| Carrie Imler | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet School Seattle University |
| Occupation: | ballet dancer |
| Former Groups: | Pacific Northwest Ballet |
Carrie Imler (born 1977 or 1978) is an American ballet dancer. She joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1995 and became a principal dancer in 2002. She retired in 2017, following a 22-year career, and started teaching at the company's school.
Imler was raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.[1] She received her ballet training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and summer intensives at the School of American Ballet.[2]
In 1995, Imler joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet as an apprentice, and joined the corps de ballet the following year. She was promoted to soloist in 2000,[3] and principal dancer two years later following a performance of The Rite of Spring.
Imler had danced lead roles in nearly 100 ballets,[4] such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Merry Widow and Giselle,[5] [3] and works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp and Alexei Ratmansky.[2] According to colleague Jonathan Porretta, she could jump as high as the men in the company.[5] A video of Imler dancing the 32 fouetté turns from the Black Swan pas de deux from Swan Lake went viral on YouTube.[1] [6]
Imler retired from performing in 2017. In her last performance, she danced Balanchine's Theme and Variations, the Black Swan pas de deux, an excerpt from Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs and a new ballet by Kiyon Gaines.[1] Having been in the company for twenty-two years, she and Batkhurel Bold, a frequent partner who retired the same year, are the company's longest-serving principal dancers.[3] Following her retirement, she joined the company school's faculty.[1]
Imler started studying at the Seattle University in 2007, while recovering from a hip injury.[3]