Ballet Kelowna senior dancer Desiree Bortolussi announces retirement

It’s been 13 years since Desiree Bortolussi joined Ballet Kelowna and ever since, she has go synonymous with the company.

“[Bortolussi] has been instrumental successful helping america physique the repertoire we person built present astatine Ballet Kelowna,” said Simone Orlando, creator manager and CEO of Ballet Kelowna

“[She] not lone does truthful good successful the originative process but she truly lights up the signifier and successful that way, she has been truly connected and engaged with our audiences.”

Born and raised successful Kelowna, Bortolussi has been dancing since she was 4 years old. Now 29, the dancer has go 1 of the faces of her hometown ballet company, which is simply a uncommon vocation accidental successful the ballet world.

“It’s truly humbling and I consciousness truthful arrogant of wherever I person travel from truthful being capable to enactment Kelowna connected the representation successful these astonishing ample places and acold distant places is truly special,” said Bortolussi, who is simply a elder creator astatine Ballet Kelowna.

With the Okanagan company, she has represented her hometown connected stages astir the world, but present Bortolussi has made the hard determination to bent up her pointe shoes and retire.

“It’s ever pugnacious to marque the determination to determination connected and to a caller career. Dancers person this prime of having 2 careers perchance successful their lives,” said Bortolussi.

“For me, I felt it was the close clip successful my ain beingness to situation myself successful a antithetic mode and beryllium capable to determination connected to thing that I tin proceed doing aft my assemblage can’t creation anymore to the grade that I tin now.”

Beyond retirement, she volition proceed teaching Ballet Kelowna’s In Motion big creation program, arsenic good arsenic fostering the adjacent procreation of dancers astatine Creator’s Art Centre portion attending schoolhouse to go a Registered Massage Therapist.

In her last performance, the institution is paying tribute to the dancer successful their archetypal amusement of the play called ‘Ode’.

“I americium a existent believer that erstwhile a dancer retires we request to honour that and honour the publication they person made to the company,” said Orlando .

Trending Now

“With [Bortolussi]  having been present for 13 years it was truly important for maine to assistance her marque that modulation and enactment immoderate closure connected her beingness arsenic a nonrecreational dancer.

Bortolussi volition instrumentality her last bows connected the signifier astatine the Kelowna Community Theatre Nov. 8 and Nov. 9.