Meet The Dancers: Sarah Weber Gallo
The Met Artists newsletter is in the business of giving you all a behind-the-scenes look at the individuals represented by AGMA (the American Guild of Musical Artists, our union) that make up the incredible team of artists behind all your favorite Met operas. We’ve given you loads of content from the chorus (spoiler alert: the newsletter team is made up entirely of choristers. Hey, we’re here all the time, you can trust us to have the inside scoop!), you’ve met a few of our talented full-time staff performers, one of our senior stage managers has shared his oatmeal pancake recipe with you, and we’ve even gotten to know a few former Met children’s choristers.
Sarah Weber Gallo in action.
But in this issue, we are debuting our “Meet the Dancers” column, so you can get to know some of our exceptionally talented colleagues whose contributions elevate the operatic art form in truly memorable ways. Sarah Weber Gallo, who has been dancing at the Metropolitan Opera for 21 years, graciously agreed to answer a few questions about her life performing on and off the Met stage.
What was your training?
I grew up in Indianapolis, where I trained at Jordan College Academy of Dance on the campus of Butler University. It was conservatory-level training in Ballet (French and Russian schools), Limon technique, Graham technique, Jazz, Theatre Dance, Character, and Tap. I continued my training at Goucher College, where I was a Psychology major with a constant presence in the Dance Department. I hold an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee (UWM).
What does a typical day at the Met look like for you?
A typical day begins with company class, usually at 10am (but, being a creature of habit, I arrive by 9:30 to warm up and secure my favorite spot at the barre...and drink coffee). This is followed by a short break and then a studio rehearsal of 2-5 hours, depending upon the production(s) being rehearsed. On costume stage days, the rehearsal call is earlier and conflicts with class, so I arrive earlier to warm up in the dancers' lounge. Then it's time for costumes, wigs, and makeup, and a call to stage. If I am in an evening performance, I usually go back to Hoboken to teach a class or two during the break between rehearsals and the show. After this, I return for the evening's show call, get in to another round of costumes, wigs, and makeup, do the performance, take it all off, and head home on the subway/bus (or sometimes I’ll walk).
What are your favorite operas/opera roles and why?
Sarah and her fellow dancers in Macbeth.
One of my favorite operas was ‘An American Tragedy’ with choreography by Doug Varone. I reveled in dancing Doug's luscious choreography while being attired in a gorgeous ball gown, and being part of the staged storytelling of one of my most revered novels. Other notables include the solo role (with Trebien Pollard and Andrew Robinson) in Graham Vick's production of ‘Samson et Dalilah’, the thrillingly difficult ‘Damnation of Faust’ (Robert Lepage's production with choreography by Joanne Madore), and the austere but stunning ‘Parsifal’ with choreography by Carolyn Choa.
Do you have other performance responsibilities at the Met other than dance?
I have been AGMA dancer delegate for 17 years, as well as having served on the negotiation committee for every round of collective bargaining since 2003. I’m also on the Met’s Efficiency Task Force and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Committee, as well as the AGMA Board of Governors. Some people at the Met call me "Dance Boss"...because I am bossy.
Sarah (to the right of Dalila), in the old production of Samson et Dalilia.)
Original choreography by Sarah Weber Gallo.
How many hours a day do you dance?
I take either ballet or yoga 6 days a week, rehearse as needed 2-5 hours/day (depending upon repertoire), teach 2-3 classes, and perform as needed 2-6 shows/week. I make my entire living through dancing, whether via rehearsing/performing at the Met, choreographing and producing with my own company, SWG/dancetheatre, or teaching/directing at MST Dance Academy. I am basically always dancing in some capacity.
How has your experience at the Met changed (or stayed the same) over the years, particularly since the disbanding of the Corps de Ballet?**
The disbanding of the tenured Corps de Ballet greatly altered my experience at the Met. Like all dancers at the Met, I am now a per-performance artist. Therefore the Met functions as one of many income sources, rather than as my full-time employer. Additionally, I no longer have health insurance from the Met. Our family is now on a lesser plan provided by my husband's employer.
While I enjoy a high amount of respect from my colleagues and managers, my continued employment is non-secure. Since the dancers are no longer full-time, our lead union delegate is chorister Karen Dixon, who has generously and tirelessly offered her services as a tenured company member on our behalf. Our bargaining power within the shop had disintegrated for several years after the dissolution of the Corps de Ballet, but we were able to gather a strong committee during the 2017 negotiations. This has helped educate other members of the shop to our plight and improve our status in the group.
What has remained consistent is the unsurpassed quality of artistry.
Where else do you dance besides the Met Opera?
Sarah and her former Rockette colleagues!
Currently I am limiting my extracurricular dancing to building MST Dance Academy, where I am the primary teacher and full-time administrator/director/cleaner-of-floors. Since 2013, I have been creating and performing evening-length works of Dance Theatre with my company, SWG/dancetheatre. It's safe to say that my choreography is very influenced by my experiences in operatic storytelling at the Met. In years past, I have danced with various independent choreographers and in collaboration with my MFA cohort from UWM. I was also a Radio City Rockette for two years, which overlapped my early days at the Met.
Sarah at MST Dance Academy in Hoboken, NJ.
How do you balance your work life with your family life?
My husband is a playwright and professor of theatre, so he tends to have a more flexible schedule than I do.
We both work non-traditional hours, so we are somehow always able to manage juggling our careers and caring for our daughter. She's 10-years-old and can walk to school with friends, which makes our morning routine much easier than in years past. She also takes several dance classes at my Academy and helps me open and close the studio on Saturday mornings, so we are able to spend a lot of time together.
What do you do for self-care/recovery after a long day (or week) of dancing?
I don't engage in very much self-care. Unless I am in active physical therapy for a specific injury, I'll just take the occasional advil as needed. Wait, does wine count?
(**The Metropolitan Opera Corps de Ballet, which traces its origins back to the first days of the Met in 1883, was disbanded in 2013. The dancers you see in current Met productions are hired on a per-performance basis.)
