By Evan Wechman

Professional dancer Michelle Quiner, a native of Chester, New Jersey has built a career using her skills and grace to delight audiences throughout the country. Though only in her 20s, she currently works with the American Repertory Ballet (ARB),  a New Jersey professional ballet company, continuing the success she has built over the last twenty years.

This past May, Quiner made her professional choreographic debut on ARB with her world performance of “At the Heart of It.”

This production focused on four distinct qualities that comprise a strong woman. According to Quiner, though there are many qualities she could have focused on, she examined resilience, persistence, guidance, and presence.

“These four spoke to me, and also went beautifully with the selection of music I wanted to use,” Quiner said. “The dancers of ARB blew me away with their commitment to my work. The level of care and dedication they brought to rehearsals every day really touched me.  I’m constantly inspired by them and I could not have asked for a better group to create my first professional piece on.”

For Quiner, this world premiere has been a long time in the making. She was just 2 years old when she started dancing at the suggestion of her mother,and this has taken on a larger role than she ever could have imagined.

One of her breakout roles occurred in 2010 when she was 11 years old, where she was cast as Clara for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Nashville.

For Quiner, the role had a profound and lasting impact.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” Quiner said.  “At such a young age (11), I learned how the professional world works, and that was really eye opening and inspiring for me.  I absolutely love to perform, and dancing every night for a packed audience at the Grand Ole Opry is something I’ll never forget.”

Though such a major role might have been the peak of many young dancers’ careers, for Quiner who is always learning and expanding her range, this role was merely the beginning of her wonderful career. She has gone on to perform in many classics including the role of Myrtha in the classic ballet, “Giselle.”

According to the young dancer from Chester, her training for “Giselle,” was just what she needed since it was so demanding. She learned that she can tackle what initially seems like an impossible role, and turn it into something very beautiful, teaching her to go for her dreams.

It is this type of attitude which truly captures Quiner’s ability to pursue her big goals, and come out on top.

“I’ve learned that I can be pretty stubborn (or let’s say determined instead haha)  when it comes to accomplishing something I’ve set my mind on doing,” Quiner said. “You have to be obsessed, and maybe a little crazy sometimes if you want to achieve that ‘impossible’ dream.

Quiner is definitely not scared of reaching the lofty goals she has set for herself. She has been doing this for most of her young life, and is used to performing under pressure.

In fact, according to Quiner, pressure or feeling nervous before big performances isn’t something that deters her. Rather, she has learned to thrive under the most intense moments, and views nervousness as par for the course.

“I pretty much always feel nervous before a performance,” Quiner said. “Being nervous is normal and good, it means that you care. When I get nervous, I try to use my nerves as fuel.  I think about the thrill that performing gives me, and how much I enjoy it. It’s helpful to remember that the audience is on your side.  They aren’t there to nitpick every little thing, they are there to enjoy, feel, and have an experience alongside you.”

She added, “The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel going into a performance.”

For Quiner, preparation under pressure has led to some outstanding results. She is continually expanding her dancing repertoire and learning new movements so she can thrive in almost any role. As much as she has achieved at an early age, she hasn’t given up dreaming of bigger and better performances. She even would love to perform as the titular character in “Giselle,” which she admits is her favorite ballet.

She wants other young dancers to pursue their dreams as well, without feeling overwhelmed no matter how high their goals may seem.

“To any young dancer with big dreams, don’t ever shy away from something just because it seems scary or ‘too big’ for you,” Quiner said. “You will never know what you are capable of if you don’t put yourself out there and just go for it.  Most of the time we underestimate what we can achieve.  Even if you don’t accomplish that goal, you will grow from pushing yourself.  It is so worth it.”