By Bella Sullivan
Gabriela Smith, a Sacramento native and UC Santa Barbara Dance alum, is finding her place in the professional ballet world at just 22 years old. After graduating from UCSB’s Department of Theater and Dance in 2024, Smith is now dancing at the City Ballet of San Diego, where she performed in Carmen and Divertimento earlier this month. She began training at the School of American Ballet in New York and at Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, then won a scholarship to UCSB, where her passion for dance transformed. In a recent interview, Smith discussed how her undergraduate experiences influenced her as an artist, how she entered the professional dance world, and she offers a bit of advice for current UCSB dancers who dream of a career on stage.
Gabriela Smith, a UCSB Theater and Dance alum, is now dancing with the City Ballet of San Diego. In an interview she explains how her time with UCSB Dance shaped her artistic journey.
Q: What initially drew you to the dance program at UCSB specifically?
A: I was never planning on going to college. I was dancing during my senior year of high school in Chicago at the Joffrey Ballet, and then COVID happened, and companies weren't able to rehearse or perform. I didn't get a high school experience. I was homeschooled my whole life for dance. At one of the festivals I did, I got a scholarship to attend the dance program at UCSB. So I decided I was going to apply to the school, and I got in. It ended up being perfect.
Q: Were there any professors, courses, or experiences during your time at UCSB that had amajor impact on you as a dancer?
A: I spent three summers when I was younger dancing at the School of American Ballet in New York City, where they dance the Balanchine style. There were these two teachers, a husband and wife, [UCSB Dance professors] Monique Meunier and Nilas Martins. They both were in the New York City Ballet, which I studied under at the School of American Ballet. They mentored me, and my senior year Monqiue set a piece on us. It was so special because I got to do Balanchine, and that's what I love to do. We got to tour Europe with that piece. Not every company can perform Balanchine — you have to be in the Balanchine Trust to perform these pieces. Nilas Martins comes to City Ballet every so often, and sets Balanchine pieces on us. He's currently setting Divertimento, so it's super exciting. I get to see old faces and it feels very close to home. Those two professors have been a big part of my journey.
Q: How would you describe the UCSB dance community and how would you say it shaped your identity as a performer?
A: As a dancer going from doing mainly ballet, I needed UCSB Dance more than I knew. I'm not a modern dancer, so I got to learn more about myself. I danced with SBDT while I was at UCSB, which is Santa Barbara Dance Theater, another company run by one of the professors there [Brandon Whited]. They do mainly modern dance, and I think dancing those styles helped me perform better as a ballet dancer because I'm more versatile.
UCSB Dance alum Gabriela Smith, right, performs in Santa Barbara. Smith began training at the School of American Ballet in New York and at Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet, then won a scholarship to UCSB, where her love for dance evolved.
Q: What was your path like — from dancing at UCSB to landing a position with the City Ballet in San Diego?
A: I really wanted to start at a place where I could grow in the company and work my way up in the ranks. I heard about City Ballet from one of my friends, and they have a summer intensive that happens in August. I did the intensive, trained with them for three weeks over summer, and then I did a show. There were only two apprentice contracts, and I got one. That was a super surreal moment for me, because it was my first professional contract with a company that was known and respected. It's been so amazing, I've grown so much over this year, and I've gotten so comfortable with the people I'm working with. It does feel like a family. I'm staying next year too. I just know it's going to get better and better, and I'm excited for what's to come.
Q: What are you most excited about in the show performed in May?
A: I'm most excited for the rep in the show called Divertimento. That's our Balanchine ballet that Nilas has been setting. It’s always special to perform a Balanchine ballet, because not a lot of ballet companies do that.
Q: What are your long-term goals as a dancer?
A: I love this company. Everything's going well. I could see myself staying here. I got my BFA while I was at UCSB, so I'd love to spend some time choreographing too, and find ways to incorporate choreographing into being in a ballet company. I'm happy here. I just want to keep working up in the ranks.
Q: What advice would you give to current UCSB dance majors who want to pursue a similar path?
A: UCSB dance is what you make of it. Really commit yourself, because it’s not a strict ballet program. Keep applying yourself. You have to stay motivated. Keep auditioning and it will come.
Bella Sullivan is a third year Communication student at UCSB. She wrote this article for her Digital Journalism course.