I am always amazed at a star-filled night sky. It is just so wonderful to be overtaken by the simplistic beauty of darkness staging light. It seems that in the presence of realizing such unassuming grandeur, after the initial coo of awe, there always comes…silence. Such a spectacle as that is bedazzling and it takes your breath away. Until, with even greater amazement, you catch a rare glimpse of the infamous, shooting star! You point! You gasp with delight as you remember the attributed right of a shooting-star-discovery, THE WISH! So lovely is the thought that we oft smile to imagine ourselves lucky enough to see a shooting star amid our star gazing nights.

Therein lies the same amazement of a little girl‘s dream of becoming a world-class ballerina. When, in the blink of a moment, and perhaps no less magical than the discovery of a shooting star, New York City Ballet‘s Artistic Director, Peter Martins, eyed Stephanie Zungre among her talented classmates and bestowed upon her more than merely her wish granted. It was truly Mr. Martins wish as well. You see, in the winter of 2002 Pittsburgh‘s own Stephanie Zungre (pronounced Zun-gree) was the only dancer in the country to be personally selected by Mr. Martins to join the prestigious company. Stephanie Zungre is truly a brilliant discovery.

During my recent visit with her at her parent‘s home in Jefferson Hills, I was somewhat unprepared at just how luminescent this wonderful night discovery truly shines…until!

Stephanie greets me at the door herself with an infectious smile and bubbly enthusiasm that immediately sets the tone for our spirited light-hearted evening. Simply clad in tank, sweat shirt and jeans, her chestnut hair loosely pulled back, Stephanie‘s unassuming demeanor and youthfulness is more reminiscent of a carefree little girl rather than that of what one might imagine a professionally trained prima ballerina to be. She is a young nineteen to be exact.

However, when you consider that the average retirement age of a ballerina is twenty-eight, then you begin to realize what a rare treat indeed it is to meet one so remarkably accomplished and fresh. As we make our way to the family‘s great room, Stephanie leads while nonchalantly twirling through the foyer as if were as natural to our conversation as laughter. Even in her ’second nature‘ state, from start to finish, she is mesmerizing to watch. Totally unaware of what she‘s just done, she poetically nestles on a leather sofa, and poised with a pillow on her lap, this petite frame, 5" 5" bundle of energy settles in for our talk by radiating a most graceful, commanding calm. She draws in a deep breath, and smiles as her green dance-filled eyes glimmer warmth sincerely.

She exhales, “It‘s good to be home.” She grins now happily and contented.

I caught up with Stephanie upon her return home after performing in Saratoga, New York the New York City Ballet‘s official summer home.

Like any hard working employee who has earned vacation time, Stephanie is planning to make good use of her six weeks off. She is only home here in Pittsburgh for two days before jetting off to Italy for a missionary outreach venture with her older brother Jonathan, a communications major in his senior year at Grove City College. Then, it‘s off to Hawaii for a family vacation for ten days. Stephanie was quick to enlighten me, “Even while I am away on vacation, I will take a few classes at the Hawaii State Ballet in Honolulu. Six weeks is just too long a time to go without doing something.”

“Even during extended visits here Stephanie takes classes downtown at the Pittsburgh Ballet.” Stephanie‘s mother, Terri Zungre, adds. It prompted me to ask Stephanie if there were any chance of her performing in Pittsburgh to which she grinned and said, “I would love to if they would have me!”

It seems that Stephanie‘s life has always been on the move. She was born on January 1, 1985 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, while her parents were on a missionary assignment. They returned to the United States a year later and settled in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Her father, Barry Zungre founded a successful computer consulting business called CEI, Computer Enterprises Inc., while her mother worked as a nurse. “Stephanie had a lot of energy,” says her mother with a laugh. “So at the age of three, I sought out a way for her to channel it and dance seemed like the natural choice. It proved to be a successful match because she loved going to class.”

At the age of six Stephanie began to study at the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet under the guidance of Jean Gedeon.

“The road to professional dance is pretty much the same for all aspiring dancers,” says her mother. “At the age of twelve, Ms. Gedeon suggested that Stephanie audition for the New York City Ballet‘s annual performance of Midsummer Night‘s Dream.” The NYCB regularly seeks child protégé‘s for several casting roles. Stephanie auditioned and was awarded a part as a Firefly.

“That experience is when I knew,‘ said Stephanie, ’that this was something that I really wanted to do as a career. I had so much fun and just could not believe that I could do this as a job!”

With her goal now set, Stephanie continued her studies at the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet through her early teen years. As her talent developed, her instructor, former NYCB member Garielle Whittle, noted great interest in Stephanie‘s talent and recommended that Stephanie audition for the School of American Ballet‘s summer program. The SAB is the official school of the New York City Ballet and is renowned for training dancers who go on to perform professionally with Ballet Companies worldwide. Their summer program is a way for students to have their talent professionally evaluated and placement is only secured through audition. While at the school, professional dancers and staff meticulously train and review aspiring participants and extend invitations of fulltime study to only the most promising talent. At fifteen, Stephanie auditioned at for placement at the school and was invited to join fulltime. In the fall of 2000 she and her family set up residence in Manhattan‘s upper west side.

“It was exciting and scary both at the same time,” Stephanie recalls. “It required a lot of discipline and support… it still does,” says Stephanie. “I am so thankful to have been so blessed. Not just for the opportunity to study at SAB, but that my family could be there with me. A lot of girls my age stayed in dorms. They were away from their families and I think that would have been really hard for me.”

“In addition to her ballet studies, Stephanie also had high school to pursue, and so we enrolled her in the Professional Children‘s School because it is well established in working with children who are pursing artistic studies and academics,” adds her mother. Macaulay Culkin and Uma Thurman, to name a few, also attended the PCS while developing their talents.

It was during a performance at the Student Choreographic Institute that Stephanie clinched the personal invitation from Peter Martins to join the NYCB. A rare honor esteemed even more extraordinaire given her tender age at the time, seventeen.

“I was selected by a male classmate to perform the female lead in a modern dance that he had choreographed as part of a work shop study. I thought it was just the choreography that was being reviewed!” Stephanie shyly looks at me, seemingly embarrassed by being so plainly found out, shrugs her shoulders and giggles. “It all happened so fast!”

As she settles back on the sofa I can‘t help but admire how, like her ballet, she makes even her accomplishments in life look so effortlessly simple. As she revealed her own astonishment over her success it is easy to see that, for Stephanie, much of her energy is fueled by the fact that the journey is just as exciting as the destination. For her, the reward is not merely what you achieve, but in who you become in the process and who you remain. “For me, everything I am boils down to my roots, my home-life.” She quips, “I feel like, ’The deeper your roots go the higher you can reach!‘” As glimmering as stardust settling, Stephanie radiates blinding wisdom for a young woman of nineteen. “It is good to be home” she says reflectively serene as she exchanges mutual smiles with her mother.

I asked her what she liked best about her home life. “My family,” she stated plainly, while still gazing affectionately at her mom.

Then, with renewed enthusiasm Stephanie quickly added, “ Oh and my friends! Here in Pittsburgh, my parent‘s are friends with a lot of my friend‘s parents, so it‘s kind of like were all family. When I have a break from dance, my friends and I have this tradition, both here and in New York; We like to make great coffee drinks and stay up as late as we can watching movies, eating cookies...Oh and sleeping in…that‘s the best part!”

For additional inquiries regarding Stephanie Zungre please contact her publicist at: aupoint11@mailcity.com