Perfect Balance: Altoona native brings experiences from his legendary ballet career to new generation of dancers | News, sports, jobs

Gibson, 55, is the newly appointed artistic director of the Nittany Ballet, the dance division of the Performing Arts School of Central Pennsylvania. The company presents the Christmas classic “The Nutcracker” this weekend and Gibson’s school debut in his new role.

Gibson has performed as a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet and as a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington. The companies are among the five largest companies in the United States. He has also choreographed numerous shows throughout his career, winning the 1995 Choo San Goh Award for “The Piano Dance.”

“I’ve worked with the most amazing people, the most amazing choreographers, stage performers and performers,” Gibson said. “And traveling – I’ve been to Paris three times, London twice, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Scotland, Australia, Poland. It’s amazing the opportunities I’ve had as a professional ballet dancer.”

He shares his expertise with Nittany Ballet students, who say that through his attention to detail, encouragement and kindness, he has the ability to achieve their best.

Paul Gibson is pictured at the Performing Arts School of Central Pennsylvania in State College. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

“He has worked with some of the best choreographers and dancers in the world,” said Principal Becca Beck. “And I have no doubt that he has the same respect for our students for the work they do as he does for the professionals he has worked with. That, in my opinion, is the true gift he gives our students: an appreciation of who they are as people and the work they do.”

For Gibson, being a ballet teacher and now artistic director is a way to share his love of performing.

“It was great to be on stage. It makes you feel good. There is so much power,” he said. “You’re out there dancing and thousands of people have their eyes on you while you’re doing your thing. There is nothing like it. It’s just so amazing.”

Beck said Gibson “brings his best to everything he does and expects the same from those around him, and yet with genuine kindness he manages to set that standard for everyone.” He truly embodies the phrase, ” Do your job well and treat people kindly.” Paul also brings a deep love, understanding and respect for ballet as an art form.”

It all started in Altoona

His journey began in eighth grade when he began dance lessons with Deborah Anthony of the Allegheny Ballet Dance School in Altoona, where “his talent was obvious from the start,” Anthony said. He stood out as a dancer and especially as a choreographer from an early age because of his “very special talent,” she said, adding that he came back and choreographed for the local school after being accepted to the San Francisco Ballet School on a full scholarship had been made in 1986.

Off stage, Anthony described Gibson as “very reserved”. He is a very humble person who does not brag about himself. He’s very nice.”

His rise at the San Francisco school was rocket-like due to his advanced skills. A ballet company has four levels of dancers: apprentice, corps de ballet, soloist and principal dancer.

“After three weeks of training, everyone took advantage of me so much that the artistic director promoted me to the corps. So I did in two years what should have taken five years. It was crazy that it happened so quickly. I’m glad it did because I loved the job, but it happened very quickly,” Gibson explained.

His final week of performances with the San Francisco Ballet took place in Paris in 1994. From there he flew to Seattle to become a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. “It was crazy and wonderful at the same time,” he said.

Anthony attended many of her former student’s performances and recalled one particularly spectacular evening when Pacific Northwest honored Gibson with an evening dedicated to his choreography. Anthony was “so full of pride,” she told the taxi driver who picked her up at the airport as a commercial aired on the radio.

At the performance, Gibson introduced her to the crowd.

“Paul is so warm and wonderful. “It was so nice to see my student and see him standing up there and recognizing me – it meant so much to me,” she said.

After leaving the stage as a performer in 2004, Gibson became the company’s ballet master. His responsibilities included, but were not limited to, scheduling all rehearsals and performances, teaching/preparing/rehearsing dancers for all productions and performances, and maintaining overall quality.

“I have always choreographed my own ballets, with the Allegheny Ballet, and helped friends and others perform them,” Gibson said. “So it was a natural transition to do that. It’s just fun to work with dancers on choreography and help make them better dancers and make them look amazing, and then seeing that be rewarded by them on stage is one of the best things .”

In 2019, Gibson returned to Altoona for a year off – his first break in 25 years as a dancer. The shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic extended his “pause” to two years. In 2021, he joined the Nittany Ballet’s dance faculty and was promoted to its artistic director in July.

“Magical” experience

For 12 weeks, the ensemble has been preparing for its annual performance of “The Nutcracker” at Eisenhower Auditorium on December 14th at 7 p.m. and December 15th at 2 p.m. The two-act story ballet receives an update with Gibson’s new choreography. Sets and “optimizations” of the plot.

“I want to make it magical for the audience,” he said.

For older Nittany Ballet dancers, this year’s Nutcracker performance is very special.

Maggie Yang plays the Snow Queen and calls the role “a turning point in her ballet journey” because she “viewed the role of the Snow Queen as a symbol of beauty and mastery, and now I have the chance to step into this role” to inspire the next generation of dancers. It’s important to me that I use all the lessons I’ve learned in ballet to create something magical and meaningful for audiences.”

For as long as I can remember, “Dew Drop” in Act 11 was Maia Barber’s “dream role.” For me the character embodies both strength and grace and I find her inspiring. The way she is so light on her feet and floats through the air would fascinate me as a young dancer.”

The role showed her how much she has developed and developed her skills.

Sullivan and the other students pointed to Gibson’s professional experiences and his ability to challenge them to become better dancers while providing them with the guidance they need to grow.

“Paul’s teaching style is the perfect balance of encouragement and constructive criticism while also being funny, passionate and kind-hearted,” Yang said. “His eye for detail is unmatched – he notices the subtle adjustments that can take our dance from good to exceptional, and he helps us understand how to make those changes. Most importantly, he pushes us to improve while making sure we always know he believes in us.”

Barber said she learned “that it’s OK to be proud of something, even if I’m still working on it.” It’s a lesson that has reduced her fear of taking risks in and out of the dance studio, and she credits Gibson with helping her “challenge my boundaries.”

For ballet student Sienna Sullivan, Gibson “has an infectious energy and showed me that coming in and working hard every day can be worth it. I’ve been able to apply this not only in the studio, but in many other aspects of my life.”

Of Gibson, he said: “I’m having such a great time. I love working with the children.”