February 9, 2005
Return to center stage
Nathan Greenwood dances lead in 'Deirdre of the Sorrows'
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
For 13 years, dance ruled Nathan Greenwood's life.
Combining a natural aptitude, emotional depth and technical expertise, Greenwood ascended to the heights of ballet: five years of study at Interlochen, graduating in 2000, a full scholarship to the University of Michigan, a position with the Joffrey Ballet after his freshman year.
Then in 2001, Greenwood quit the prestigious New York City company, hanging up his dancing shoes - and career - permanently.
Or so he thought.
This summer, the 22-year-old was lured out of retirement when Sharon Randolph retired from Interlochen. Randolph had been a beloved and inspirational teacher he studied with for five years. He and other alumni reprised an award-winning number during her retirement party and suddenly Greenwood was back.
This time on his own terms.
Greenwood danced as the Snow King in "Nutcracker" in December for Dance Arts Academy and will perform this weekend in the original ballet "Deirdre of the Sorrows" for the Northwest Michigan Ballet Theater.
After years of dancing six or more hours a day, usually in some level of pain, these experiences allowed him to recapture his love of performing.
"It'll be nice this week, to get back to the enjoyment stage of it," said Greenwood, of the intense week leading up to a production. "I still to this day love going on stage and I absolutely love partnering. That is something I would not mind helping with or teaching, a partnering class, because I feel I have a lot to offer."
Greenwood began dancing when he was seven years old, starting off with Tom Morrell. The only guy in his classes for the next few years, Greenwood persisted in part because of the guidance, mentoring and example of a male teacher.
"If it would have been all female teachers, it would have been a no brainer to stop it," he recalled.
Morrell, now the owner of Ballet, Etc., invited Greenwood to be in Deirdre last fall after he learned of the younger dancer's return to the stage. Morrell said that Greenwood's talent was obvious from the start.
"I knew he had a lot of natural ability," Morrell noted. "He's not only talented technically, he's physically strong and he's actually a very, very sensitive dancer. He's just an excellent dancer."
Greenwood and his friend and fellow standout dancer, Justin Koertgen, came to Interlochen's attention in junior high. Interlochen dance teachers asked them to skip eighth grade and enter the academy as ninth grade students. They declined, but for a year attended classes at West Junior High and then took the BATA bus to Interlochen every afternoon to dance.
The next year they enrolled in the academy as day students. In his junior year, Greenwood broke his hip from overuse, an injury that took six months to fully heal. That time off shifted his outlook on dancing, which essentially had been his whole life for years.
"Because I was down for that long, it made me get a different perspective on life," he said. "As soon as I healed, I joined a hockey team and I'd dance for six hours and then play hockey for two hours."
Greenwood continue dance through graduation, the year at Michigan and eventually the Joffrey. After a few months there, an incident where he felt his long-time girlfriend had been mistreated cemented his dissatisfaction with dance and the company.
He quit, his long-standing love-hate relationship with dance tilting decisively to hate.
Such a dramatic break called for equally dramatic action: Greenwood joined the Merchant Marines. Based in San Francisco, he sailed the west coasts of the American continents for about 18 months.
"Living here, I grew up on the water and I always had a passion for the water and I needed to do something completely different from what I had been doing for so long," Greenwood said. "There was a little bit of romanticism in it and a new direction I wanted to try."
Greenwood returned to Traverse City summer of 2003 and is co-owner of Superior Homes and Development with his father, Bill Greenwood. Still highly focused, driven and passionate about life, undaunted by risks and new directions, Greenwood has a maturity and wisdom far beyond most of his peers.
"I'm 22 years old and I've lived life more than most people," Greenwood reflected. "I don't regret anything I did, it made me who I am today and I'm very proud of who I am today."
The Northwest Michigan Ballet Theater will present "Deirdre of the Sorrows" at the Milliken Auditorium on Saturday, February 12, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sunday, February 13, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children and seniors; they are available at Ballet, Etc. (929-2787), Studio 101 (946-7953) and the Milliken Auditorium Box Office (995-1553).