Laura Young has been a shining face of Boston Ballet since she first stepped into a class with E. Virginia Williams, founder of Boston Ballet, in 1959. The many roles she has had within the organization reflect her ability to turn her hand to anything that comes her way.Young has been a ballerina, director of Boston Ballet II, principal of Boston Ballet School, founder of DanceLab (now Summer Dance Program - Newton) and is now a beloved teacher at the Newton studio. At the recent annual meeting, Young was recognized for her many contributions to Boston Ballet. Laura's 50 years of service to Boston Ballet include 28 years as a Company dancer - the longest professional career in Boston Ballet history - as well as a long legacy of sharing the joy of dance in he studio through teaching Company dancers, children and adults.
“I was a very energetic young child and when I was six years old, my mother asked if I would like to take a dancing class,” remembers Young. “My first teacher was the cousin of renowned BBS teacher, Sydney Leonard, and she had a studio in Milton. Sydney would come and be a guest performer in the recitals we used to do. I stayed there until I was 12, at which point my teacher, Cecile Baker, told me that I was at the top of her advanced class and that I should go and study in Boston with Miss Williams and Miss Leonard if I wanted to continue progressing toward a career.”
Young comes from a dancing family, with her mother being invited by George Balanchine to join the School of American Ballet for a year when she was 18 and to join his company. “But my grandmother would not let her stay in New York by herself! My mother did get herself back in shape when she was 40, though, and partnered me in a recital production of The Sleeping Beauty.”
Young’s first appearances with a company were with the New England Civic Ballet, the forerunner to Boston Ballet. “I remember dancing in Sydney Leonard’s Alice in Wonderland when I was 13 as a card, and then I was a girl in the first act of The Nutcracker. When I was 14, I got to be a boy in The Nutcracker, which was much more fun!”
In 1965, the company performed their inaugural season as Boston Ballet, following a major grant from the Ford Foundation. Young was part of that first season, and had the chance to perform in many George Balanchine ballets that were generously donated to Boston Ballet by Balanchine himself. “Balanchine was the company’s advisor and he nurtured Virginia right from the early days. We cut our teeth on his ballets – he gave us ballet after ballet.”
Although the company was now official, it was still a fledgling organization. “At that time, we were only paid for performances, not rehearsals, so we all held other jobs. I was a cashier at the men’s department at Kennedy’s men’s store – the skills came in handy later! Most of us lived at home, so I graduated high school and was on my way to college when Virginia made me a principal dancer. I was just 18.”
Young became the leading ballerina of Boston Ballet, performing role after role to great acclaim. Arthur Leeth, former company dancer and now the company musical administrator, remembers her being a wonderful performer. “Laura was an amazingly versatile dancer," says Leeth. “Technically she could do anything - whether it be Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty or a modern work by Anna Sokolow.”
Young danced so many roles during her time with the company, that she has trouble picking her favorites. “Rodeo because she (Agnes de Mille) coached me in the role, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle, Tarantella and Tchaikovksy Pas de Deux (both Balanchine) - but I loved them all!”
When Rudolph Nureyev invited Boston Ballet to London to perform Swan Lake at the London Coliseum, Young was one of his two Odette/Odile ballerinas. “Laura was the first ballerina from Boston Ballet to gain international recognition after her performances with Rudolph,” explains Dierdre Miles Burger, former Boston Ballet soloist and principal of Boston Ballet School. “She had so much charisma on stage, and it was a pleasure as a young artist to learn so much from her.”
While Young was still performing, she began to hone her talents as a teacher. “I was challenged by Sydelle Gomberg and Georgia Deane to put a class together. I was really afraid to do it at first, but then I realized I loved it. Before long I was directing BBII and Summer Dance Program while I was still dancing! I discovered teaching was just as rewarding as performing.”
Following her retirement from the stage, Young was appointed principal of both the Boston and Newton studios and founded DanceLab. Today she is a senior faculty member of Boston Ballet School. “Laura is a wonderfully generous teacher,” enthuses Burger. “She really nurtures her students and is truly inspiring.”
Young has given her life to Boston Ballet and her career has come full circle. ”I want to be remembered for my undying devotion to this company and for the part I and others played in helping put Boston Ballet on the map. When I go to see the company perform now, it is stunningly beautiful. They have taken ballet to the next level. As Virginia used to say to me, ‘don’t think about, just do it.’”
By Christopher Hird
Headshot by Ernesto Galan, Laura Young and Donn Edwards in Swan Lake, Laura Young with Rudolf Nureyev
