Emily DeVito grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She started ballet when she was thirteen at Dance Theater of PA. She moved to North Carolina her senior year of high school to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, under the direction of Susan Jaffe. She continued her study of dance at UNCSA in college and received a BFA in Dance in May of 2016. Emily has performed the Sugar Plum Fairy, Harlequin Doll, Flowers, Marzipan and Snow Corps in Ethan Stiefel’s production of The Nutcracker. She has also had the pleasure of dancing in UNCSA’s production of Sleeping Beauty, Sir Fredrick Ashton’s Birthday Offering, Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance, Napoli, Helen Pickett’s Petal and Nikiya from La Bayadere. She was invited to perform excerpts from La Bayadere and Susan Jaffe’s piece titled Sognato at the opening of a new theater in Hiroshima, Japan in 2016 alongside the Satomi Morikawa Ballet Academy. Emily was the UNCSA Gaynor Minden Awardee of 2015. She has attended summer intensives at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, American Ballet Theater New York City, Charlotte Ballet and Tivoli Ballet School’s Summer intensive in Copenhagen.
Who influenced you most to become the dancer you are today?
As a person, my parents have encouraged me to follow my dreams and believe in myself since a very young age. Marilyn Budzynski, the director of Pennsylvania Dance Theater, encouraged me to go to UNCSA. At UNCSA Eva Draw, Susan Jaffe and Jennet Zerbe all molded my dancing in multiple ways. UNCSA is where I became the dancer I am today, and the dancer who I am striving to be tomorrow.
What was the funniest episode(s) you’ve experienced in your career?
While I was in Japan performing with the Satomi Morikawa Ballet Academy, my partner Bret Coppa and I received the tech schedule… and it was in Japanese. We had no idea the order of the four hour show, and we were constantly checking in with the stage crew to making sure we were not missing our entrance!
Who would you most like to share the stage with (living or dead)?.
There are SO many who I would love to share the stage with! One person that stands out in my mind is James Whiteside from American Ballet Theater.
What goes through your mind just before you perform?
I try to calm myself down and not think too much. I go over the most current corrections and remind myself that I have nothing to prove, only to share. Words of wisdom from Alessandra James, a principle dancer with Charlotte Ballet.
What do you like/admire most about San Diego Ballet?
There is so much I admire about San Diego Ballet. The training and quality of dance they share is exceptional. I am looking forward to working with all of the faculty and learning the repertoire.