The first time I saw Carrie Imler perform, she was Flora, queen of the flowers in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Sendak/Stowell version of The Nutcracker (please don’t talk to me about the switch to Balanchine; I prefer to pretend that version doesn’t exist). I was probably 8 years old. I would watch her dance that role countless times, imbuing what’s often one of the dullest parts of the ballet with energy and athletic prowess.
That’s the thing about Carrie Imler: She’s kind of a badass. While the stereotype would have us believe ballet dancers are wispy, elf-like creatures, they’re actually athletes of the highest order, and Imler personifies this better than almost anyone. She’s visibly strong, known for her technical precision and soaring jumps. A video of her dancing the Black Swan’s infamous fouetté sequence from Swan Lake—almost comically challenging choreography that’s eluded pros like Misty Copeland and Sara Mearns—has more than a million views on YouTube. And she’s been with PNB for 22 years. To say she’ll be missed when she retires after the company’s season would be an epic understatement.