Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Gatti.
Joseph, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Warwick, NY. My mother, who owned a ballet studio, never had the chance to dance professionally. My father was a big fan of dance but also loved sports. I grew up playing baseball with my brother, and my father coached us. I also did some karate.
It wasn’t until we moved to Florida that I began ballet at age 10, starting at Southern Ballet Theatre. My mom actually bribed me $20 to take a dance class. Soon after, a teacher at the studio invited me to join their ballet class. It was challenging and interesting at first, as I mostly just followed along. I enjoyed being with all the girls and even made friends with another boy, which made it easier.
At 13, I began working with a male teacher from Ukraine. This was when I started learning male steps and realized how athletic and enjoyable ballet could be. I followed these teachers, Irina and Vadim Fedotov, when they opened their own school, Russian Academy Of Ballet. They coached me and provided opportunities to learn not only about dancing but also how to properly portray a character and tell a story on stage. For instance, at 14 or 15, I was already performing full-length ballets like *The Nutcracker* and *Cinderella*. Although the choreography was simplified, I began to understand what it felt like to carry a two-hour ballet as the main character.
At 17, I decided to return to Southern Ballet Theatre (now Orlando Ballet) because the great Fernando Bujones had become the new director. I joined as an apprentice under his leadership. My goal was to learn from him and experience company life, and it was an amazing year. While there, I met Orlando Molina, a professional dancer in the company and a part-time ballet master. He encouraged me to compete in YAGP, the largest competition for youth dancers. I had never competed before but was eager and excited. He worked with me one-on-one for hours, and I won the gold medal at the YAGP finals in NYC. This led to multiple job offers, including Boston Ballet 2, and a scholarship for the Royal Ballet School’s graduate year. I chose the Royal Ballet School because I wanted to further develop my technique and artistic quality, and it was an unforgettable experience.
After graduating from the Royal Ballet School in London with honors, I went on to ABT Studio Company in NY. It was an amazing time; we traveled and performed in London and Bermuda that year.
I then sought more competitions and decided to compete in the NYIBC, becoming the first American male to win the gold medal. At 20, I received my first paid job as a soloist with the Cincinnati Ballet, where I had three amazing seasons. While I was there, my director from Orlando Ballet, Fernando Bujones, passed away. I was devastated, and Cincinnati Ballet allowed me to dedicate my first *Le Corsaire* performance to him. That performance was recorded and seen by The Benois De La Danse in Moscow, Russia, where I was nominated for Best Male Dancer. I was so excited to travel and perform for the Russian audience—it was my first time out of the country, other than London, and my first time ever in Russia.
After three wonderful years at Cincinnati Ballet as a Principal Dancer, I received an opportunity to dance in Spain as a principal dancer under the leadership of Ángel Corella, Principal at American Ballet Theatre. He was a dancer I looked up to growing up and as a student. I was coached by him for three years in Spain, performed all over Spain, and went on a performance tour to City Center in NYC. I performed so much amazing repertoire with them.
For some reason, the government began to cut funding and support for the company, and it eventually folded.
I then worked with Boston Ballet. I learned incredible repertoire as well as wonderful full-length ballets. In my late 20s, I started experiencing more pain and some injuries, including fractured toes, patellar tendinitis, and scar tissue buildup from a surgery I had at Cincinnati Ballet to remove an extra bone that broke off in my foot. Thankfully, the amazing doctors in Boston completely removed the scar tissue, and I regained the mobility needed for ballet. Doctors with knowledge about the physicality involved in ballet would often tell me, “Well, Joey, it’s going to take a little more work since you’re not just coming back like a basketball player. It’s harder because technique is involved and lines that are required for clean technique.”
During my time at Boston Ballet, I started to recognize that professional ballet dancers are truly athletes. This led me to have extensive conversations with physical therapists at leading ballet companies, focusing on injury prevention. I learned that dancers often experience severe injuries, similar to those in contact sports.
After three fulfilling years, I decided to explore freelancing because I felt something was missing from my routine, and I wasn’t performing at my best. I moved to Florida and trained with a Cuban teacher, which allowed me to have time to incorporate cross-training, massages, and body treatments into my recovery. I noticed a significant improvement in my performance.
In 2015, I had the opportunity to guest with my former company, Orlando Ballet. Unfortunately, at that time, the atmosphere was disheartening. The director was rude to the dancers and seemed indifferent to overwork and overall health, often making dancers run scenes excessively. Communication was poor, creating a tense environment. I was also learning three to four ballets simultaneously, as I was the only major cast, which was overwhelming. This led to patellar tendinitis. I approached the director, suggesting it would be wise to let someone else perform on Nutcracker opening night so I could recover for Don Quixote. However, he insisted I perform, a decision I later regretted.
Two days before opening night, during a studio rehearsal, my knee pain caused me to compensate, leading to an awkward landing during a jump, and I broke my foot. The crack was audible to everyone in the studio. I took one step and immediately knew it was broken as it began to swell. I recall the director’s dismissive remarks, “Oh, you’re fine,” and “It happened to me; you will be okay.”
I was furious with myself for not standing firm and declining to perform in The Nutcracker. After healing and rehabilitation, I returned stronger than ever. Continuing my freelance career, I realized I wanted to establish a company and academy dedicated to dancers’ health and longevity while providing the highest quality of classical ballet training in Florida, the state where I began my career. This vision led to the creation of United Ballet Theatre (UBT). While I believe UBT could have started anywhere, Orlando became its home.
I primarily moved back to Orlando because my father was battling cancer, and my brother also returned so we could all be together. My brother and I took care of our parents during what were incredibly precious times. We spent seven to eight years celebrating life with my dad, moments my brother and I will always cherish. My mother also developed a baseball-sized cyst in her head, significantly impacting her speech and mobility. Witnessing both parents decline was incredibly difficult. My father, despite his illness, cared for my mother with inspiring strength. We decided my mom should undergo brain surgery to remove the cyst. It was a frightening but successful operation—a true miracle. She regained her clear speech, mobility, and mental sharpness. To this day, I believe my dad saw her recovery, was at peace, and finally let go of his fight with cancer. On September 17, 2021, my father slipped into a partial coma due to metastasizing cancer.
My family was by his side. He fought for two days, and on September 19, 2021, my father finally rested. Those few days will forever be in my thoughts. There was one moment, just one, when he slightly opened his eyes and saw my brother and me. It was profoundly meaningful as we whispered, “Don’t worry, Dad, we will take care of Mom now. We love you so much.” I knew he heard us.
I am writing to share a personal journey that is deeply intertwined with the United Ballet Theatre (UBT). My father was incredibly proud of UBT, and my mother continues to be a strong supporter. Starting a ballet academy and a small nonprofit company with limited financial support has been a lot of work, but it’s my passion to guide and mentor dancers, providing them with unique cross-training and conditioning to prepare them for the demands of a professional ballet company.
I pushed myself hard, running the company in the mornings and the academy at night, all while trying to stay in shape. This became overwhelming, and I eventually tore my Achilles due to insufficient recovery time. Compounding this, I was also grieving my father’s passing, which led to a very negative mindset. I felt my career had been prematurely taken from me. Despite being depressed, I focused on teaching and continuing to build UBT in Orlando. During this time, I received guest teaching opportunities, which led me to meet the most incredible woman, Marisol Hernandez, who is now my fiancée. She is also a dancer and teacher, having studied and graduated from the prestigious National Ballet School of Cuba, which is renowned for forming many of today’s ballet stars. This is also the training I received from my Cuban teachers, which speaks to its progressive and special approach.
Marisol and I met in Cancun, began discussing our lives, and fell in love. She has been with me through the toughest of times, believing in me and UBT, and also believing that I could return to dancing. I was off for over a year, but her support and love gave me the courage and strength to get back on stage. After more than two years off ballet due to my Achilles rupture, I recently performed in the gala at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, Florida, on June 21, 2025. My mom and brother came to see me, and my fiancée was backstage, waiting for me and giving me the biggest hug when I came off stage. It was an incredible feeling, something I will never forget.
Marisol and I are incredibly passionate about providing the highest quality ballet training for dancers. It is our shared passion, and while it’s a lot of work, I often hear my dad’s voice saying, “Son, I’m so proud of you and UBT. United Ballet Theatre… United Ballet Theatre!” This keeps me going, and working with my students and young professionals also inspires me every day to grow UBT to its fullest. With my incredible and caring fiancée by my side, I know UBT will continue to grow, becoming a beacon for dancers’ health and overall incredible training, both technically and artistically.
The incredible support from my father, mother, brother, and fiancée has made me realize that you can never be paralyzed by fear or failure. You must take what is given to you, and if you truly love it and believe in your vision, it will grow and become a reality.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Injuries were my biggest challenges and missing a lot in life as your sacrificing a lot of fun time to make sure your training. Ballet takes much discipline and time.
I worked my body a lot as well as always focusing on trying to improve everyday. My goal onstage was always to win the audience. How to connect with them every time I step on stage.
Also trying to run a school and Junior company with very little financial support while dancing is always a huge challenge.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about United Ballet Theatre INC?
At UBT we specialize on precision technical ballet training as well as focusing on the highest quality of artistry to prepare our students for the demands of professional ballet company life as well as performance quality preparation.
We have a unique methodology that progresses our students to limit injury.
I’m also certified as a personal trainer in the Vertimax platform. Which is on location at UBT. This platform helps assist our dancers with overall movement efficiency, mobility, explosive jumps, flexibility and overall strength. By mimicking and mirroring the actual ballet steps needed to be executed onstage the Vertimax does just that without putting excess weight on the joints or ligaments . It’s all resistance rather than load. Which is better for the movement and steps required in ballet compared to an NFL lineman. Less dense muscle and more length, flexibility as well as strength.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Like I mentioned in my story, it’s important to never feel paralyzed by fear or failure.
I have had some minor injuries and major ones but I never let them stop me from learning more about the body and how to prevent them for myself as well as my dancers at UBT. It’s always a risk going back on stage after injuries but if you never try you never know. I’m not naive though, you have to put in the work in preparation to make sure you’re alway prepared. That’s so important. There is no magic pill or cheat codes to success. I’m thankful for all my failures as well as my successes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ATHLETESofART.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balletgatti?igsh=MTgyNnBhN2tvNXplbA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
