Check Out Katie O’Gara’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie O’Gara.

Hi Katie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started dancing at the age of three, and from the very beginning, ballet captured my heart and imagination. What began as a childhood activity quickly grew into a lifelong passion, guiding my education, training, and eventually my career. Like many dancers of my generation, I grew up in a world heavily shaped by competitions. I participated in Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and quickly realized how much the ballet world was shifting toward rewarding technical tricks over storytelling and artistry. While competitions gave me opportunities and taught me discipline, they also showed me firsthand how ballet’s essence – its ability to move audiences through narrative and emotion – was being overshadowed.

As I pursued ballet professionally in Los Angeles after graduating from the University of California, Irvine, I found another challenge: opportunity. I discovered that there were very few classical ballet companies in the Los Angeles area, despite such a rich community of artists. Many talented ballet dancers either moved out of state or pieced together freelance work. It became clear to me that LA needed more professional opportunities for ballet artists, and that audiences here were ready for something fresh.

Classical repertory such as Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Sleeping Beauty is undeniably beautiful, impressive, and necessary for keeping dancers rooted in classical technique. However, it can also become redundant, especially in competitions where we see the same variations performed again and again. That repetition inspired me to think about what was missing: new classics that honor tradition while offering fresh stories for today’s audiences.

That is why I founded New Classics Ballet Theatre (NCBT). Our mission is to reimagine what ballet can be by honoring the classical ballet technique and beauty of the art form while creating new, original full-length works that are imaginative, family-friendly, and relevant to today’s world. We want to give ballet artists the chance to thrive in Los Angeles, and we want audiences to see ballet not as a relic but as a living art form that still has so much to say.

Equally important to me is making ballet inclusive. Too often in the dance world, casting is based on body type or appearance rather than artistry and talent. At NCBT, we hire dancers for their ability to tell a story and move an audience through dance, not whether they fit outdated ideals of what a ballet dancer should look like. We believe in strong, athletic, diverse artists who reflect the world we live in.

My journey has shown me both the challenges and possibilities within ballet today. I have seen how competitions and social media can reduce ballet to tricks, but I have also seen how powerful storytelling and artistry can inspire audiences and dancers alike. Through NCBT, I want to create space for professional dancers in LA and bring audiences into new, magical stories that prove ballet is still alive, evolving, and ready for its next classics.

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?
Funding our company has been our greatest challenge. Ironically, this struggle is rooted in the very thing we are trying to overcome with our company: many people don’t know or understand ballet, and they don’t see its relevance in today’s world. Finding organizations or individuals, then, who want to specifically help finance dance, especially classical ballet, becomes even harder.

Producing full-length ballets requires significant resources: theater venues, costumes, sets, music, safe dance flooring, and studio space. As a company, we are building from the ground up. Our ultimate goal is to establish a permanent home where our dancers can train and rehearse, and where the community can connect with ballet in unique ways. Until then, we will rely on rented space to begin our work, with the long-term goal of creating a dedicated home base for the company.

Trying to attract the younger generation to ballet is also a challenge, but one we are ready to tackle with our performances. Arts are consistently underfunded and often removed from schools, so younger generations grow up with less exposure and seem to place less importance on the arts. In a world increasingly driven by screens and digital experiences, we face the challenge of reminding everyone that live performances and the performing arts are what AI and technology can’t replace. Once we have the funding and can perform our shows, we hope to reignite the power of human connection, storytelling, and shared emotion. We are not just working to keep ballet alive; we are working to make it feel vital, exciting, and relevant for today’s audiences.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
New Classics Ballet Theatre is dedicated to creating new classics: original full-length ballets that honor the strength of classical technique while offering fresh stories and perspectives. While many ballet companies focus on reviving traditional repertory, we are building a company around works that audiences have never seen before: productions that can become part of the canon for future generations.

We are also committed to inclusivity. Ballet has long been exclusive, both in who is allowed on stage and in who feels welcome in the audience. We want to break that mold. For dancers, that means valuing artistry and storytelling just as highly as technique. It also means hiring healthy, strong, and diverse performers who reflect the world we live in. For audiences, that means offering affordable ticketing, keeping our shows family-friendly, and holding outreach events so that professional ballet is no longer perceived as elitist or inaccessible.

We are proud to be building a company that belongs to the community. Our productions will ultimately incorporate live music and bring together local artists, creating opportunities for both professionals and pre-professionals alike. We believe that, much like sports, dance is a powerful combination of discipline, athleticism, and passion. Just as people come together to cheer on their favorite team, we hope to show that live ballet can be just as thrilling and unifying.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking was crucial in building this company, and my advice would be, first and foremost, to look to your friends. Our company was established because of the friendships made at the University of California Irvine (UCI) where we were taking classes together, training together, and dreaming about what we hoped the future of dance could be. The guidance and encouragement of our professors at UCI also played a major role in shaping our vision. As part of our curriculum, we were asked to create a hypothetical dance company, and it was through this assignment that my Co-Director, Lauren Clarke, and I began developing what would become NCBT. The professors are aware of the lack of opportunities for dancers, especially here in the Los Angeles and Orange County communities, and encouraged us to explore avenues to work together to find meaningful ways to continue to share our art.

On a more personal note (and I’m sure every dancer has a similar tale to tell), my beginning ballet years were rough. I was in a studio with directors that didn’t share my values and feelings about ballet and performances. Once I left that studio, I found teachers who helped me gain confidence and find joy in ballet while providing me with the freedom to explore my own creativity. Because of this experience, I would encourage any artist to search for a mentor who sees the best in them, brings out the best of them, and shares their vision to help them reach their full potential. It also helps tremendously to broaden your circle. I studied flute and music theory, and had a wonderful teacher. Her insight and knowledge about the music world has had a great impact on how this company will proceed with finding musicians to bring live music to our performances.

I also have a background in neurobiology, scientific research, and plans to ultimately pursue veterinary science. My science mentors have shown me that I am capable of more than I realize, while humbling me and reminding me that there is always more to learn. Through their guidance, I’ve developed deep curiosity and a fascination with how things work and how they can be improved. I bring that same mindset to NCBT, striving to make ballet stronger, more relevant, and more accessible.

NCBT is shaped by the lessons and encouragement of all my mentors, in both science and the arts. Their influence is woven into the company’s vision and values, and I hope the environment we create will continue that cycle of curiosity, growth, and inspiration. I am a mosaic of everyone I’ve ever learned from, and their guidance lives on in this work.

Pricing:

• Please visit our website if you feel moved to donate and help our cause!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.newclassicsballettheatre.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclassicsballettheatre/
• Other: Email: newclassicsballettheatre@gmail.com

Image Credits
Melissa O’Gara (photographer)