Conner’s Final Bow with Canyon Concert Ballet
Although Conner isn’t retiring from dance, stepping away from performing with Canyon Concert Ballet Northern Colorado marks a huge transition in his artistic journey. CCB is where he first received his dance education back in the early 2000s, and, thanks in part to Artistic Director Michael Pappalardo, he returned from his “first retirement” in 2022 to pursue a full-time performance career once more. (COVID made an excellent excuse for that early retirement.)
Over the past three years, Conner has re-fallen in love with performing, ballet, choreography, and the Fort Collins community. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to come back to the stage and share in the company’s growth and artistry.
One of Conner’s highlights was being cast as Dracula in the ballet’s 2023 premiere. He admits he was surprised by the casting—traditionally, he’s been placed in roles like princes, cavaliers, or other “good guys,” a typecasting ballet too often leans into, equating blond hair, fair skin, and height with virtue. While those roles have their own magic, Dracula was something else entirely.
For Conner, the role was a dream come true. Horror—and especially Gothic horror—has always been a passion of his. As a kid, he devoured every version of Dracula he could find, from the novels and films to even the Scooby Doo crossovers. To embody the Count on stage wasn’t just a role; it was a fulfillment of something he had loved since childhood.
It feels especially right that Dracula will be his last role with the company. The ballet is structured so that Dracula interacts with almost the entire cast throughout the show. That means Conner has the rare privilege of sharing the stage from beginning to end with almost all the CCB artists he’s worked alongside during these past three years. Pair that with the fact that his six-year-old self would have been giddy at the thought, and it’s easy to see why he calls it the perfect farewell.
Of course, he treasures many roles, including Winston in 1984, Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Albrecht in Giselle, and his turn as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz. (He’ll happily joke that playing a character without a brain wasn’t too much of an artistic stretch.) Still, Dracula remains the role he feels most connected to.
Conner is transitioning to Director of the second company (CCB2) as well as Rehearsal Director this season. When asked about this transition, he says, “Although I'll miss sharing the stage with my fellow artists horribly, I'm beyond excited to support them from backstage and watch them shine. How lucky am I that I get to go to work everyday and watch these amazing artists work on their craft? It's truly a pleasure and a privilege.” For him, being part of this company’s story has been an honor, and ending his CCB performing chapter here with Dracula feels like everything has come full circle.
