Michelle Katcher

Previous Affiliations:

Gelsey Kirkland Ballet, Ballet Arizona

Michelle Katcher was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. At the age of seven, she began classes at Anchorage Classical Ballet Academy, where she studied for nine years under Farah and Michelangelo Canale. Michelle then moved to Washington D.C. to train at the Kirov Academy of Ballet. Upon graduating, she was invited to study under the legendary American ballerina, Gelsey Kirkland in New York City. Michelle was a founding member of the Gelsey Kirkland Ballet. With GKB, Michelle danced many principal and soloist roles including Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Marie in The Nutcracker, and Columbine in Harlequinade. Michelle then joined Ballet Arizona for one season, where she danced in ballets such as Ib Anderson’s Coppelia and The Sleeping Beauty, and George Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements, Rubies, and Walpurgisnacht. Since joining the Sacramento Ballet in 2016, Michelle has had the opportunity to work with many choreographers including Amy Seiwert, Ron Cunningham, Penny Saunders, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Her favorite roles include Marie in Amy Seiwert’s The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Tarantella, and the “jumping girl” in Gerald Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi.

Photo by Tony Nguyen