Namely News: Southold dancer en pointe for professional career in ballet

Kathy Borlik
·4 min read
Frederick Stuckwisch stands outside the Colfax Cultural Center, where he has been taking lessons at and dancing with Southold Dance for the last five years.
Frederick Stuckwisch stands outside the Colfax Cultural Center, where he has been taking lessons at and dancing with Southold Dance for the last five years.

Frederick Stuckwisch, 17, has a big smile and an easy laugh. A good listener and talker. He flies up the steps at the Colfax Cultural Center — two steps at a time. A regular teen.

Well, maybe not so much. He moves better than most teens. He is a rising star in the ballet world.

Right now, he is a member of South Bend's Southold Dance Theater. But there is a big ballet world out there for him.

He recently participated in the Youth America Grand Prix, which is the world’s largest ballet competition for student dancers. It supports and develops world class dancers, ages 9-19, of all economic, ethnic and geographic backgrounds by providing auditions, performances and education. The goal is to find talent.

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More than 450 alumni now dance with companies throughout the world.

That’s saying a lot. There were more than 15,000 participants in 41 locations — everywhere. Frederick won the senior age division in Indianapolis. He went on to the final round in April in Florida, where he competed with 160 others. Although he didn’t win there, he was happy with his performance.

He said the competition was “a learning experience.” At times, it was a little edgy but mostly friendly. “Everyone wants people to do their best.”

Fred will participate in one more Grand Prix.

All this and he has been dancing for only five years.

“My sister (Olyanna) was taking classes with Southold. There was a bring-a-friend-to-class week. I came, and I fell in love,” he said. “It is about expressing yourself, using energy and interpretation.”

He is the son of Rick and LaRena Stuckwisch of South Bend. He is homeschooled and one of 10 children.

And here’s a chance to see him and the rest of the company. Frederick and the company will be performing Sergei Prokofiev's “Cinderella” at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The ballet will be at 7 p.m. June 3, 2 and 7 p.m. June 4, and 2 p.m. June 5. Tickets can be purchased from the DeBartolo website at performingarts.nd.edu.

Frederick Stuckwisch recently competed in a worldwide ballet competition and made it to the finals. He plays the prince in Southold Dance Theater's production of “Cinderella” from June 3-5, 2022, at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center.
Frederick Stuckwisch recently competed in a worldwide ballet competition and made it to the finals. He plays the prince in Southold Dance Theater's production of “Cinderella” from June 3-5, 2022, at the Debartolo Performing Arts Center.

You’ll know him because he is the prince. When asked what role, he shrugged his shoulders a bit. Who else could he be?

Călin Radulescu, the artistic director of Southold, remembers when he first saw him as a guest in the boys class. “Fred was an energetic boy with a big smile, but the surprise came when I saw his natural abilities for dance, especially ballet. He was ticking all the right boxes. I observed his flexibility, pointy feet, drive and ambition from the get-go. At that point, I realized that ‘this boy needs to dance.’ He is made for it."

Călin said he is a gifted young man.  “After only three years of training, I enrolled him in the Youth America Grand Prix, where he won first place in the male senior division, being the youngest male participant. That was a little astonishing, even to me. He won the Grand Prix, the highest prize overall, two years later” in Indianapolis.

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Călin said the young performer is always performing. Never really stopping. “I haven't seen a kid more energetic and eager to execute steps that were way more advanced than his skill at that point. He was turning and jumping wherever space would permit. In the studio, in the hallway, in the parking lot, and who knows where else.”

Now that he has grown a bit, Călin said, Fred's personality has matured. “I can say that he is pretty reserved, intelligent, intuitive and hard working. Now that he has grown, his personality has shifted from the very energetic kid to a more quiet and observant young man. I thrive from working with him and being able to pass the knowledge I possess.”

Fiona Cameron-Martin, the assistant artistic director and the children’s coordinator with Southold, also has high praise for Fred. “He has an incredible work ethic and natural ability.”

She did caution that all this should go to his head since he was in the room when she gave her glowing review.

His goal is to dance in a large company. “There is no dream company right now. Just a company would be great.” He liked the idea of Chicago or London.

And who wouldn’t like London or Chicago? He does check all the right boxes.

Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Southold Dance Theater's Frederick Stuckwisch en pointe for career