What an Alaskan summer added to two Atlanta Ballet dancers’ steps

At 15, New left his hometown to study ballet, but he has returned to Juneau each summer since. “When I was in school, I would go back and rest my body and mind, enjoying the natural beauty and stillness of the place I am lucky to call home,” he said. “Now that I’m working, I use the off season to go back and see family, mostly working for my dad at his veterinary practice and doing odd jobs for my parents.”

As a teen, Butler became interested in ballet when she saw that many of her fellow Girl Scouts were enrolled in ballet classes. Soon, she was invited to attend Boston Ballet School’s preprofessional program, which she says shaped her passion for ballet.

“Watching such incredible artists on stage in such a stunning opera house was something I never experienced before,” she said. In particular, it was the stories, emotions and feelings of the performances that hit home for Butler and inspired her to pursue dance.

Describing their work at the restaurant as fast-paced and busy but still rewarding, the two would toil from morning until evening serving endless plates of fresh seafood to hungry visitors. After work, they would head to the gym, taking barre classes, working on cardio or cross-training before heading back home. There, they’d cook fresh seafood and sometimes take an evening walk to get some time out in nature, an endeavor made easier by the late Alaskan summer sunsets.

“Growing up in Juneau, I was raised with a strong respect and wonder for the natural world,” New said. He carries that shared harmony with and appreciation for nature — and our place within it — in his soul no matter where he is.

When they weren’t working in the restaurant or visiting New’s family, the pair often found themselves spending time outside — hiking, rock climbing, cold plunging, camping on islands just off the coast and fishing.

Prior to this summer, Butler had never caught anything when accompanying New on fishing excursions. “Naturally, this had her convinced that she was cursed and that the fish would never bite in her presence,” New said.

Upon hearing about Butler’s discouragement, New’s father set out to remedy the situation. Rising early one morning, they hopped on a boat and set off to find halibut, a bottom-feeder fish that typically resides 200 to 400 feet below the water’s surface.

“I set her up with her rod, and she sank her line down the depths,” New said. Within only a few minutes, Butler felt a tug on the line and reeled in her catch: a 30-pound halibut that desperately tried to yank the rod out from her hands. When she finally wrestled the fish onto the boat, she declared that her curse had been broken.

Said New, “If I had any wisdom for fellow dancers, I would say find calm in the nature around you, no matter how big or small. Be amongst nature and remind yourself you’re not experiencing it — you’re a part of it. It is always worth it. It has a profoundly healing effect on the mind and soul, and I find now that the art I love and create always seems to be rooted in that perspective.”

New and Butler may be prepared for another season of dance in Atlanta, but they carry the appreciation for the natural world and our place within it throughout their time on stage.

Friday-Sunday. 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $33 and up. Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta. 404-892-3303, atlantaballet.com.

ArtsATL (artsatl.org) is a nonprofit organization that plays a critical role in educating and informing audiences about metro Atlanta’s arts and culture. ArtsATL, founded in 2009, helps build a sustainable arts community contributing to the economic and cultural health of the city.