Noah Chatigny is dressed in a plum, Arabian outfit, pirouetting across the floor as the servant Ali. Each turn is performed with precision as he dances an excerpt of Le Corsaire, the pirate love story based on the 1814 poem by Lord Byron. It’s spring, and Noah is competing at the International Ballet Competition Youth America Grand Prix in Tampa, where his solo performance will earn him a place among the top 12 for classical ballet in his age division.
The 11-year-old comes from a family of competitive athletes. His twin brother, Ethan, fences and plays baseball, and his 16-year-old sister, Taylor, plays volleyball. Noah started playing hockey at age 4 before discovering ballet when a teacher at his elementary school showed a video in class. Noah, who was 7 then, was instantly fascinated and wondered if boys could dance ballet too. “We encourage them to participate in whatever they’re interested in,” says Noah’s mom, Ashley, a psychiatrist. “Our motto is ‘We don’t care what you choose, but you are going to do something.’”
A month later, Noah started ballet lessons. He now practices 20 hours a week, spending as much as four hours a day in the studio after school and, often, much of the weekend preparing for upcoming performances. His coach and mentor, Naples Ballet artistic director Christophe Maraval (a former principal dancer for Pacific Northwest Ballet), has been a big influence, helping Noah master challenging moves like the double tour en l’air, two complete turns in the air. “It was hard at first, but I figured out tricks to make it look better,” says Noah, who also looks to Christophe for advice on stage presence. “He always says to breathe, smile and connect with the audience, make them feel like they’re part of the show.”
The young dancer performs twice a year with the Naples Ballet, as part of The Nutcracker in winter and in shows like Cinderella and Coppélia in spring. “The rest of the family would be terrified if they had to perform on a stage in front of hundreds of people, but not Noah,” Ashley says. “The stage is his home, where he is the most comfortable. I’m sure he would sleep at the theater if we let him.”
Last year, Noah was invited to attend American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) two-week summer intensive program in New York, and this year, he went to Paris for a two-week program with Paris Opera Ballet School before heading back to ABT. Noah began sixth grade at Saint Ann Catholic School in Naples this fall, but even at his young age, he’s got one eye on the future. “Dancing for Paris [when I’m older] is my main goal,” he says. He has plans for after the early-age retirement that comes with dance, too. “I want to be a doctor for the company I danced for,” he says. “My mom is a doctor, and I really look up to her.”
