"At the premiere of the new short film, Following Enchantment's Line, Jock Soto, the Diné and Puerto Rican ballet dancer, could be seen gliding underneath vast blue New Mexico skies - the only time the audience saw him dance. Afterward, as the lights went up in Santa Fe's Lensic Performing Arts Center, lightning cracked the summer monsoon clouds. Hard rain echoed inside the theater, as Soto led a live rehearsal with dancers from Ballet Taos accompanied by classical music from his friend Laura Ortman."
""I started hoop dancing with my mother," Soto said. "And I continued hoop dancing until I discovered ballet. And ballet was just my life. That's all I wanted to do. My mother and father found the only local ballet school in Phoenix, Arizona, which was hours from my house. So my dad would drive there every day, and I got a full scholarship because I was the only guy in the class.""
""My dad loved salsa. He loved the Beach Boys, all that kind of stuff. That's what I remember listening to. And I always got a warm feeling when I heard salsa or drums from the reservation. My heart jumps when I hear thump, thump, thump. And I always felt like, oh, God, I want to do this. I want to do this," Soto said."
At a Santa Fe premiere, Jock Soto danced under vast New Mexico skies and led a live rehearsal with Ballet Taos, accompanied by classical music from his friend Laura Ortman as lightning and monsoon rain punctuated the evening. He cultivated rhythm and grace over 24 years with the New York City Ballet and credits hoop dancing with his mother as an early influence. His parents found the only local ballet school in Phoenix, leading to daily drives and a full scholarship because he was the only male student. He left home at 13 to pursue ballet in New York and now, retired at 60, focuses on sharing his story and teaching across tribal communities.
Read at High Country News
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