Ja’Malik Is Entering His Fourth Year Leading Madison Ballet: Discover Ballet!
“Ja’Malik, who was hired as Madison Ballet’s artistic director in July 2022 and six months later was named its interim CEO, found ballet to be an oasis of clarity when he was young in the midst of the very chaotic and noisy world that surrounded him.
‘I was drawn to it because of the discipline of it, the challenges that it presented,” Ja’Malik said. “I quite enjoyed how hard it was to achieve what they wanted. And I grew up in a chaotic childhood with a lot of siblings and parents and a loud environment. I liked the fact that it was only one person talking in the classroom, which was the teacher. The students were taught that you had to listen and pay attention and replicate what you saw. I loved that. It was a complete contrast to my life.’
It also turned out that he had a natural acumen for ballet.”