Starz is moving forward on the original ballet drama Flesh and Bone from Breaking Bad writer/executive producer Moira Walley-Beckett, and the series has found its leading dancer. Sarah Hay (Black Swan) will star in the series as Claire, a young ballet dancer with a troubled past.
The cast also includes former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Irina Dvorovenko, current American Ballet Theatre soloist Sascha Radetsky, Ballet Arizona company dancer Raychel Diane Weiner, and Emily Tyra (Boardwalk Empire).
Filming’s expected to get underway soon in New York City and Starz is aiming to add the series to its lineup in 2015.
“From the beginning, we all agreed this project could not go forward unless we found a world-class dancer who had the ability to convey the widest range of emotions that Moira has written,” says Chris Albrecht, CEO of Starz. “This is one of the most challenging and dynamic characters I have ever seen and am thrilled to say we found our ‘Claire’ in Ms. Hay.”
Moira Walley-Beckett stated, “Finding the perfect ‘Claire’ has been an almost impossible task. It was truly like looking for a unicorn because the demands of the role are so specific and challenging. I was looking for a beautiful and transcendent ballerina who is not only a brilliant dancer but also a gifted actress and who also possesses a fierce curiosity and enthusiasm about the brave demands of the work. Sarah Hay embodies the role of ‘Claire’ just as I dreamt her. I’m very, very excited. Chris Albrecht and the team at Starz have been incredibly supportive of Flesh and Bone since its inception. I can’t wait to start filming! NYC here we come!”
Starz released details on Hay’s character: “Hay will portray young ballerina Claire, a beautiful, soulful and deeply emotionally wounded young woman who possesses an innate innocence and fragility while at the same time harboring self-destructive tendencies and a vaulting ambition. She is a transcendent ballerina, capable of reaching the sublime, but her inner torment and aspirations drive her in compelling, unforeseeable ways.”
Sarah Hay Biography [Courtesy of Starz]
Hay has a distinguished background in dance that makes her uniquely qualified to star in the series. Her training began at the School of American Ballet at the age of eight, and she later attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet at American Ballet Theatre. She was awarded scholarships for summer programs at Miami City Ballet, Chautauqua, and American Ballet Theatre. Her most influential teachers include Susan Jaffe, Cynthia Harvey, and Nancy Bielski.
In 2010, Ms. Hay was invited by Artistic Director, Aaron Watkin to join the Dresden Semperoper Ballett in Germany and was promoted to soloist in 2012. During her first year in the company, she was chosen by Stijn Celis to perform the title role in Cinderella. Other principal and soloist roles with Semperoper Ballett have included Swanilda in Balanchine’s Coppelia, Marie in Aaron Watkin’s Nutcracker, principal dancer in Balanchine’s Emeralds, the pas de deux with Jiri Bubenicek in Ekman’s Cacti, Forsythe’s Handel II and Enemy in the Figure, Watkin’s Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere and Swan Lake.
Sarah danced as a member of the Corps De Ballet in the Academy Award® winning Black Swan and is among the list of Capezio Athletes.
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