Today we’d like to introduce you to Micah & Yellie Chermak.
Hi Micah & Yellie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My wife and I met as dancers with Ballet Tucson and toured the country together with such companies as Alabama Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, The Portland Opera and Ballet Austin. I have an MFA in Choreography and performance from the University of Arizona and we retired from professional dancing a few years after I graduated to move into choreography, and artistic direction for both professional dance companies and academies.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
This art form can take a lot from you and despite our road being one of great beauty and opportunity we have faced a fair amount struggle after our retirement from dancing. Most especially in our personal health but also in the changing politics and economy. Between the pandemic and the cuts to artistic funding we have been forced to move a number of times and finally came to a point of deciding to no longer work for non-profit oriented entities due to their current instability- which brought us to pursue ownership through acquisition! That’s how we found Ashley Ballet Arts Academy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Our joy and pride for the season is our Nutcracker. We have been through a number of different versions to fit the stage and be set on many different kinds of people over the years from children to the elderly, from the novice dancer to the professional dancer. We are MOST excited about our new 2025 Nutcracker that is full length, has many professional dancers and our beautiful academy dancers with some new costuming, set and props!
We have been working as dance pedagogues for over 20 years studying nearly every concert dance discipline including Ballet, Modern Dance, Jazz, Contemporary, and Acrobatics. Ashley Ballet Arts remains a concert dance academy which means we only participate in artistically oriented dance concerts for children and adults.
Micah has also been a Junior Olympic gymnastics coach for many years on top of being a certified K-12 substitute teacher in many different states across the US. Micah also enjoyed his time as a preceptor at the University of Arizona where he did special study in artistic direction. He is most proud of his choreography which has been recognized and commissioned around the country and has been featured in festivals, academic settings and with professional companies.
Yellie is a very accomplished dancer of soloist rank in many different companies across the US. Her first professional contract was offered to her when she was only 16 and she is most proud of her growing legacy in ballet. Being a leader in next generation of ballet working to both preserve the art form and explore its progress is the most exciting for her.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
A lot of our personal strengths and interests as individuals happen to satisfy the shortcomings in the other which makes us a great team. Being true to our convictions and trusting our professional experience has been a constant lesson. Many professional artists struggle with the so-called, “imposter syndrome” and we are learning to acknowledge those feelings as proof of caring for the art form- and moving on trusting our artistic processes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ashleyballetarts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyballetartsacademy/?igsh=NG95NHMxcWtvMHNm&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574789594534
