Public Employee Press

Member’s child in ‘The Nutcracker’

During the New York City Ballet Company’s seasonal presentation of George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker,” Local 1549 member Gladys Cooper and her husband Arthur were proud to see their son Charles on stage at Lincoln Center. Charles Ramon Cooper, 14, has climbed rapidly in the world of professional dance.

Young Cooper got his start in dance almost by accident. The school he was attending eliminated gym, and his father, a retired housing cop, was looking for some form of exercise for his tall, scholarly son. He enrolled Charles in the Theater Street School and encouraged him as he took up the new athletic challenge of ballet.

Starting in 2006, Charles got excellent instruction. His teachers quickly concluded that the boy was a gifted dancer who could profit from more advanced training. He ranked first in a field of 9,000 who auditioned for admission to the LaGuardia High School of Music and the Performing Arts — the school featured in the movie “Fame.” Charles got a callback after his first tryout at the School of American Ballet, whose students are invited to perform in “The Nutcracker.”

Gladys Cooper, an Eligibility Specialist at the Human Resources Administration and a city employee for 22 years, has watched her son progress under the training of professionals at the top of this highly competitive field. Charles, also an accomplished pianist and a consistent honor student, has added a great source of fulfillment to his life and made his parents proud. At work, Gladys has decorated her bulletin board with programs that Charles has performed in. Cooper always had faith in her son’s abilities. “He was a change-of-life baby — a gift — and I knew he was headed for something special,” she said.