Occupation Ballet dancer Current group Whim W'Him | Name Chalnessa Eames Education Royal Winnipeg Ballet | |
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Born 1978 (age 36–37) Los Angeles, California Former groups Royal Winnipeg Ballet (1998-2001)
Pacific Northwest Ballet (2001-2011) | ||
Pnb s petite mort benjamin griffiths and chalnessa eames
Chalnessa Eames (born 1978) is a ballet dancer who performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Contents
- Pnb s petite mort benjamin griffiths and chalnessa eames
- Early life and education
- Career
- Leading roles
- Other work
- Personal life
- References
Early life and education
Eames was born in Los Angeles, California. She is one of five children born to Rebecca (Becky) and David Eames. From the age of three, she grew up in Bellingham, Washington, where she studied ballet at the Nancy Whyte School of Ballet and the Morca Academy of Performing Arts. She then moved to Eugene (Oregon) to work with Kathleen Smith Epstein, who taught using the Vaganova syllabus. She worked with her for two years, from ages 12–14, when she started high school.
She auditioned for Harid Conservatory and received a two-year scholarship. She attended summer programs at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and completed her final year of training at Winnipeg.
Career
In 1996, at the age of 18, she joined Royal Winnipeg Ballet, as an apprentice and was promoted to the corps de ballet the following year. She joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2001, where she was promoted to soloist in 2007. Eames left the Pacific Northwest Ballet in June 2011. She currently performs with Olivier Wevers' Whim W'Him dance company.
Leading roles
Eames has danced leading roles which include:
She also originated the leading roles in:
Other work
Eames danced in Guy Maddin's 2002 film Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary.
Personal life
Eames is married to Ash Modha, the CEO and co-founder of the Mondetta Clothing Company.