If anyone could be called the heart and soul of the Inland Pacific Ballet, it would have to be Principal ballerina Kelly Lamoureux. Now in her eighth season with the IPB, Ms. Lamoureux has overcome incredible adversity to become a sterling and integral part of the Company.

Her story begins in Riverside, California, where she grew up and started dance training at the age of five. Her love for the ballet grew by leaps and bounds, to the point where her parents decided to send her to the National Ballet School in Toronto, where she received a full scholarship. But as she notes, there were added advantages to moving away to school. "Part of reason I went to Canada was because I had hard time with school here," she says. Going to school was harder with all outside social activities and homework. In Canada, I was in a boarding school, where I lived, ate at studied ballet in the same building with people from all over world. The ballet and academic work was coordinated so we could balance both."

Eventually, Ms. Lamoureux graduated and went to the San Francisco Ballet school, where she performed in the Company's production of The Nutcracker. Yet a pressing family issue brought her back to southern California. "My dad was sick and he needed a kidney, so I decided to give him one of mine," she says. "I moved back to Riverside [for the operation] and I had to take six months off. The operations went successfully and I started getting back in shape, when saw that the Inland Pacific Ballet was holding Nutcracker auditions. I had heard about [IPB Co-Directors] Vicki Koenig through her work a the L.A. Chamber Ballet, and I knew of Kevin Myers because he taught at the first ballet studio I attended."

Her first roles during her debut IPB Nutcracker were in the Snow Corps and the Dewdrop Fairy, but it soon became evident that her participation here would be more than a one-time thing. "I wanted to be close to my family, and being here gave me the opportunity to do solo and principal roles I wouldn't get dancing at a bigger company, because of my height. I also started teaching at the Academy here, and I love it. Teaching has become a big part of my life."

A Life In Progress

Even though she has now performed the most challenging roles in IPB productions for eight years, Ms. Lamoureux asserts that she still considers her art a work in progress. "I'm improving each day, artistically and technically," she says. "When I look back at Nutcracker tapes from productions in 2000 or even 2001, with the Academy kids, everything comes up a notch. All of dancers are doing more challenging roles as they've become technically stronger.

"Personally, I try to add a little but more artistically each year, and technically I feel stronger each year as well," Ms. Lamoureux continues. "It's always an interesting challenge to work with different partners. Last year I worked with Steve Voznick for the first time; this year things came along a lot quicker when we started rehearsing together. I'll also be working with Daniel Kirk, who I worked with two years ago. Sometimes different partners have their own unique approach; they may want you prepare for each lift differently, and the timing needs to be adjusted. There will always be little adjustments you need to do to feel more comfortable."

A demanding and exacting art such as ballet requires a total focus and concentration, yet Ms. Lamoureux has been able to perform even during times of intense personal or family stress. "Ballet was always an escape for me," she says. "When I was growing up I went through a lot of my father's health problems, but ballet could take me away from what was going on in the outside world. It gave me peace."

Always On Pointe

She has also learned to deal with various physical ailments that can inhibit any dancer. "I strained a ligament during [the IPB's] Balanchine program, so I had to juggle my roles," Ms. Lamoureux says. "I could still dance, but not all the roles I was scheduled to do in first weekend. The thing is, once you get on stage adrenaline takes over and whatever physical problems you have are gone. We're also fortunate here to have Dr. Archer, who takes care of the Company."

Whatever her condition or whatever is going on at the IPB, Ms. Lamoureux aggressively stays in peak condition. "If I take a week off, I feel it," she says. "If it don't wear my pointe shoes for a week, the calluses soften, which is just painful. So if I'm not in rehearsal for a production, I teach my classes on pointe, so I can still be wearing my shoes."