Meet the women asking: WHO DID THIS TO HER?
The dancers behind Models Doing Ballet.
SUZANNE JOLIE
Suzanne Jolie is a certified ballet nerd. She completed all her RAD exams including Advanced 2 (if you’re a ballet nerd you’ll know exactly what that means) and spent every summer at intensives with Houston Ballet and ABT because of course she did. She’s glad her parents made her go to college and has her BA in Communications from UC Santa Barbara. She has enjoyed a varied and extensive career in the Los Angeles entertainment industry working in feature film, television, commercials and live theater (and most of it was as a ballet dancer).
Live performance has her heart and highlights include dancing with the Los Angeles Opera (Eugene Onegin, La Rondine) and being the first dancer to ever perform in pointe shoes at Walt Disney Concert Hall (yes she did it before ABT). She is an award-winning member (LA Drama Critic’s Circle: Best Choreography) of the critically-acclaimed Troubadour Theater Company and works as both performer and producer with her husband, Director Matt Walker. She’s a certified Pilates instructor (BASI) and when she’s not working on MDB she’s teaching the next generation the exquisite art of classical ballet.
KATIE MALIA
Katie Malia is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Los Angeles. She is the creator of the short-form scripted comedy series ALMOST ASIAN featured on Public Radio International, The Washington Post, and Fast Company. The series was an official selection to thirteen film festivals including the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, and Raindance Film Festival where she was nominated for Outstanding Writing. ALMOST ASIAN was developed into a half-hour scripted comedy at IFC with comedian Margaret Cho serving as Executive-Producer. Katie is an alumni of the CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase and opened for Margaret Cho at Netflix Is A Joke festival. She has co-starred in films premiering at Hollyshorts and SXSW.
Katie began dancing ballet at age 5 under Romanian Ballet Principal, Stela Viorica, training in Vaganova with summers at The Boston Ballet and Aspen Ballet. Katie's resume is a long list of tv shows, iconic commercials (the dancing iPod silhouette!), music videos and films (she and Suzanne met while bouncing in the splits for a Basement Jaxx music video wearing only body paint and pasties). She has worked with choreographers Fatima Robinson and Ryan Heffington to name a few and taught ballet at Ryan Heffington's studio, The Sweat Spot in Silverlake, for ten years. Performances include at Disney Hall's Red Cat Theatre, MOCA, and the Getty Villa. Katie has choreographed for the MOCA, the GEFFEN CONTEMPORARY, and Marciano Art Foundation. Before returning to her Southern California roots, Katie studied dance and English literature at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York. Unlike Suzanne who successfully finished college, Katie dropped out to pursue a career in dance and add to her wig collection at The Groundlings and UCB. She lives in Los Angeles and performs stand up at various comedy theaters (Improv, UCB, Largo, Zebulon) around LA. Models Doing Ballet is the perfect intersection of all the creative avenues she loves, and she loves making people laugh alongside her co-creator Suzanne! Here for you in dark times.