Cara Gary
Cara Marie Gary joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2012 and has danced many classical and contemporary roles, including Anna Karenina (Kitty), The Nutcracker (Marie and Sugar Plum Fairy), La Bayadère (Shade and Gamzatti’s Sister), Swan Lake (Pas de trois and Little Swans), Giselle (Peasant Pas de deux and Zulma), Romeo & Juliet (Juliet’s friend), Cinderella (Spring Fairy), Jane Eyre (Adele), and roles in Vespertine, The Four Temperaments, Fool’s Paradise, Orphée et Eurydice, Forgotten Land, Sylvia, Mammatus, Glass Pieces, Interplay, Tulle, Son of Chamber Symphony, Othello, Le Sacre du Printemps, Age of Innocence, Allegro Brillante, Continuum, In Creases, Incantations, Commedia and The Times Are Racing.
Prior to joining The Joffrey Ballet, Cara danced with American Ballet Theatre’s ABT II and was an apprentice with Orlando Ballet. Her repertoire included roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Stars and Stripes pas de deux, Flames of Paris pas de deux, Continuo, Vivace Motifs, Pavlovsk, and Ballo Per Sei. She has also performed the title role in The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Don Quixote, Paquita, Coppélia, and Giselle.
Cara received a Diploma of Laureate at the VI Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition in 2006. She was a top-twelve finalist in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) National Finals in 2008 and 2009, won the overall Grand Prix Award in the 2009 YAGP regional semi-finals, and competed in the IX USA International Ballet Competition held in 2010. In 2014, Nicolas Blanc choreographed Rendez-vous for Cara Gary and Aaron Smyth for their participation in the X USA IBC, which received the Best Choreography Award.
Cara received her formal ballet training at International Ballet Academy in Greer, South Carolina, under Vlada Kysselova and Hennadii Bespechnyi. To honor her mother’s legacy, the Gary family and International Ballet founded the Cassandra Gary Memorial Scholarship in 2015, which supports the training of pre-professional students.
Cara graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Greenville University in May 2014 with a B.S. in Business Administration. She is currently pursuing additional prerequisites to apply to Physical Therapy school.
