Hard Times at the Ballet

She was married to principal dancer Dorio Perez for four years, and when that didn't work out the split caused some hard feelings in the intimate family of dancers. Now she goes with former Houston Ballet dancer Steven Rowe. Rowe is an Australian who is pursuing a career as an actor and entertainer in Texas and New York. They live in Janie's cozy bungalow in the Heights with two big yellow dogs and two cats, one a white Persian that Stevenson gave her.

Parker calculates that she only spends about three or four hours a day awake at her home. When her mother flies in for a visit, she spends a lot of time helping her organize her papers and updating the scrapbooks she keeps of her daughter's enduring career.

Unlike many prima ballerinas, Parker doesn't play the role of temperamental diva. She is, unaffectedly, a down-home Georgia girl, a child of the '60s. The night after her "poopy" performance she went out to dinner to talk for a while about the past and her hopes for the future. This time after a performance is about the only free time she has for an interview. She still wants to do some new projects. She has watched Garbo in the movie version of Camille, a project that Ben hopes to convert into a ballet for her. It would be a perfect romantic vehicle.