'Pushed each other': Twin ballerinas danced together, retired together

Twin sisters Jennifer and Alexandra Gibson are shown in a handout photo.. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Paul Cameron

The decision of twins Jennifer and Alexandra Gibson to put down their pointe shoes and retire might have seemed effortless, much like their performances onstage.

But similar to the classical dance form, which requires intense physical training to perform elegant manoeuvres, the two mainstays of the Alberta Ballet say their move to gracefully plié into retirement required strength.

"The choice to retire is generally a very big deal in the dance world," says Jennifer.

"There were a lot of discussions on the couch. The acceptable ways to leave is either you get an injury so bad you can't keep dancing, you feel like you're too old to be doing the amount of work that is required or you burn out.

"I think (we) were able to find a perfect happy medium for ourselves. It felt like time for a change."

The 34-year-old sisters say they weirdly began thinking about retiring at the same time. Their last performance was in May of "Der Wolf" and "The Rite of Spring."

"The idea that one of us would continue dancing on the stage without the support of the other just didn't feel right to us," says Alexandra.

The Alberta Ballet's artistic director Francesco Ventriglia says the twins shone over the 15 years they performed for the company.

"Their work showcased dedication, passion and outstanding talent, and their careers have resonated with countless awe-inspiring performances and unwavering commitment to excellence," he says.

"It's a heartfelt moment for us to reflect on the many years they've devoted to spreading joy and inspiration among Alberta Ballet's audiences and communities."

The twins were born in Ontario and moved to Calgary when they were seven.

They say their parents, with no background in the arts, decided to enrol them in the Alberta Ballet school to keep them active and busy.

After their first few classes, the twins say they were hooked on the music, the tutus and the physical challenge of moving in extreme ways to tell a story.

"Dancers are athletes. Ballet is a sport. There's wear and tear," Jennifer says.

"Your legs are higher. Your jumps are higher in extreme positions. You have to look beautiful, because you can't show the effort."

At age 12, they moved into the professional division of the school and "the training became more intense," says Jennifer.

When it was time to graduate, they had to decide whether to continue in ballet or pursue other education.

They had just become supplemental dancers for the company's "Nutcracker" and "Midsummer Night's Dream" productions, which gave them a taste of professional ballet. And they learned they didn't want to stop.

"We just pushed each other to keep exploring how much we could get out of dance, and the rest is history," says Alexandra.

But Jennifer says their like-mindedness made it difficult for them to find their individual styles.

"Our style of dancing, because of training together and having genetically identical body shape, leg length — it did look very similar when we were younger," she says.

"As we matured and gained more experience, we started to enjoy different elements of ballet and ballet technique."

Jennifer enjoyed slower, languid movements.

Alexandra was dynamic, quickly changing her pace to the beat of the music.

"It really has been the most rewarding 15 years of my life," Jennifer says.

After performing in more than 80 productions together with the Alberta Ballet, the sisters say they're happy they joined the company together and have left it together.

They say they still see each other. They live next door to one another.

"Ballet will always be a part of us, but the world is your oyster," says Alexandra.

"We're excited for what's next."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 14, 2024.