Sandra Hale Schulman
Special to ICT
The International Museum of Dance will honor ballet legend Jock Soto, Diné and Taino, during a special evening celebrating his storied career on the 20th anniversary of his retirement August 23 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe.
Recognized as one of the most influential ballet dancers of his generation, Soto broke barriers and redefined classical excellence. The evening will feature a live interview, on-the-spot choreography by Soto, and a sneak preview of “Jock Soto: The Dancer and His Life” – a new, searchable digital archive.
Soto began dancing at the age of 5, learning hoop dancing from his mother n Gallup, New Mexico, near the Navajo Reservation. But when he saw ballet dancer Edward Villella on PBS, he knew his path.
“I quit school at 13, then was taken into New York City Ballet at 16, to be a principal dancer,” Soto told ICT by phone from New York City. ”I had no clue. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I just went to the theater in Lincoln Center, trained with George Balanchine every single day and danced all day from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. then went out to clubs. That was my education.
“It was amazing that I got to spend my whole day seeing and doing something that made me feel alive. That was my whole life. That’s what I did. I didn’t think that I would become who I became. I never have thought of myself as famous.”
It was also a challenging time to be Native American and Puerto Rican.
“Mr. Balanchine, he said, ‘I want the brown boy in this piece,’” Soto recalls. “Now it would be so racist, but then it was acceptable because of who I was.”
Soto danced the stages of the New York Ballet for 24 years, partnering with renowned ballerinas Heather Watts, Darci Kistler and Wendy Whelan. He was part of the New York City arts scene, befriending Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and finding his way as a gay man. He appeared on “Sesame Street” with Big Bird and danced to live blues music from Ray Charles.
Later, he taught ballet online and wrote a book, “Every Step You Take: A Memoir.” Ballet aficionados will be familiar with Soto from the award-winning PBS documentary, “Water Flowing Together,” which chronicled his life and career. On the eve of his retirement in 2005, the New York Times wrote: “Ballet is a man called Jock.”
Soto’s relationship to his heritage defies stereotypes, but he is proud to come back to New Mexico to be present for the event.
“We’re doing something totally different,” Soto said. “It’s really beautiful for the Lensic to reach out to me, and the museum is being wonderful. I’m bringing four dancers in. I’m going to work with two dancers choreographing on the spot, and then two are coming from Albuquerque. They’re going to dance to a piece that I did to Taos musician Robert Mirabal’s music. I love him so much. I think it’s going to be really cool.”
To commemorate this collaboration and celebrate Soto’s legacy, the International Museum of Dance and ChromaDiverse have launched the Moving Memories Fund, a fundraising initiative with two core goals. First is the Jock Soto Scholarship, established in his honor and to be awarded annually to at least one Indigenous dancer to support the continuation of their dance training, in or outside of New Mexico. Recipients will be selected in partnership with Jock Soto and IMOD.
Second is preserving underrepresented dance histories. Contributions will support the ongoing development of “Jock Soto: The Dancer and His Life” archive, ensuring that the legacies of dance artists from marginalized communities are honored and shared with the world.
“At ChromaDiverse, every artist’s story is worthy of preservation and celebration,” said Judy Tyrus, founder and CEO of ChromaDiverse. “Partnering with IMOD to honor Jock Soto’s legacy through the creation of a digital archive is a powerful step toward ensuring that underrepresented voices are remembered so that they can continue to inspire future generations.”
“I can’t wait,” Soto said, “but I’m also very nervous about the whole evening. I just want people to come; it would be wonderful. It’s the one thing my late mother always wanted to happen.”
Tickets for an exclusive VIP Experience are now available. The VIP Experience includes a pre-event reception with Jock Soto and special guests, champagne and light bites by Marigold Kitchen, premium orchestra seating for the evening’s program, and a first look at the digital archive “Jock Soto: The Dancer and His Life.” Reserve VIP or general admission tickets are available at: https://lensic.org/events/an-evening-with-jock-soto.