Age: 32 • Home: Cleveland • Dances: Verb, “Ohio Contemporary Ballet”
Story by Nora Igelnik
Antonio Morillo found his way to dance later in life than many professional dancers. It was during his first year at Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, where was he was studying musical theater.
Financial complications forced him to leave, but he was determined to continue learning the art of dance, he says.
Morillo picked up his studies at Valencia College in Orlando, Fla., where he received a two-year degree. Then, he attended the University of South Florida in Tampa to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance, and he spent his last semester starting his career at Verb, “Ohio Contemporary Ballet” in Shaker Heights in 2016.
Morillo already faced hardships due to starting his dance journey at an older age, he explains. But he encountered one of his most difficult obstacles during his first year at Verb Ballet as a company dancer.
“I actually broke my leg on stage while performing in Tremont at Lincoln Park,” he recalls. “So, I broke my ankle and my fibula, and I had about eight to 10 months before I was back with the company.”
Despite this setback, and the fact that Morillo was stationed to a wheelchair, he choreographed a group piece featured in the Martha Graham Dance Company’s “Next at Graham” show in New York City.
“It’s taken me many years to overcome that serious injury, but I’m stronger than ever and I feel like it helped me so much to become a better performer and teacher by watching the company and seeing how other people make this difficult profession work on a day-to-day basis,” he says. “Really focusing on how the teachers were delivering the material and watching the different processes with each choreographer.”
Morillo describes himself as an “eclectic” dancer. He has been trained in modern, jazz and contemporary, along with having Martha Graham modern dance and Limón technique training. He says his knowledge of different styles has led him to identify as a repertory dancer.
“I pride myself on my versatility and my artistry as a storyteller, and that’s really what I would focus on as a performer,” Morillo says. “I do enjoy contemporary work I would say more than a classical piece, but I always welcome the challenge to better my classical abilities.”
Morillo had difficulty mastering classical abilities due to his late introduction to ballet, he says. He spent the early years of his life moving around different military bases as his father was in the military for 23 years.
“There were no dance schools on the bases I was at, so I didn’t even know dance was a career until I was living off military bases in Orlando,” he says.
He says he believes his commitment to the art of dance has propelled him in his career rather than his natural-born ability.
“It’s tremendously hard work,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what level you come in at (or) what age you come in at, it really matters how hungry you are and how hard working you are. I mean, there’s a lot of times where I’ve just outworked the people around me. I wasn’t the best in the room, I wasn’t a natural dancer. I wasn’t natural at turning or doing any kind of balletic stuff. So, it’s been a long journey for me.”
He improves his technique by constantly challenging himself to try new things.
“For me personally, I’ve just tried to search my weakest points in my technique or in my dynamics,” Morillo says. “My ability to achieve different qualities in my movement and try to expand my mind as much as I can. It’s been difficult, but I would say once I joined Verb, that kind of really helped me become even more well-rounded than I already was because the repertory is so diverse.”
A typical day for Morillo at Verb consists of class in the mornings starting at 10 a.m., and then multiple rehearsal sessions stretching until 4 p.m. He then has performances on Fridays and Saturdays.
Morillo says he likes the way Verb functions due to its diverse repertoire and its intimate size.
“The diverse works, the small company, everybody is working with everybody,” he says. “It’s hard, but I feel it’s so gratifying and so fulfilling to really be able to be invested in the work and not feel like you’re kind of waiting around all the time for a role. There’s a lot more companies (that) have many other dancers where there’s a lot of people just waiting on the side or they’re understudies.”
Now in his eighth season with Verb, Morillo is looking at his next steps. He says he will either audition for a new company or attend a master’s degree program geared toward professional dancers transitioning to teaching.
“The leg thing really taught me that you can have all the plans in the world for this and that, but at the end of the day, life is going to take you where it’s going to take you,” Morillo says. “I’ve kind of gone with the flow for the past couple years, and I’m open to seeing what possibilities present themselves because you just never know.”
“Antonio is a versatile dancer, able to move seamlessly from ballet to contemporary dance to musical theater. He is also a fine teacher and choreographer.”
Margaret Carlson, producing artistic director, Verb, “Ohio Contemporary Ballet”
On View
Info and tickets at verbballets.org
Arts in August, 7 p.m. Aug. 12; Lincoln Park, W. 14th Street and Starkweather Avenue, Cleveland
Pandemonium, Sept. 9; Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
