline it takes to become a professional. His mother is proud of him and shared that “Corry works with passion in every endeavor he does.”

When Corry walks into the room he has the look you would expect of a dancer; classical features, tall, lean and muscular stature. His look is important because long, thin limbs emphasize the lines of a dance, lending refinement and expression to individual moves. His gift of the right proportions will help him (added benefits) in the competitive world of dance. For as long as Corry can remember, he has loved dance but his interest in ballet peaked around age twelve. As a child, he would go after school, with his friend Nick, to pick up Nick’s sister Cassie at the Denton Ballet Academy. He enjoyed watching her dance and later at home, she would teach him dance moves, “She used me as her puppet to practice dancing with,” said Corry. He enjoyed dancing with her and learning the steps and on one occasion, she brought him to the Academy and introduced him as a prospective student.

He spent the last several years in a study abroad program in Mexico. During his time there, he assisted in humanitarian work in addition to his scholastic studies. He bonded with the locals and absorbed the Hispanic culture. One of his favorite leisure activities was dancing the Cumbia, a fast, loose and upbeat dance that originated in Columbia. This dance became one of his favorite leisure activities. Always physically active he enjoys skateboarding, rock climbing and is willing to try most any extreme sports (except during the time he is preparing for a performance). A little over a year ago, Corry found himself in a discussion with his life long friends Nick and Cassie and asked them how they would feel if he pursued dance. They offered him their support with whatever decision he made. With a new determination, Corry decided to start ballet training and not let the opinions of his other friends that were less supportive rob him of his dreams. Cassie of course was excited about his decision and took him back to the studio where he had watched her dance years ago when they were small children. She formally introduced Corry to Hugh Nini, for the second time, and the instruction begin. Corry started classes and excelled at a remarkable rate. “I think the thing that surprises most ballet students in their first year of instruction is how physically and mentally hard they have to work. Understandably, they show up with the idea that ballet is about costumes. When Cory showed up, he was ready, on day one, to work hard. He’s not deterred by a challenge. It seems the greater the challenge the more he thrives,” stated Nini, “Corry is like all of the best students I teach. He is tireless. He can always do something one more time, a little higher, a little stronger. I think the only time I have ever seen him look tired is at an early morning Saturday class. That is another way he’s like all my best students, and every other ballet student. We don’t do our best work early.”

Capturing exquisiteness is part of the beauty of ballet making it is easy to forget that with the splendor, there is discipline, practice, and a considerable amount of pain. Corry is aware of the sacrifices he will have to make for the love of his art. He trains for hours most every day to condition his body to move in aberrant ways so when on stage his movement appears fluid and natural. For many dancers part of their daily regimen is a strict diet. This is not a struggle for Corry, it was as if he was born to be a dancer; he prefers healthy foods and never had a sweet tooth not even as a young child. Foods that most of us consider the most enticing temptations do not interest him.

Only the hardest working and most dedicated students make it into a professional company and only the best of the best ever make it to the position of solo dancer. Nini shared, “One day after class Corry was asking me about his professional potential and I told him that he had some and that I saw a very straight line between where he was and where he wants to be. All he needed to do was walk from point A to point B. He said he’d rather run. That says everything.”