American Dancer is thrilled with the continuation of this new series by the multi-talented Yanina Kisler. We would love to hear about your hobbies and projects outside of dance—what brought you to them and how you have pursued them. If you have a story to share, please contact Yanina.kisler@comcast.net or American Dancer at americandancer@usadance.org. You can write up your own story or just send us a summary along with how to contact you so we can arrange for an interview.
Continuing American Dancer’s effort to highlight the accomplishments of our dancers when they are off the dance floor, I talked with Kate Tamarkin about her career as an orchestra conductor. Kate is a social dancer who enjoys cheerleading for her husband, Cliff Arnold, who competes in Smooth and Standard with his amateur partner, Lilian Paternostre.
Kate was raised in California as the youngest of four children. Her mother was trained in ballet and flamenco and used her talent to entertain American troops for the USO during World War II. Kate attended Chapman University in California, where she majored in Music Education. Conducting was part of the college curriculum. Her teacher, after observing her conduct an orchestra for the first time, recognized her potential and suggested she consider a career in conducting. She followed his advice and earned a Masters Degree from Northwestern University. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and was fortunate to study with many great conductors, among them Leonard Bernstein. This was the start of a 35-year distinguished career as an orchestral conductor.
Kate was appointed Associate Conductor of the Dallas Symphony and was one of a handful of female conductors who worked nationally in the early 90s. She is proud to have blazed the trail for the several women conductors who have followed. She has been the Music Director (combining the roles of principal conductor with administrative and artistic leadership) for several orchestras across the country, and has guest conducted such orchestras as the Shanghai Symphony, the Edmonton Symphony, the National Symphony of Moldova, and the Chicago, Houston, St. Louis, and Phoenix Symphonies. She has also enjoyed conducting opera and conducted the Washington D.C. premiere of Mark Adamo’s “Little Women”.
Maintaining a professional musical career involved intense work and much moving around the country. She eventually shifted her work to an academic setting, serving on the music faculties at the University of Minnesota, The Catholic University of America, and the University of Virginia. Kate and Cliff met in Minnesota and got married in 1999, giving her the happy opportunity to be a soccer mom for Cliff’s son, Nathan. Cliff was a self-employed physicist and engineer who was flexible and could work from any location.
Nathan is now married, and Kate and Cliff have two grandkids, aged seven and two and a half. Kate is excited that her little granddaughter can already sing in tune!
Over her career, Kate has had several memorable events. She recalls opening for the legendary Johnny Mathis in Dallas. He had hired his own security guard for his dressing room. Kate’s dressing room was next to his, and when she tried to get into her room, his guard would not let her pass. They thought Kate was just one of Johnny’s crazed fans with an ingenious “story”! Kate had to call the Symphony Center security guards to vouch for her before she could get into her dressing room.
She also had the opportunity to perform for Queen Elizabeth II when Her Majesty visited Dallas in 1991 as part of a national tour. Besides conducting, Kate was to introduce the musicians to Her Majesty. She received special instructions on the proper etiquette for interacting with the Queen: when to talk, when to extend her hand, etc. It remains a thrilling memory to this day.
After Moldova became independent from the Soviet Union in 2000, the United States State Department invited Kate to Moldova’s capital city to introduce Western culture and music. It was winter, and Russia still controlled the fuel supply for heating in Moldova. Kate recalls conducting rehearsals in frigid conditions with very cold and hungry musicians. She remains grateful that her grandparents emigrated to the United States from Odesa in the early 20th century during the Russian Revolution.
As Kate concluded her career as a conductor, she wanted a way to continue to express herself. She learned to play the Celtic harp and became a Certified Music Practitioner. As a therapeutic musician, she is employed as a Musician in Residence at the University of Virginia Medical Center and founded the “Music by the Bedside” program for the Hospice of the Piedmont. She is one of a small number of musicians hired by the program to play at the bedside of hospice patients at every stage of their journey. Kate tailors the music to the individual needs of the patient and seeks to create a soothing atmosphere. Music has been shown to have tangible physical and emotional effects, which help people at this very vulnerable and difficult time. After years of standing on the podium and accepting applause, she now finds playing in a dim room with one person to be the more meaningful experience.
In spite of her mother being a dancer, Kate did not dance as a child. At their wedding, Cliff led her through their first wedding dance by whispering numbers in her ear that corresponded to the four simple moves which they had learned. There was no hint at that time as to how much dancing lay ahead!
When Cliff became seriously involved in dancing, Kate decided that she had better start as well. As a lifelong professional performer, she does not need the pressure of ballroom competition. She enjoys social dancing and showcases, in addition to being a cheerleader for Cliff. She favors smooth romantic dances and especially enjoys the beautiful repertoire of ballroom dancing. She finds that one of the hardest parts of ballroom dancing has been to master the art of “following”. As a conductor, she is trained to lead the orchestra with preparatory gestures ahead of the beat. Waiting for a leader has been an exercise in patience and flexibility.
Kate now realizes that dancing is not the easy art form that it appears. Although it may look elegant and romantic, much thinking is involved while one dances. It is a daunting endeavor for two people to truly dance “as one”.
Finally, she admires how dancers take care of themselves and generally age much better than the general public. Because the human brain has receptors for music in several different areas, people who deal with music or dancing involve their brains in many ways and maintain a beautiful social and creative outlet. She is grateful for this beautiful art form that incorporates her passion for music and movement.
Yanina Kisler is a Senior III and Senior IV Championship-level dancer. She has been competing together with her husband, Eric Austin, for the last seven years, both nationally and internationally. They were United States Champions in both Senior III and Senior IV Standard and World Championship Semifinalists twice. Yanina is an Electrical Engineer, now retired. She and Eric have two children and three grandchildren.
American Dancer is thrilled that Yanina Kisler is working on this series. To read more of her American Dancer articles, check out: Championship Dance is Published Author!, How to be a Good Spectator at a Ballroom Competition, and So, You Want to Compete in a European Ballroom Dance Competition?
