A Homegrown Force in Ballet Returns With a Vision

Kaitlin Wright
4 days ago
5 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Ally Helman brings a New York pedigree and an ambitious vision to Orange County with Ballet Project OC’s upcoming performance at the Irvine Barclay Theatre.

*Ballet Project OC dancers in rehearsal. Photo courtesy of Ballet Project OC/Scott Edwards*

When Ally Helman, 25, returned to Orange County after training and dancing with the New York City Ballet, she came home with more than just performance credits. She brought with her a vision for what the local dance landscape could become – something vibrant, risk-taking and rooted in both tradition and progress.

On May 22, Ballet Project OC (BPOC), the nonprofit company Helman co-founded with her sister Emily in 2019, will present “Legends Reawakened” at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. The performance marks the start of the company’s 2025 season and serves as a showcase of its growing artistic ambitions.

The theme comes directly from Ballet Project OC’s broader campaign this year: Tradition Meets Tomorrow.

“We’re thinking about how we can bring something from the past into the future, or create something that’s old and make it new, or put a twist on it,” Helman said. “And so ‘Legends Reawakened’ came from that idea of using older music or well-known music and bringing it to life through dance onstage.”

The program features new and restaged works by five choreographers, including Helman, Anthony Cannarella, Mate Szentes, Christina Ghiardi and Juliana Godlewski. Performed by a cast of 18 dancers, Helman said the evening will offer a mix of theatrical storytelling, technical precision and genre-blending movement.

Left, Ally Helman, co-founder and artistic director of Ballet Project OC. Photo courtesy of Ballet Project OC. Right, Anthony Cannarella, choreographer and performer with Ballet Project OC. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Reimagining the Familiar, One Icon at a Time

“This program is definitely geared toward getting people to come see the ballet even if they have not seen ballet before,” Helman said. “We love ‘Swan Lake’ and we love ‘Giselle,’ of course. Those are traditional and huge to what ballet is. But sometimes, especially with a younger crowd, we try to bring value to the next generation. We’re really passionate about holding that tradition with the ballet vocabulary, but then infusing it to make it more approachable to that new generation.”

Cannarella’s contribution, “One for the Money,” is a tribute to Elvis Presley that blends ballet, jazz, and tap – a mix he says is fully embraced by BPOC.

“They’re very open to helping you achieve your vision,” said Cannarella, 29. “A lot of times my work is a little more theatrical … and they’re very supportive of achieving that vision.”

Cannarella first joined BPOC during the pandemic after his previous company, Sacramento Ballet, shut down.

“They were able to pull dancers from different companies all across the United States, and it kind of made this new company with dancers that had never been able to meet each other,” he said. “Because of that, there’s so much variety in the creative pool of choreographers and dancers that come here.”

He describes the environment at BPOC as one that allows experimentation and growth. For example, Cannarella once created a tribute piece set to music by the band Them Fantasies during a Ballet Project OC residency, which he later adapted into a full music video with the band.

“BPOC was totally open to it becoming something else entirely,” he said. “Not a lot of companies are.”

Ballet Project OC dancers in rehearsal. Photos courtesy of Ballet Project OC/Scott Edwards

Building a Company, and a Community

Helman, who trained at Maple Conservatory in Irvine before moving to New York at 14 to study at the School of American Ballet, sees Ballet Project OC as filling a void.

“We get big companies coming into Segerstrom, but they’re here and they’re gone. And the community doesn’t know who’s here all the time,” she said.

Her goal is to change that. Not by founding another school-based company, but by building a true regional company composed of professional dancers.

“What we’re trying to do is completely different,” she said. “What we’re trying to do is establish a regional ballet company here that is focused on having high-caliber artists who are fresh, are young, will be the face of ballet in Orange County and will continue to inspire those children in those schools and the community as well.”

Rehearsals are short but intense, about two weeks before the show.

“Some people think that we’re crazy for doing this,” Helman said. “But I think it really is just a taste of what we’re capable of, even in the future with our larger goals.”

Helman has also worked to foster a sense of accessibility and community. The company opens its warm-up class to the public, giving aspiring dancers the chance to learn alongside seasoned professionals.

For the artists on the inside, that openness extends to the creative process.

“Being with an up-and-coming company really gives you an opportunity to earn your stripes, so to speak,” Cannarella said. He has choreographed multiple works with BPOC over the years, and credits the company with giving him space to evolve.

“Each product, I think, gets better and better …. By now, I can show that I am an accomplished choreographer and have had the chance to choreograph at other companies. But if you look at my reel, it has a lot of footage from BPOC because they’ve supported me and let me try a variety of material.”

PHOTO 1 & 2: Mate Szentes lifts Jaime DeRocker, left, and Rachel Hutsell in “Pitseleh” by Ally Helman. Photos by Jack Hartin. PHOTO 3: Ballet Project OC dancers in performance. Photos courtesy of Ballet Project OC

A Vision Rooted in Experience

Helman’s vision for Ballet Project OC is shaped by both personal and professional experience. After completing high school in New York, she joined the New York City Ballet as an apprentice. But when the company underwent a major transition in artistic leadership, she was dismissed.

“I would say that was easily the worst day of my life,” Helman said.

Not long before, she had broken her foot and danced on it for six months, not wanting injury to take away her spot. But reality caught up with her.

“That all came tumbling down. It was quite a miserable time,” she said.

Now, she draws strength from the experience. “I feel very fortunate that I know what I want to do, and I know how I can help push this art form forward,” she said.

That drive now fuels every aspect of her work. In addition to directing and performing, Helman choreographs, teaches, manages marketing and admin duties, and is currently finishing a college degree online.

“There’s a common thread through it all,” she said. “And that is just the love of sharing ballet.”