Damara Titmus
Principal Ballet Dancer

Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
In a Nutshell (all the Nutcracker puns intended!) I tell stories through movement and music.  Of course there is a lot that goes into the art form of being a professional ballerina, from daily class to stay in peak physical shape to researching the roles I am tasked with performing. I am fortunate to be in love with what I do so it is easy to stay inspired!

How did you first become interested in dance?
My parents actually started me in ballet classes when I was seven years old. I had already been playing the violin for a few years (I wanted to be just like my mom who has been a violinist with the Los Angeles Opera for many years) and my parents noticed that I had no interest in any physical activity.  They thought maybe I would enjoy an activity that was closely connected with the classical music world and clearly they were right. My love for the art of ballet grew at the age of nine when the Joffrey Ballet was touring in Los Angeles with their production of The Nutcracker and my mom would bring me in tow as she was hired to play in the orchestra pit.  A couple of their principal dancers at the time, Valerie Madonia and Deborah Dawn, took me under their wing backstage and let me try on their tiaras and brought me to the wings to watch them dance roles like the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen. I was simply awestruck and became motivated to dance as beautifully as them.

How does art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can engage with art in Burbank?
Art teaches us about ourselves! It teaches us about our emotions and about who we want to be as people. I also think that what makes us human is our desire to create and consume art. Collectively, we all went through this trauma of lockdowns and isolation from each other due to the pandemic. And what did we all do? We got creative to entertain ourselves and each other. We created mashup videos of ourselves dancing at home, we participated in TikTok challenges. We made art on our sidewalks for people to enjoy on their daily walks outside. Many of the small theatre and concert dance groups produced short films to give to their communities.

Now that these companies are finally able to return to live performances, it is more important than ever to their survival that our community is there to share in the experience. Look back on those artists you enjoyed while stuck in the house and chances are you will find a wonderful performance they are involved in that resonates with you. If holidays and dancing is what you are looking for (and why wouldn’t it be?) come see me and my colleagues from the local Burbank ballet company, Pacific Ballet Dance Theatre, perform Joys of the Season, a collection of different holiday ballet pieces that truly encapsulate that wonderful holiday feeling.

If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
Art is for everyone. It should be enjoyed and shared as often as possible with our family and loved ones to keep us connected, to keep us thinking and to keep us happy.

To find out more about Damara and her work, follow her on Instagram @dztaurora.