She's moved on, but ballet is in Bramer's blood

An edited version of this story first appeared in the SF Chronicle.

Hidden talent has always graced San Francisco Ballet’s corps de ballet, and in her nine years with the company, former dancer Dalene Bramer gave many a luminous and memorable performance in roles small and large. A Santa Rosa native who started dancing when she was three, Bramer arrived at the San Francisco Ballet School at the age of eight, and in 1996 was named an apprentice before joining the corps in 1997. Bramer attracted notice for her warmth and grace in roles as different as “The Pennsylvania Polka” in Paul Taylor’s “Company B” and the White Cat in “Sleeping Beauty.” She could dance a contemporary lead in Hans van Manen’s “Grosse Fuge” and give Balanchine a brilliant glow as a soloist in “Diamonds.” Now finishing her degree at USF’s School of Law, Bramer has turned her ballet-honed professionalism and prodigious intelligence to a new career, but she stays connected to the institution where she grew up by serving on the San Francisco Ballet Board’s School Committee.

As a student, what is it like in the days leading up to the showcase?
It was so exciting, especially as an advanced student, because you prepared all year long for that one performance. The teachers really coached you and helped you develop as an artist into the role that you were dancing. Irina Jacobson and Lola de Avila were my mentors at the school and Irina coached me in the lead in “La Sylphide” when I was 15. We would have rehearsals for a couple of hours a day at least and she would explain who the character was, the emotion behind what you were trying to portray, as well as technical aspects, like, “Put your heel forward more here. Turn out!” She broke it down so that each step was as perfect as it could be. The day-to-day class and exercises give you the foundation so that you have the base to support whatever is demanded of you. When you’re being coached, you’re finally able to bring yourself to the next level as an artist, rather than just doing the steps. It enables you to become an individual.

Did that experience being coached help you when you went into the company?
When I got into the company it was a little bit shocking. It had been a really nurturing environment in the ballet school and I had so many people who were really looking out for me. But once you get into the company, it’s a whole different set of people that are supervising you and teaching you the choreography and you really don’t know them very well. You’re no longer being coached or scrutinized as you were before—you have to do it for yourself. You have the tools and you know what you need, but you have to shift your mindset and be able to correct yourself with having someone constantly telling you what to do.

How did you find out that you’d gotten into San Francisco Ballet?
About three weeks before my last Student Showcase, I broke my fifth metatarsal. I was on crutches, which was somewhat devastating, because Helgi [Tomasson] had created a ballet for the school called “Simple Symphony,” and he had choreographed my part for me, which was an amazing experience for a student. My roommate was my understudy, so when I broke my foot, I started teaching her my part from the couch. I came to all the rehearsals on crutches, trying to encourage my friends and just be there. Well, right after the showcase I got a call from Helgi to meet with him, and he offered me a contract. He said he had had the opportunity to see before I broke my foot but then also in rehearsals for the role that I was supposed to perform and decided that it was worth giving me the chance. I think that it makes a difference, showing that you have a positive attitude--that you’re willing to be a team player and not be negative about the circumstances that you’re in.

Can you tell me about being in St. Mary’s LEAP program and how you came to pursue law?
It’s a tremendous opportunity for dancers, which meant that I was able to get an education and receive an undergraduate degree while I was still dancing. You know, dancers are going six days a week—you get Monday off and that’s it. So it’s hard to pursue an education because there’s just no time. At LEAP, they structured the program so we could have classes on Sunday evenings, even after performances. It was really fun to discuss philosophy and get your mind on something else, so that you’re not completely hyper-focused on dancing.

My last year dancing I knew I wanted to get a master’s degree, but I still wasn’t sure in what. St. Mary’s offered a para-legal program, which I thought that might be a good field for me, but I wanted to make sure. As it turned out, I really loved the research and writing class and I decided law was a good fit for me There’s a lot of artistry in law, in crafting an argument and delivering something that’s persuasive. It takes a lot of planning, just like choreography.

What are some of the things you hope to accomplish by being on the School Committee?
My role, I feel, is to help the school keep moving forward and to try to give it a young perspective. I think one of its most important functions is to develop young dancers into successful people. Of course, not every dancer who goes to the ballet school ends up becoming a professional--usually only one or two get into a company. But the skills that you learn from ballet—dedication, hard work, focus and determination, the knowing that if you put everything you have into it you’ll really see results—that inner strength can really carry you through your whole life wherever you go. In law school I’ve found a lot of those skills transfer. Having composure, grace and also the ability to perform under pressure is really useful when everyone is looking at you and expecting you to perform.

There was a matinee of “Diamonds” in which you danced one of the soloists--you hit a wonderful arabesque that stayed there, it seemed like, forever.
[Bramer laughs.] I remember that like it was yesterday! That was one of the magical moments when everything just comes together. I appreciate your remembering that. You know, it’s hard as a dancer not seeing the audience or their appreciation of you. You can feel them and their energy as you’re dancing, but you don’t necessarily know when people notice you. But the few moments when things just work perfectly—well, those always stay with you.

San Francisco Ballet School 2009 Student Showcase: “Allegro Brillante,” Stars and Stripes.” Wed-Fri, May 20-22, Novellus Theater at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 700 Howard Street at Third St. All tickets $32. For more information, sfballet.org or (415) 865-2000.