Renton High Centennial: Val Caniparoli, Class of '69

In the weeks leading up to the Renton High School Centennial, Renton Patch will profile prominent  graduates. Our second feature is Val Caniparoli, Class of 1969.

The Renton High School theatre department, and a teacher named Mr. Brown, helped pave the way for Val Caniparoli’s career as an internationally renowned dancer, artistic director and choreographer.

I caught up with Val Canaparoli last week in a phone interview after his usual whirlwind of travel in his hotel in Richmond, Virginia where he was getting ready for a new production with the Richmond Ballet. He shared what he’s been up to since graduating from in 1969.

Last week alone, there were three different premieres of his work in just as many states: Capriccio at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center in New York, the Atlanta ballet premiere of Lambarena, and this week his newest creation, Swipe, opens at the Richmond Ballet. He was headed back to the theatre the minute we hung up the phone.

Although he’s an international jet-setter, Caniparoli calls San Francisco home, where he is a principal character dancer with the San Francisco ballet, a spot he’s held for more than 35 years.

At just shy of 60, Caniparoli still dances, which he admits  is pretty rare, “It does keep me in shape,” he said.

Caniparoli is a modest, extremely hard-working and unassuming man. He is certainly not boastful.

He’s proud of his Renton roots, and unlike others of his stature, he doesn’t list “Seattle” as his home. Renton is front and center on every piece of his publicity, including his new website, which he says he’s still working to “get up to speed with technology.”

When I inquired if he had aced Facebook yet, he said he was working on it, and that I should “friend him," which I did.  He’s embraced it, all right, he has 900 friends.

I asked if he had a favorite performance and he said, “My favorite is the one I am working on at a given time.”

His most performed work is Lambarena, which is a blend of African fusion and dance and includes melodies from Bach. But there are many other notable works and companies where he has contributed his artistic expertise that span the country and internationally.

Some of those repertoires include the Washington, Atlantic, Cincinnati, Boston, Louisville, and Pacific Northwest ballets, in addition to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, The Israel Ballet, and the State Ballet Theatre of South Africa.

One of Caniparoli’s prouder achievements was to be an invited American choreographer for a pas de deux for the Royal Jubilee Gala for Queen Elizabeth of England, a rare honor for an American Choreographer to be asked in Canada.

While growing up in Renton, he admired the dance footwork of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, yet never imagined a career in dance.

When he started college, he studied theatre and music at WSU, and then karma or fate intervened.

“I took a master ballet class at WSU and the teacher said that I had talent and should audition around, specifically in San Francisco,” Caniparoli said.

He received a scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet in 1972, a dance career was born where he remains a principal dancer there to this day.

While he studied alto sax, clarinet, and flute for 13 years, he doesn’t play anymore but says that it has been an asset to his career as a choreographer. “Music is the backbone of what I do,” he said, “so it is an asset that I can read music. It has come in very handy,” he said.

Caniparoli won’t make the RHS Centennial Festivities, but  his sister who still lives nearby will accept his distinguished alumni award.  However, he will be making a mid-June stop in Seattle to visit a friend dancing a farewell performance at the Pacific Northwest Ballet, before he heads off to Estonia where his work will be showcased at the Estonian National Opera House.

While work consumes much of Caniparoli’s life, he enjoys exploring new places, dining out, cooking, and searching for new music and concepts for his work.

I stopped this week at the to check out the 1969 annuals. A Mr. Theodore Brown, a first-year language arts teacher, was the one to inspire that young man, now a world famous choreographer.