BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — A ‘dream to dance’ — a Buffalo teen has been selected to dance at one of the nation's premier dance companies — the Atlanta Ballet.
Emma Robinson, 18, is one of the youngest dancers selected by the company.
“The fact that it happened this year for me this year is kind of incredible. I’m still in shock!” declared Robinson.
Emma is about as homegrown as they come. She's from Buffalo, attended Smallwood and Amherst Middle schools, and graduated in June from Buffalo Seminary.
Robinson spent about 12 years of her life at the American Academy of Ballet in Amherst where she received her pre-professional training.
But this is not her first professional dance stint. She was with the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago this past year and that's when she decided to audition for the Atlanta Ballet 2.
It is where the young dancers will now participate in junior-level roles with the larger Atlanta Ballet company.
Emma's former teacher, Maris Battaglia, is the director of the American Academy of Ballet and is so impressed.
“That's very young to get into a company — it's really pretty amazing at 18 to be in a company like that,” explained Battaglia.
Emma was at the American Academy of Ballet daily for dance.
“She was here, I think every day and sometimes taking two-three classes a day,” Battaglia recalls. “She was a very energetic and — very talented — one of these kids you know right away that she's got all the potential, natural extensions, and everything. She was just really focused."
Emma's mom, a single parent, always managed to get her daughter to all her dance lessons.
“She always put me first, which is incredible to like now notice and look back and say wow — she really did everything for me,” Robinson reflected.
Emma is also helping to break barriers for women of color in dance recalling a time, as a young girl, when she went to see The Nutcracker, thinking she could never get a lead as a brown girl.
“I couldn't be Clara — I’ve seen no Brown Clara's and then after I saw Misty (Copeland) I was like — this actually be an opportunity for me and it opened up my eyes and I hope that one day I get to open up a little girl's eyes into becoming a ballerina,” remarked Robinson.
But now Emma says this is a “dream come true”.
“I started crying — I just balled my eyes out. I called my mom right away. I was like, mom, mom, guess what? I finally made it! I’m actually getting paid to do what I love to do,” described Robinson.
