Katherine Healey's Escape from "Ballet Prison"
szoradi
Following is a copy of my posting to the alt.arts.ballet newsgroup,
regarding the Up-Close-and-Personal piece on Katherine Healey in
yesterday's ABC broadcast of the "Challenge of Champions" exhibition.
While my questions are geared to the ballet community, I also would
welcome any insights from this newsgroup regarding Healey's career,
which I find most fascinating. Thanks! - Jeannie
**********
To the alt.arts.ballet newsgroup:
As many of you know, I am an avid figure skating fan, in addition to
loving ballet. Thus, I may be the only "member" of the a.a.b. newsgroup
who heard the "bombshell" dropped by former ENB & Vienna Opera Ballet
principal, Katherine Healey, yesterday, during ABC's broadcast of the
"Challenge of Champions" professional skating exhibition program.
ABC did a 10-minute mini-documentary ("up-close-and-personal" format)
on the life & career of Kathy Healey, leading up to her exquisite
exhibition performance to the prelude from Wagner's "Tristan & Isolde."
The mini-doc. traced her life as a prodigy at SAB, winning silver medal
at Jackson '82, gold medal at Varna '83, movie role as a dying ballerina
in "Six Weeks," the resentment by her ENB colleagues when she signed on
as a Principal of that ballet company at the age of 15, her hiatus from
ballet to earn a B.A. from Princeton, resumption of ballet as a
Principal at the Vienna Opera Ballet, and on to her recent departure
from Vienna. (My! What a life in about 25 years!) She is now trying to
resume her skating career and very recently married her skating coach,
Peter Borroughs, who coached Elaine Zayak to a World Championship in '82
and is currently the coach of the US champion pair team, Ina/Dungjen,
who placed 4th at the Olympics.
Now, here is the bombshell: Healey discusses in the ABC interview how
"Ballet became a prison." When she departed the world of ballet last
year, she felt that she had been "liberated."
Is this attitude typical? Or is it typical of "child prodigies" like
Kathy Healey who were pushed too early into stardom? I remember, a few
years ago, the highly talented Royal Ballet principal, Maria Almeida,
who decided to quit out of the blue. The same thing almost happened to
Viviana Durante last year, then she decide to resume ballet on a "guest"
basis. What is happening?
I look forward to hearing any insights that any of you may have of this
issue, in general, and any insights on Kathy Healey, in particular. I
find her story to be totally fascinating. Thanks in advance.
- Jeannie Szoradi, Washington, DC
Cheryl Sturgeon
szoradi wrote:
>
> Following is a copy of my posting to the alt.arts.ballet newsgroup,
> regarding the Up-Close-and-Personal piece on Katherine Healey in
> yesterday's ABC broadcast of the "Challenge of Champions" exhibition.
I can't beleieve I missed seeing this. Do you think it will be rerun any
time soon?
Cheryl
MaraEL3
>>She . . . very recently married her skating coach,
>>Peter Borroughs
Didn't his wife just die a few months ago?
:-)
Mara
ChocTaww
<<previous post>>
It caught me by surprise when ABC aired the segment about former prima
ballerina Katherine Healy during the exhibition programs of the World Challenge
of Champions last Saturday. I'd read in last month's International Figure
Skating that she'd wed coach Peter Burrows in September, and was planning to
skate in the U.S. Open. Her exhibition skating was wonderful; she has great
line and extension, especially during her spirals. And, as Dick Button noted,
she can really point her toes. It would be great to see her skate "Don
Quixote" (as Toller Cranston wrote about in his book).
ChocTaww
Barbbb
Katherine Healy was the subject of the book "A Very Young Skater," (1980?)
which chronicles her beginning competitive career and relationship with John
Curry. This book holds a special place on my bookshelf, because I still
enjoy reading it over and over!
I missed the update on Katherine. Perhaps I can see her on TV in a future
skating special.