2017 Stars of the Corps: Alana Griffith of Milwaukee Ballet

Rising lazily from an armchair, shrugging her shoulders and limply snapping her arms side to side, Alana Griffith imbued the title role in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland) with the unmistakable boredom and longing of youth. Throughout the performance, her ability to bring personal depth to both the character and to Webre’s challenging choreography revealed a special dancer coming into her own as an artist.

Alana Griffith in “ALICE (in wonderland)”. Photo by Mark Frohna, Courtesy Milwaukee Ballet.

Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Griffith trained at the Los Angeles Ballet Academy. At 17 she moved to London to study at the English National Ballet School. She danced briefly with Nevada Ballet Theatre before joining Milwaukee Ballet II. Now entering her fourth season as an artist with Milwaukee Ballet, the 25-year-old has become a recent darling with choreographers. Last season she landed leading roles as Effie, in La Sylphide, and as Clara, in artistic director Michael Pink’s The Nutcracker. It’s easy to see why—Griffith is that rare stage chameleon who can exude believability in seemingly any role. Says Griffith: “I really like getting involved in a character and working hard to flesh it out through my dancing.”

Alana Griffith. Photo by Mark Frohna, Courtesy Milwaukee Ballet.