John Welker
Christine Winkler’s husband, Atlanta Ballet dancer for 19 seasons
(Recalling his future wife when they met two decades ago at Ballet West in Utah:) "Oh, man, she was powerful. That hasn't changed. Her stage presence is beyond her physical size. Her port de bras, the way she carries her arms and upper body, it's so regal. It's so easy and fluid, how she holds herself. It drew me in.
“She was so musical, she was powerful, she was quick, she could turn, she could jump. She had it all. She was a force, and everyone saw it too. It was a hierarchy company, so there were principals and soloists and senior members of the corps. And of course (as the newest and youngest members) we were the peons. Still, she got to do some soloist roles right off the bat, so they obviously really liked her. …
“To have danced with her is such an honor. She’s just very special.”
Kristi Necessary Loveless
Retired Atlanta Ballet dancer, now Greater Atlanta Christian School ballet teacher
“I think that having John in the studio is a big motivator, just because they’re together. They’re the perfect example to any students or anyone in the company, really, that you can do this but only if you put this much into it.
“Christine is so much of what Atlanta Ballet is. She represents the standard dancers have to rise to. I don’t know if she has it her mind that she’s the standard, but she is.”
Tara Lee
Atlanta Ballet dancer for 18 seasons
“I feel like she’s set the standard for this company in so many ways, in terms of excellence, in terms of what a ballerina is. Besides her artistry and professionalism, just how she’s handled herself as a person in the studio, too. She’s always been the jokester, and made people laugh and has never been a diva ever.
“She’s just very grounded, very down to earth. You just don’t realize that when she’s onstage because she’s this amazing creature there. But she’s a real person.”
Nadia Mara
Atlanta Ballet dancer for eight seasons
“She’s been my inspiration. She was the person, the first time I took class (at Atlanta Ballet, in 2005, before being invited into the company the next year), I looked at her and thought, ‘Oh my god, she’s so beautiful!’ Like I want to be her, look like her, though we look nothing alike! She inspires me so much.
“She’s my mentor and I look up to her, but she’s also my friend. She’s a huge part of Atlanta Ballet. For us to see her leave, it’s like ‘Oh, no!’ But we’re all really happy for her.”
Alessa Rogers
Atlanta Ballet dancer for six seasons
“I remember writing her a note and sticking it in her bag after watching her rehearse ‘Seven Sonatas.’ (It said) something like: ‘It’s so great to have your energy back in the studio again.’ We missed her because she’s a beautiful dancer and a beautiful role model for everybody. …
“I think she’s going to be retiring at her peak. I don’t think she’s diminished at all through her year off, really more like a year and a half once you count her injury. I don’t think it shows at all. She’s just as strong as she ever was.”
John McFall
Atlanta Ballet artistic director for 20 seasons
“She is so dedicated, and dance is her life. She’s an artist and available for everything. She takes everything within herself and brings it to that moment. She gives of herself completely. …
“I think that is what attracts interest from choreographers. Choreographers work with her and then, if they come back, they want to work with her again.”
Sarah Hillmer
Ballet mistress and former Atlanta Ballet dancer
“She’s a dream to work with. She’s so smart. You give her something and she has it. She’s one of those people where I’m like, ‘Well, Christine remembered it was this way, we’re gonna trust her.’ … She’s clearly gifted, but there’s also all the work that goes behind it — she has an incredible work ethic. …
“You get choreographers in the room and they see this (dancer) who’s trying to translate what it is we’re talking about. And that inspires them. And they in turn want to work with that person. And they’re able to translate their ideas and their passions though that human being. So she’s a pretty incredible vessel.”
Kathleen Winkler
Christine Winkler’s mother
(On if it’s part of her daughter’s makeup to constantly challenge herself, including the decision to come back to ballet after having baby Lucas:) “I think so. She just wanted to go back, I think probably to prove to herself that she could do it. And she is that type of person. When she came up against that challenge when she was injured in high school (tearing her ACL in a ski accident), she was sure that she was going to get through it and continue on, and she did.
“She’s a determined person. When she wants to do something, she most normally does it.”
Cynthia Bond Perry
Dance critic/correspondent for the AJC, artsatl.com, Dance Magazine
“When I began following Atlanta Ballet six years ago, Winkler’s strength lay in abstract, neoclassical works like Christopher Hampson’s ‘Sinfonietta.’ In her dramatic roles, she wasn’t flamboyant or explosive; she was cool, clean and precise, with a sculptural quality that allowed the works’ formal beauty to shine.
“Winkler’s range has since expanded with the company’s repertoire. Since 2010, the troupe has taken on styles stretching from Twyla Tharp’s rhythmically complex ‘The Princess and the Goblin’ to Wayne McGregor’s futuristic ‘Eden/Eden’ to Ohad Naharin’s visceral ‘Minus 16.’ Over time, one experience has fed the next.
“Her recent role as Lady Capulet in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s ‘Romeo et Juliette’ wiped away any doubts about her ability to convey emotion. Perhaps it was due to two decades of dancing; her new experience as a parent; or the expert coaching she received. In Act II, Tybalt, her close companion, dies. In response, she shed courtly restraint, pouring out her grief with violent kicks and body twists, all with an intensity that recalled Martha Graham.”
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