Carriag New and Georgie Grace Butler have spent their last three summers in Juneau, Alaska. (Photos courtesy of Kim Kenney)
Every year, when the weather gets warmer and the days grow long, the company dancers of the Atlanta Ballet jet off to exotic locations, devote themselves to other hobbies and pastimes and spend time with friends and loved ones. Here at ArtsATL, we wanted to know more about how these talented dancers spend their summers, so we bring to you a new series called Summer Stories.
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For Atlanta Ballet company dancers Carraig New and Georgie Grace Butler, beating the sweltering summer heat led them far from Atlanta and into the beautiful surrounds of New’s hometown in Juneau, Alaska. A tradition for the past three years, the two use their time to connect with New’s family, rest and rejuvenate and spend time in nature.
New, who joined the Atlanta Ballet in 2018 and was later promoted to the company in 2020, first took up dance in order to perform better tricks while skiing. Though his earliest dance lessons were in jazz and hip-hop, he got word that his hometown studio needed a boy to perform in The Nutcracker. His older sister convinced him to try out, and he got the part. “It was the beginning of my love for dance and changed the path of my life forever,” New said.
At the age of 15, New left his hometown to study ballet, but he has returned to Juneau each summer ever since. “When I was in school, I would go back and rest my body and mind, enjoying the natural beauty and stillness of the place I am lucky to call home,” he said. “Now that I’m working, I use the off season to go back and see family, mostly working for my dad at his veterinary practice and doing odd jobs for my parents.”
As a young teen, Butler became interested in ballet when she saw that many of her fellow Girl Scouts were enrolled in ballet classes. Soon thereafter, she was invited to attend the Boston Ballet School’s pre-professional program, which she says really shaped her passion for ballet. “Watching such incredible artists on stage in such a stunning opera house was something I never experienced before,” she recalled. In particular, it was the stories, emotions and feelings of the performances that hit home for Butler and inspired her to pursue dance.
Years later, Butler joined Atlanta Ballet in 2019 and became a company dancer in 2023. She then met New and decided to accompany him on his annual pilgrimage back home. “She fell just as in love with Juneau as I am,” said New. During the second summer, Butler found work at one of the restaurants in town that serve thousands of visitors disembarking from the three to six cruise ships that dock there daily, and this year New opted to get a job there as well. Butler had experience working in fine dining here in Atlanta so the transition was easy for her, but New had never worked in restaurants before. “It was super fun to see him assimilate to a workplace so familiar to me,” said Butler.
Describing their work at the restaurant as fast-paced and busy but still rewarding, the two would work from morning until evening serving endless plates of fresh seafood to hungry visitors. After work, the two would head to the gym, taking barre classes, working on cardio or cross-training before heading back home, where they’d cook fresh seafood and sometimes take an evening walk to get some time out in nature, an endeavor made easier by the late Alaskan sunsets.
“Growing up in Juneau, I was raised with a strong respect and wonder for the natural world,” said New. After making it through the region’s long, harsh winters marked by massive snowstorms and what New describes as an “unbelievable amount of rain,” he has always felt the poignant relief and appreciation of that first sunny day, which he says “makes you feel like you can take on the world.” He carries that shared harmony with and appreciation for nature — and our place within it — in his soul no matter where he is at any given time. Heading back to Alaska helps to remind him of that.
When they aren’t working in the restaurant or visiting New’s family, the pair often find themselves spending time outside in nature — hiking, rock climbing, cold plunging, camping on islands just off the coast and fishing.
Prior to this summer, Butler had never succeeded in catching anything when accompanying New on his fishing excursions. “Naturally, this had her convinced that she was cursed and that the fish would never bite in her presence,” explained New. Upon hearing about Butler’s discouragement, New’s father set out to remedy the situation. Rising early one morning, they hopped on a boat and set off to find halibut, which is a bottom-feeder fish and typically resides around 200 feet to 400 feet below the surface of the water.
“I set her up with her rod, and she sank her line down the depths,” said New. Within only a few minutes, Butler felt a tug on the line and reeled in her catch: a 30-pound halibut that was trying desperately to pull the rod out from her hands. When she finally wrestled the fish onto the boat, she declared that her curse had been broken.
“There is no end to the joy and magic Juneau and Alaska bring into our lives,” said Butler. Witnessing the interconnectedness of nature, weather and the people who live there reminds her of just how small one individual is within the scope of the wide world. “Sometimes in ballet we are so worried about ourselves, our techniques, our performance, etc., it’s nice to balance that out with the perspective of the grandeur of Alaska’s beauty.”
“If I had any wisdom for fellow dancers, I would say find calm in the nature around you, no matter how big or small,” said New. “Be amongst nature and remind yourself you’re not experiencing it — you’re a part of it. It is always worth it. It has a profoundly healing effect on the mind and soul, and I find now that the art I love and create always seems to be rooted in that perspective.”
New and Butler may be gearing up for another season of dance here in Atlanta, but their hearts remain tied to Juneau and its natural beauty. They carry the appreciation for the natural world and our place within it throughout their time on stage. When insecurities or worries play upon Butler’s mind, she remembers the feelings of being so small in such a wondrous, natural place. The experience is grounding and reminds her that she is a whole person with dreams and goals that are not exclusively tied to her performances on stage.
For New, the love for Alaska and the love of art nurture one another in his heart. “There isn’t a summer that goes by that I don’t leave with a bigger appreciation for the world we live in and the art I am able to create,” said New. “There are many lessons to be learned from the natural world, if one only takes the time to stop and listen.”
