Master of Dance: Ballet maestro earns soloist spot at American Ballet Theatre

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, April 9, 2024

From learning at his parents’ dance studio in Medford as an 8-year-old novice to gracing stages across the world with the American Ballet Theatre, Jake Roxander has earned his acclaim as a rising star.

At the age of 21, Roxander was promoted in March to soloist with the ABT — one of the most prestigious dance companies in the world.

“I just was completely in shock, I didn’t even know what to do, I put my hands together and tried to show gratitude; it wasn’t until that night that the tears came,” Roxander said after the artistic director announced his name among two others earning the promotion. “It was really shocking but I couldn’t be more grateful and honored.

“It’s been the dream for me since I was a kid.”

Elyse and David Roxander, his parents, are owners of Studio Roxander in Medford.

“I think it was just an amazing accomplishment in such a short period of time, he hasn’t been in (the American Ballet Theatre) that long,” David Roxander said of his son.

“I think he’s pretty special. I think I always knew that; Jake has the talent for everything he sets his sights on,” Elyse Roxander said.

While Jake Roxander is soaring to new heights now, the his path to success involved countless hours of practice, starting in Studio Roxander.

“I got into ballet through my parents, obviously. My father was a professional ballet dancer at the National Ballet of Canada and a principal (the highest rank for dancers at ballet theaters) for 20 years, and my mother did a lot of dancing in California where I was born,” Jake Roxander said.

His first taste of the artistic dance form came at two or three years old, taking part in a creative movement class in California, but Jake Roxander didn’t pick back up with ballet again until he was eight.

Elyse and David Roxander established Studio Roxander in Medford in 2009 in memory of David Roxander’s mother, Jody White, who taught the art of dance for more than 55 years.

Jake Roxander and his older brother Ashton Roxander — principal dancer with the Philadelphia Ballet — returned to ballet soon after the studio was established, but it took some time before he began to truly appreciate the artistic dance.

“When I started ballet, I was not the biggest fan per se. For a young little boy with maybe not the greatest attention span, it can be a little boring and it’s a very disciplined art form,” Jake Roxander said.

But a significant factor to Jake Roxander’s success, perseverance and passion for dance came from his older brother, along with constant encouragement from both parents.

“After a few years, we both really started to fall in love with art form and began to love and appreciate it for what is,” Jake Roxander said of his brother. “He was always inspiring to me; I always had this ill-conceived notion that if he can do it, I can do it too.”

After years of study, Jake Roxander was awarded full scholarships to the Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Company Experience” workshops in 2017 and 2018, then participated in the American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive program in 2019.

He participated in numerous other productions and workshops before joining the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company subsidiary in 2020 and becoming an apprentice with the main company in 2022. Later in the same year, he earned a spot in the American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet.

Playing key roles in large-scale productions such as “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker,” a particularly significant role for Jake Roxander was that of Puck in “The Dream.”

“The role of Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” had always been a huge dream role for me,” Jake Roxander said of playing the spritely, mischievous character.

Better yet, the costume he used in the 2023 production from the American Ballet Theatre was the exact same one used by his father around 40 or 50 years prior while he was with the National Ballet of Canada, with Jake Roxander noting his father’s name inscribed inside the costume.

“I put it on and it fit like a glove,” Jake Roxander said.

The soloist role is the second most distinguished position in a ballet company, with principal being the highest and corps de ballet below soloist.

“A soloist dancer is dancer that does a lot of the virtuosic and technical dancing, so there’s often times in ballet where you need a strong dancer to go out there and dance things that are often as hard as what principals have to do,” Jake Roxander said of the new role. “Especially with a company this size and with its history, there are some amazing soloists of the past. … It feels like a giant leap for me, I’m super appreciative and honored.”

The soloist position also comes with new quality-of-life benefits.

“It definitely comes with benefits, more money and a room to himself (while touring). You don’t get into ballet for the money, so quality of life is important,” David Roxander said.

Looking to the future, Jake Roxander aims to eventually earn a principal spot with the American Ballet Theatre while continuing to perfect his craft.

“I’m just trying to improve and grow every day,” Jake Roxander said, adding a quote from one of his role models, “Bruce Lee said ‘all knowledge leads to self knowledge,’ and that’s my mentality as well.”

Jake Roxander and his brother Ashton Roxander also aim to create their own comic book series one day, a passion shared between the two prolific ballet performers.

To learn more about Studio Roxander, visit studioroxander.com.