In this episode of At the Barre, we are joined by Andrea Yorita, stager for Caili Quan’s work Dignity in Restraint, featured in Madison Ballet’s upcoming ChoreographHER program.

Andrea shares her background as a professional dancer with BalletX and her recent transition into freelance work as a performer, educator and stager. She offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it means to restage a contemporary ballet work and how she balances the original choreographer’s vision with the individuality of new dancers

We dive into Caili Quan’s creative approach, exploring how her collaborative, dancer-centered process fosters both freedom and authenticity in the studio. Andrea discusses how Dignity in Restraint, originally created for film, translates to the stage, and how its human, relational qualities allow audiences to connect deeply, even without a traditional narrative.

About Andrea Yorita

Andrea Yorita is from Irvine California, where she received her classical ballet training at Academy of Dance and graduated as a Gillespie Scholar with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of California. Originally trained under the Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) syllabus, Andrea has completed all Vocational R.A.D. exams with Distinction, as well as received the Solo Seal Award. In 2008, Andrea competed as a finalist in the Genee International Ballet Competition in Toronto, Canada. She has participated in the National Choreographers Initiative, as an apprentice, and the Traverse City Dance Project. Andrea was a 2016 Dance Finalist for the Clive Barnes Award. She joined BalletX in 2012 and spent 11 seasons with the company, touring nationally and internationally while working with a multitude of choreographers. She is a former Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of the Arts. She is a freelance artist and co-founder of the Sonder Space in Philadelphia.

About Caili Quan

Caili Quan is a New York-based choreographer who danced with BalletX from 2013 to 2020. She has created works for Ballet West, BalletX, Vail Dance Festival, The Juilliard School, American Repertory Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, School of American Ballet, Flight Path Dance Project, and Ballet Academy East.

With BalletX she performed new works by Matthew Neenan, Nicolo Fonte, Gabrielle Lamb, Penny Saunders, Trey McIntyre, and danced at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Belgrade Dance Festival, and DEMO by Damian Woetzel at the Kennedy Center. She served as an Artistic Partnership Initiative Fellow and a Toulmin Creator at The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU. Mahålang, a short documentary that wove familial conversations of her Chamorro Filipino upbringing on Guam with scenes from BalletX’s Love Letter, was shown at the Hawai’i International Film Festival, CAAMFest, and the Dance on Camera Festival at Lincoln Center. She recently choreographed her first musical, Guys & Dolls, for Opera Saratoga under the direction of Mary Birnbaum. Caili was a 2022 Artist-in-Residence at the Vail Dance Festival, a 2023 Artist in Residence at USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, and an Arnhold Creative Associate at The Juilliard School.

See “Dignity in Restraint” by Caili LIVE in ChoreograpHER April 3-5, 2026

🎟️ madisonballet.org/choreographer

Join the conversation!

MBSP WEBSITE: https://www.madisonballetspecialprojects.com/

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/madisonballetspecialprojects

UPCOMING MADISON BALLET PERFORMANCES: https://www.madisonballet.org/performances

REGISTER FOR BALLET 101: https://www.madisonballet.org/school/open-division

Questions/comments? Email us at hello@madisonballetspecialprojects.com

Credits

COVER PHOTO: Matthew Ulrich

DANCER: Madison Ballet Company Artist Lauren Thompson

MUSIC: Capet String Quartet - Ravel (Col. D 15057-60) 1928