The following is from a set of four interviews conducted with members (and one former member) of New York City Ballet, during their rehearsal for “A Gala Evening” in Mobile, Ala. The article was set to appear in a Sunday Arts section of the Mobile Press-Register, but was “killed” for size. They are being posted here for the first time.

Rachel Rutherford

It’s always tradition for my little sister Dione to take a picture with Rachel Rutherford when she’s in town. She’s come almost every year since 2003, and I even made sure to see her performing in “Four Voices” in May when I returned to the city. Rutherford has been a soloist with NYCB since 2002, and has performed with the Mobile Ballet as the “Sugarplum” in “The Nutcracker” and as “Aurora” in their performance of “Sleeping Beauty.” For the Gala, she performed Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” and “Who Cares.”

Q: I know that you’ve spent a lot of time in Mobile, what do you like or dislike about performing here?

Rutherford: There’s nothing really to dislike, because it’s such a great facility. The stage is great. It helps to know that there are family and friends out there rooting for you. I was laughing today with my colleagues, cause a lot of them have never been down here, and I was just saying it’s hard sometimes to come out here and not just sit on the wharf at Pointe Clear, and to sort of be in that work frame of mind [laughs]. There’s nothing difficult at all about performing here. It’s always a pleasure. You all take very good care of us.

Q: Everyone always says that your mother, Gage Bush Englund, was a dance prodigy. What was it like growing up with her? 

Rutherford: Watching her take care of other dancers and coach them; when it sort of came to me she sort of stepped back and let me do my own thing. It’s great to have a mom that understands ballet and understands when you come home frustrated; she completely gets it because she’s been there. It’s also great because she’s very proud of me and she gets it when I’m happy too and knows how much that means. I can only say it’s been a win-win situation sort of coming from a dancer background.

Q: Some Mobile audiences always say that you look like a princess, and fit those ‘Sugarplum’ and ‘Aurora’ roles, which roles do you think best suit you in your opinion?

Rutherford: I think I’m still trying to figure that out [laughs]. Yeah, I don’t know, it’s interesting to try on the different parts to see where they’re different things about each one that I feel comfortable with. But it’s nice having that comfort, that safety but it’s also nice to have a challenge. When I came out and did ‘Aurora’ that was a big challenge to sort of show her at 16 and to show her getting married. So I’m glad I looked the part [laughs]! But I’m still trying to figure out which parts are best suited to me. Maybe at the end of my career I’ll be able to answer that question more honestly.

Q: Do you have any roles you’re dying to perform?

Rutherford: Oh that’s so hard, cause you’re catching me at a layoff where ballet has been the furthest thing from my mind. One role I’d love to do is Jerome Robbins’ ‘The Cage.’ ‘The Novice’ and ‘The Cage.’ I’d love to do something like that. I don’t really have a dream role, per say. Again, it’s the aspects of different parts that really intrigue me that I’d love to maybe try at some point. 

Q: The last thing I saw you in was Jerome Robbins’ ‘Moves’ the silent ballet, do you like experimental pieces like that? 

Rutherford: Yeah I do. I mean, I love all of the Robbins things they do, and I feel like they’re very classical things and there’s something like ‘Moves’ where there’s no music. Yeah I like doing his things. I’ve worked with (choreographer) Angelin Preljocaj [in] ‘La Stravaganza.’ I love doing that, being in flat shoes, experimenting with contemporary dance. Jorma Elo came and there was a piece I understudied for. It’s great just working with different people in the studio.

Q: Which dancers do you like to work most with?

Rutherford: Well, this group. This here is a fun group. I’ve been pretty lucky. You all know Jared Angle (Angle performed as the ‘Cavalier’ in Mobile Ballet’s production of ‘The Nutcracker’) and his brother Tyler. Last year we had a real partnership going and so I got to say the Angle brothers are two of my favorite men in the world. I haven’t danced with Chuck (Charles Askegard) since, I think, ‘[Sleeping] Beauty.’ So it’ll be fun to dance with him again.  There’s a group of us that are—I don’t want to say mature—but are a little older and just sort of bond anyway in the company because of our experiences because we’ve been there longer. So it’s a good group.

Q: What’s the most exciting thing going on in your life right now, dance related or non-dance related?

Rutherford: Just life, not so much dance related right now. I have a really wonderful man in my life, really good friends. I’m just having a wonderful time and I think I need a little bit of that, I need to bring a little bit of that to my dancing.

Q: Really?

Rutherford: To relax a little more, to remind myself it’s fun. Because I think my life outside of dance is really great right now so that’s sort of the exciting thing. You know, [in] ballet there’s always a challenge. There are always goals to strive for so it’s easy, for me at least, to remember that I enjoy it sometimes.