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Patrick Frenette, Rock Solid

After joining American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in 2013, and becoming a member of the corps de ballet in January 2014, where his roles included Wilfred in “Giselle,” and Notary’s Clerk in “La Fille mal gardée,” Patrick Frenette, at 29, was finally promoted to soloist in July of this year. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he began his early training at the Goh Ballet Academy, with his family relocating to Orange County, California, in 2008, in order that he could further his professional ballet training.           

   

Aran Bell, Zimmi Coker, and Patrick Frenette in Twyla Tharp’s “Deuce Coupe.” Photograph by Gene Schiavon

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In 2011, Frenette was awarded the Mary Day Award for Outstanding Artistry, and was also a two-time recipient of the Senior Grand Prix award at the Youth America Grand Prix’s regional competitions. In 2012, the young dancer began studying full time at the School of American Ballet and, while there, in addition to being awarded the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship, he studied with Jack Soto and Suki Schorer, as well as having performed in New York Choreographic Institute workshops.

His time with ABT has been fruitful, and his repertoire has featured a bounty of roles, among them, the Spanish Dance in “Swan Lake,” Evans and “Becomings” in Wayne McGregor’s “Woolf Works,” as well as featured roles in, among others, Mark Morris’ “After You,” and Twyla Tharp’s “Deuce Coupe.” In addition, Frenette has created featured roles, including in Alexei Ratmansky’s “Songs of Bukovina” (2017), and “Bernstein in a Bubble” (2021). On October 31, and November 2, the dancer will take on the role of Svidrigailov in Helen Pickett’s world premiere, “Crime in Punishment,” based on Fyodor Dostoevsky’s epic novel.

The press has also taken notice of Frenette, whose technique is striking, his bearing noble and his partnering elegant. Indeed, last year, the New York Times’ Gia Kourlas described his Hilarion in “Giselle” as, “heartbreaking in the first act—not boorishly one-note—and a whirling dervish in the second as the Wilis made him dance to his death.” (Frenette is also a gifted amateur photographer, with some of his photos of dancers in rehearsal having been published in the New York Times.)

Fjord Review recently caught up by phone with Frenette, who had just finished teaching a two-week Boys Ballet Summer Intensive (BBSI). A pre-professional course for boys between the ages of 11 and 21, BBSI was co-founded in 2015 in Cary, North Carolina by Frenette, his mother Kimber, and International Ballet Academy director Christina Fannéy; his sister Emma is co-director. (In a first, Frenette will also be leading BBSI at Segerstrom Center for the Arts next summer.) Topics ranged from his unwavering devotion to ballet and who’s inspired him on his journey, to where he sees himself in the next five to 10 years.  

Patrick Frenette as Benno in “Swan Lake.” Photograph by Rosalie O’Connor

When did you first know that you wanted to be a ballet dancer?

I started ballet when I was three, but knew when I was about nine years old, [because] my sister, Emma, was dancing. It’s a story you’ll hear from many guys who get into ballet—from their siblings. I was glued at the hip to Emma [and], as she was dancing, I became smitten with the music and watching everyone move. 

I would fling myself into the studio and hang out with her. Perhaps I was making a bit of a spectacle, but a dance studio wants to see an eager young man and entice their interest into dance. I wasn’t doing anything serious—it was dance for the purity of the art form and purity of movement. I also had supportive teachers, and when I was six or seven, my instructor at the time suggested to my family that we enroll in a more professional school, Goh, in Vancouver. 

Okay, you knew ballet would be your life’s path, but why ABT? Where did that fixation come from? 

I got a taste of what the trajectory was in a ballet dancer and [what that] was going to look like. There was a senior dancer, Alex Wong, who was at Goh with me, but much older. He was the first Canadian to win the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. 

He trained for over a year and was awarded a Studio Company offer with ABT. Because Alex was everything to me growing up, that was my introduction to ABT. I thought, “If he’s going to go, then I want to, as well.” I became obsessed. I fell in love with the company and started getting video cassettes and DVDs. I was watching tapes of Angel Correla, José Manuel Carreño, Ethan Stiefel—all the greats. 

Through all of this, there was societal pushback for being a guy in ballet. I was bullied incessantly. But to see the end game of being a professional and have your name outside of a theater, to be performing in front of thousands of people doing what we love—that was a huge propelling force for me. I thought, “I am going to see this through and it doesn’t matter what anybody says or thinks.” Nobody was going to stand in my way of that.

When you were 11, the revered teacher, Franco De Vita took notice of you at a small festival and offered you a scholarship to the ABT/JKO School in 2006. Fast forward to age 17, and you had moved to New York to attend School of American Ballet, and soon began auditioning for different companies.

I moved there so I could dance in New York City. [Whether] that was going to be on Broadway, with City Ballet, Complexions [Contemporary Ballet] or ABT, New York was my dream. I had gotten a contract with Houston Ballet, Semperoper [Ballett] Dresden in Germany, and a second company position with Pennsylvania ballet, now Philadelphia Ballet. 

Then I ended up going at the last minute to audition for ABT when I was 18, and got in as an apprentice. I re-affirmed that I wanted to return to my initial dream—working with this company. That decision I made when I was not even a teenager has carried me to where I am today, as a soloist. I was presented with scholarships and I was grateful, but I had made up my mind: Getting that job at 18 was truly the beginning for me.

Chloe Misseldine and Patrick Frenette in Wayne McGregor’s “Woolf Works.” Photograph by Marty Sohl

And then it would be another 11 years advancing to soloist. How did you manage to remain positive when others around you were being promoted, but you were passed over?

There’s always a measure of acknowledging when a dancer is promoted ahead of you. There’s a pause, an initial feeling of a set-back and, of course, some disappointment along the way, [and] the need for clarity. 

 But I looked at the work that I had to do—even as a corps de ballet member, through the commitment I’ve given to the company and my capabilities as a dancer, as a technician and an artist. I’ve been cast very well in featured opportunities, so, in the face of that, I looked at my career: “Yes, these dancers have been promoted, some of my closest friends before me,” but never has there been a thought in my mind, “It should have been me instead of someone else.”

I want to believe that we all move forward together, rather than stepping on someone to be successful. Maybe it’s the Canadian in me. I looked at the work I had laid out for me in 2024—featured roles in almost all of the classical repertory. Wayne McGregor had cast me in “Woolf Works,” ahead of our debut in Costa Mesa, so I would say I remained focused, and through focus, I found the positivity necessary to stay the course. 

Whether it was my largest role or another corps de ballet role, I did my best work to make sure that no matter what happened on stage, I was going to present my most authentic and accomplished self in every role that I performed.

Coming back from Covid was difficult for everyone, but it must have been much harder for dancers.

I lost a lot of time that I couldn’t afford to lose when I came back to New York City from my family’s [home] in North Carolina. I didn’t know what was in store for me, other than dancers were getting promoted and I was not one of them. I was still being cast, but I was starting to get a bit older. 

I saw younger dancers joining the company and getting cast, which gave me apprehensions: How much longer was I going to be a featured corps de ballet dancer? I only had two places to go—a corps member that does featured roles, [and] you either get promoted or age out of them, or you go to a different company. 

I wasn’t a fan of either; I still had my sights on promotion. It became a question of how much am I going to chase after this. Every time when I thought I couldn’t run any faster, I found new motivations, or found new people to come into my life that propelled me even further.

Bravo! So, what were your thoughts when you heard your name called and had finally been promoted? 

In that moment, it’s everything that I had dreamed of. My initial reaction was sheer delight, and so much gratitude, as well. I’m very grateful to work for an artistic director like Susan Jaffe, who sets a clear expectation of what she sees in me as a dancer and as a person. Through coaching and guidance that she and the entire ABT artistic staff gave me, I was able to present my best body of work. This past season was my strongest, and they helped me dig deep into who I can really be when I surpass my limits. 

I acknowledge it took 11 years, but it’s no less sweet; no less a dream. For over a decade, I felt like I got to be the face of what hard work, humility, graciousness and grit can get you—accompanied with talent and technical gifts. Staying the course and never giving up on yourself as a dancer and artist—if you lead with that, then nothing can truly stop you. 

Patrick Frenette as Demetrius in Frederick Ashton’s “The Dream.” Photograph by Kyle Froman

Who else inspired you at ABT? 

Alexei Ratmansky, first and foremost. When I joined ABT, I would say he was the first person that took notice of me when I was 19. I was called upon at the last minute to be in his “Tempest” [2013], as the island spirit. That was a pretty big deal, [with] a lot of dancing, a lot of partnering. I applied myself, had a couple good shows, and from there, he paid attention to me a bit more. 

When he was doing a reconstruction of “Sleeping Beauty” [2015], I got put in a supporting character role as a herald, and through the entire three hours, I didn’t have one dancing step. But I applied myself as someone wanting to work on stagecraft, artistry, musicality, [and] Alexei acknowledged me by casting me in a slew of soloist roles. 

He would take multiple chances on me [and] say, “I see the work you give. I see your commitment. Now I’m going to challenge you with this.” He stepped up and was in my corner to get me onstage. 

In “Of Love and Rage,” Mithridates was my first principal role, and that was cementing my convictions that I could make it at ABT—with people like Alexei that were going to get me there. He’s a dear friend and I speak with him as much as I can. I have nothing but love for him.

What roles would you like to dance in the future and what’s it like having a role created on you?

I’ve always been drawn to heavy narrative ballets—[John] Cranko and [Kenneth] MacMillan. I would love to perform des Grieux in Macmillan’s “Manon.” It’s one of my favorite classical ballets, and also Crown Prince Rudolph in his “Mayerling.” I love to dig deep into those roles, because the intensity in performances like that is some of the greatest satisfaction you can have as a dancer.

I adore Petipa’s ballets for technical prowess, but sometimes the characters fall a little flat. Franz in, “Coppélia,” falls in love with a doll. Albrecht [in “Giselle”] is a two-timing cad, but I would love to do Albrecht one day. Even Romeo I would love to perform [to] Profkofiev’s music; there’s also [beautiful] partnering. 

It’s always a huge privilege as a dancer, when a choreographer comes to stage something on you. For me, it’s such a rare feeling, a sensation. As classical dancers, we’ll never know what it was like to work with Petipa, Balanchine or Fokine. We only know what it’s like to learn their ballets, but not what it’s like to create them. When I get to work with choreographers, I can insert myself and my approach into a new performance that’s never been seen before. It’s a rewarding feeling.

Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years?

I would love to continue working upwards at ABT. Now, the best work is to set a good example as a committed and diligent soloist [who] inspires audiences to keep coming back. I don’t plan on resting on my victory any time soon. After 11 years, I’m finally beginning my job.

What advice do you have for aspiring ballet dancers?

Remain committed, remain humble, remain receptive. But first and foremost, always know your worth. Sticking to my convictions didn’t mean putting up a block and having airs about how I danced. I was fully committed to being as successful as possible at ABT, and was prepared to meet any and all tasks. 

It’s the age-old thing: You say, “Jump,” and I say, “How high?” Anything that’s been asked of me, I accomplish it to the best of my capability, and move forward from there. Keep an open mind and never be too proud or too unwilling to learn more about your capabilities as a dancer, and always be open to reception—to corrections. Be willing to put in more work than what you think may be possible.

Victoria Looseleaf

Victoria Looseleaf is an award-winning, Los Angeles-based international arts journalist who covers music and dance festivals around the world. Among the many publications she has contributed to are the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Dance Magazine and KCET’s Artbound. In addition, she taught dance history at USC and Santa Monica College. Looseleaf’s novella-in-verse, Isn't It Rich? is available from Amazon, and and her latest book, Russ & Iggy’s Art Alphabet with illustrations by JT Steiny, was recently published by Red Sky Presents. Looseleaf can be reached through X, Facebook, Instagram and Linked In, as well as at her online arts magazine ArtNowLA.

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