Charthel Arthur began her
training in Pasadena, California with Eva Lorraine.
She also had one year of classes with Mme. Bronislava Nijinska.
After graduating from high school with honors she went to New York
and was given a full scholarship to The Joffrey
Ballet School. Soon
she was offered an apprenticeship to The Joffrey Ballet and three months
later she became a full company member.
Ms Arthur performed with The Joffrey Ballet for thirteen years
becoming a principal dancer. She
performed throughout the United States, Russia, Canada and also in London
and Vienna. During her years
with the company she was most fortunate to study with and work with many
of the most important and creative people in the dance world, including
Balanchine, Robbins, DeMille, Jooss, Ailey, and of course Robert Joffrey
and Gerald Arpino.
Ms Arthur created and
performed ion many works including Arpino’s Viva
Vivaldi, Kettentanz, Confetti, Trinity; Robert Joffrey’s
Pas Des Deesses, Remembrances, Gamelon; Balanchine’s Pas De Six, Square Dance, Donizetti Variations, Scotch Symphony; Robbins’
Interplay, New York Export, Opus
Jazz; DeMille’s Rodeo; Jooss’ The Green Table, The Big City; Ailey’s Feast of Ashes; Boris’ Cakewalk;
Ashton’s The Dream and Facade;
Fokine’s Petroushka; and Massine’s The
Three-Cornered Hat.
Through Joffrey
connections in 1982 Ms. Arthur and her husband, Robert Estner, moved to
Grand Rapids. Michigan, to establish a professional ballet school.
It was first known as Summerfest School, then later
merged and became the School of Grand Rapids Ballet.
They were its directors, primary teachers and produced dancers that
have gone on to work with professional dance companies including The
Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Ballet West,
Dayton Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Indianapolis Ballet,
Nevada Dance Theater, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, and Eugene Ballet.
As artistic director for the Grand Rapids Ballet of ten years, Ms.
Arthur raised the level of the company from a small civic group to be the
only professional ballet company in the state of Michigan.
Ms. Arthur left
performing with The Joffrey Ballet 21 years ago for maternity reasons.
Yet she kept strong ties with the company.
Robert Joffrey asked her to teach with him at
his Joffrey workshop in San Antonio, Texas. She taught there from 1981-1992.
This past summer she joined the ballet staff at The Joffrey
workshop Midwest in Flint, Michigan.
Ms. Arthur joined the
artistic staff of The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago as ballet mistress in
September 1998.
The
Estners have one son, Adam, living in Boston.