Conversations with Lorita Travaglia

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorita Travaglia.

Hi Lorita, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born in New Zealand and from the age of four, I knew that I had to dance. I insisted that my mother find a teacher and so it began. I was not a natural ballet dancer but I had the drive and passion and a natural musicality and a lot of determination. I struggled in the studio and hated practicing at home but the first time I stepped on stage at age seven, I felt myself light up and to this day the stage is my favourite place. Ballet was my whole life and I worked hard. I was granted a bursary as a teenager to study at the Royal Ballet School in London and from there, I began a 22 years career as a professional dancer in the Berlin Ballet and later in the USA, in the Princeton Ballet, Boston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and International Ballet Rotaru. I returned to New Zealand in 1992 and continued to dance as a guest artist in the USA and finally retired in 1996.

I had begun teaching while still performing and after retiring from the stage, I took a position as Director of Canyon Concert Ballet in Ft Collins. I had returned to the USA in order to pursue a new career in Traditional Chinese Medicine, attending the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Denver. The plan was to move away from ballet but that did not happen. I graduated from CSTCM in 2000 and started a private practice in Denver but had also been invited to work with Colorado Ballet so being unable to choose, I am both Ballet Master at Colorado Ballet and Acupuncturist at Qi Harmony Acupuncture.

In 2004 I discovered Argentine Tango. I never thought I would enjoy social dancing but very soon after my first few classes, I found myself addicted to this dance. It was something that took my total attention and I looked forward to the Friday night tango events at the Mercury Cafe where I could dress up and enter a ballroom lit by fairy lights and dance to the tango music of the 1930’s and 40’s with strangers who shared my love of the music and dance. There I could leave my work and personal responsibilities at the door and enter a magical space that forced me to yield to the music and the partner leading me in an improvised dance. I would leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and come home to my newly adopted daughter and be a better mother.

In 2012, another former ballet dancer who had also discovered tango, and I, decided to form a performing tango group in order to spread the joy and passion of Argentine Tango to people who knew nothing about this dance. And so along with another colleague of mine who knew a lot about performing arts administration, the three of us created a nonprofit called Parasol Arts.

We had an initial fundraising concert in 2012 and since then have presented annual productions incorporating Tango, live music, live theatre and other dance forms as well as performances for street fairs, school outreach, nursing homes and in local cafes.

Argentine Tango, unlike ballet, is accessible to everyone. Anyone at any age can learn and dance tango. It is a universal language requiring no words and it is danced all over the world. Even the invitation to dance is done by the cabeceo which is a nonverbal connection through the eyes or a raised eyebrow.

As the Creative Director of Parasol Arts, I create and direct the shows. This process includes a lot of creative and choreographic input from the dancers and I love this collaboration. The creative process is a joy. The administrative responsibilities are not but I am constantly learning new things as I struggle with marketing, fundraising, advertising, bookkeeping, rental contracts, etc. and I have a small Board of Directors who help. The pandemic has been an enormous challenge to tango in particular as tango requires an embrace and close contact. However, Parasol Arts was able to produce a film version of “The Seasons” in 2020 employing a limited number of dancers. Thanks to a grant from Colorado Creative Industries and the National Endowment for the Arts, “The Seasons” (a collaboration with The Austin Piazzolla Quintet, Michelle Courier of the Westward Gallery, Actor Joey Wishnia and Filmmaker Mitch Dickman,) came to life virtually and hopefully will come to life on stage later this year.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing worthwhile in life is a smooth ride! Being a performing artist and particularly being a dancer has its struggles. In Europe, the Arts are state supported and had I spent my whole career with the Berlin Ballet, I would be now enjoying two pensions.

Here in the US, dance companies work for a period of 30-35 weeks a year and are laid off for the remaining weeks. As for a nonprofit like Parasol Arts, we are dependent on individual contributions to keep going.

The CO Cares Act grant that we received in 2020, which allowed for the creation of the film “The Seasons”, was the first grant ever. The major grants require an operating budget of at least $50,000 before anyone can apply and for years, Parasol Arts struggled to reach an operating budget of $25,000 which is the requirement for most other grants. Ideally, Parasol Arts would have a budget that allows us to hire dancers for a paid rehearsal period culminating in the performances, but instead Parasol Arts hires dancers as independent contractors paying them a performance fee which includes rehearsals. This is not enough to support the dancers so they are all working other jobs and rehearsals are on weekends or late at night. For me, this is a labor of love and I invariably give money but never pay myself. The other dancers need to be paid something as an acknowledgment of their value, and it is never enough.

So I would say that money is the biggest obstacle and I pray every day that an Angel donor will appear!

Needless to say the pandemic has been a major challenge. Because of restrictions, Parasol Arts has had to cancel all regular fundraising activities such as classes, milongas, as well as our annual gala. With theatres being closed, live performances are still not possible and the income from virtual performances is just a fraction of the income from a live event. Parasol Arts is currently working with MVMT MATTERS which has created a virtual show from film footage of Parasol Arts’ performances and are bringing it to nursing homes. The small income from these is going towards the debt incurred from producing a film during the pandemic.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My current work as Ballet Master at the Colorado Ballet and also Creative Director of Parasol Arts is the outcome of a lifelong devotion and commitment to dance.

As Ballet Master at Colorado Ballet, I train professional ballet dancers and prepare them for the stage. Together with the other two Ballet Masters, I put the productions together, teach the choreography, rehearse the dancers, and sometimes choreograph a piece. Having danced myself for many years, I understand dancers, their insecurities, their different ways of learning, how they need to be treated to get the best out of them, how to nurture their artistry and confidence. I also have a good eye for detail and can see the physics of the technique, the coordination or lack of coordination in movements.

As Creative Director of Parasol Arts I am driven by the passion to create productions that make people feel and think. In life, we have our daily struggles with ourselves, our jobs, our families. It is very important to have a way to relieve those stresses and the Arts can lift us up out of the daily grind and evoke emotion and inspire us. In my Chinese Medicine practice, I always ask my patients how they relieve their stress. It is essential for health. The mind, body spirit connection is what makes us whole and often the focus is on the physical health when really it is the emotions that create dis ease. If I can get the audience to laugh or cry or feel nostalgic, then the show is a success.

Parasol Arts uses the Argentine Tango as a language to show emotions, tell a story and portray both the beauty of dance as well as the sensuality and earthiness of tango. Often I mix tango with ballet and other dance forms as well as nontraditional tango music to create unique productions that often include visual art, poetry, and live music. I am proud of what Parasol Arts has done since 2012 in bringing the passion and inspiration of tango to many people…

I have always followed my heart and pursued the things I am driven to do; ballet, Chinese Medicine, adoption and tango. I feel fortunate to have so many passions and I am crazy enough to follow them. I’m not sure that that sets me apart from others but I can say that I have certainly had a very different and unconventional life from my family and friends.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I think my favourite childhood memory is that first time I danced on stage. I was seven and dressed in a pink tutu that my mother had made. I walked out onto the stage and stood in position waiting for the music to start. I was beaming feeling like the light inside of me had been switched on. The music did not start. I was told to leave the stage but I refused and had to be carried off. When they figured out what was wrong with the music, I did get to go back out and dance.

Contact Info:

• Email: lorita@parasolarts.org
• Website: www.parasolarts.org
• Instagram: balletango
• Facebook: Parasol Arts
• Twitter: @ParasolArtsCo
• Youtube: parasol arts

Image Credits
David Andrew
Francisco Estevez