Spotlight: Amy Potter in The Sleeping Beauty

For Principal Artist Amy Potter, The Sleeping Beauty has always held a special place in her heart. 

“When I was a trainee with Boston Ballet in 2009, the company was performing The Sleeping Beauty and I was an understudy for Nymphs in Act 2,” said Potter. “One of the company dancers got injured the day before opening night, and they chose me to go in for her. Long story short, it was my first time dancing a corps de ballet role with a professional company, and that’s why I hold it near and dear to my heart.”

Dancing the role of Aurora is one of the most technically-demanding roles there is for a ballerina, so Potter says she was immediately excited and terrified at the same time.

“Aurora is the epitome of classical ballet technique so I knew going into it that this role would be very challenging,” said Potter. “To help better prepare myself, I studied videos online of other ballerinas dancing Aurora and recorded myself in rehearsals. I really gave every rehearsal I had full value and have learned to trust myself more. I also supplemented my preparation with proper nutrition, conditioning, hydration, rest, and recovery.”

What makes the role so interesting is that she doesn’t dance with just one partner throughout the ballet. She dances with five. During the Rose Adagio in Act 1, she has four different partners before then joining Prince Desire later in the ballet.

Potter danced with Ballet West from 2011 to 2014, then left to join Oklahoma City Ballet for seven seasons, rising through the ranks to Principal. Wanting to push herself further, she returned to Ballet West in 2021.

“After being back with the company for almost two seasons now, I couldn’t be happier to have had the opportunity to return,” said Potter. “Everyone here at Ballet West is always so encouraging and supportive of one another. In a world that can be so physically and mentally demanding and competitive, we all genuinely care for one another and want to see our coworkers succeed.”