Read on to see how BalletX is providing a forward-thinking environment that supports dancers to advocate and care for themselves. Not only is the company expanding but they have also introduced year-round contracts for all company members. This is a company to watch, to celebrate, and to support.  

Christine, how has your experience as a dancer influenced your directorship over the years? 

My career as a professional ballet dancer deeply influences my decision-making as a co-founder and director. I pull from many different experiences with my colleagues and am inspired by innovative ballets that inspire a sense of community and excitement. I have been a student of classical ballet for the majority of my life and love working with dancers to help them strengthen their classical ballet technique and contemporary movement. 

Christine, what role does health and wellness play in the operations of BalletX, and what are some things your company does that ensures your dancers feel supported (mentally and physically)? 

We care deeply about the health and wellness of our dancers. Being a professional athlete is extremely challenging, and a healthy company needs a supportive environment. 

I encourage every dancer to come in and talk to me directly about any challenges they are facing. In addition, they can also lean on Associate Artistic Director Tara Keating or our Rehearsal Director Keelan Whitmore. We offer massage therapy once a week, physical therapy twice a week, and a stipend for a full massage once a month. 

We work closely with the dancers to set a schedule that is manageable for them and supports their growth. When there are mental health challenges that may require outside support, we encourage them to seek an experienced therapist. The ultimate goal is to have a supportive environment that allows everyone on the BalletX team to thrive and enjoy their work experience.

Minori, what initiatives do you see BalletX taking in order to support you from a dancer’s standpoint?

BalletX fosters an open-door policy with the artistic staff, creating a collaborative environment that encourages communication and mutual support. This allows the entire company to grow together. Additionally, BalletX offers gym memberships and reimbursements for massage and physical therapy, which are essential for our physical well-being.

Christine, what is your vision for the future of BalletX?

To create extraordinary dance experiences that inspire human connection. This is our vision statement, and it’s a lofty goal, but each and every day, month, and year, we step closer and closer to expressions that bring people together. We bring Artists together, we bring Communities together, we bring Students together — and we inspire them through dance. 

Minori, what do you value in a workplace and what attracted you to audition for BalletX? How has your experience been so far? 

I value a positive and supportive environment that challenges me to grow both as a dancer and as an individual. After spending a decade in classical ballet companies, I wanted a new experience. 

BalletX provides the perfect blend of ballet and contemporary styles, promising to challenge me while showcasing my strengths. My experience here has been incredibly rewarding and inspiring.

Christine, what do you look for in a dancer when they are auditioning for your company? 

I love working with dancers who are passionate about their craft, who love to express themselves through movement and are genuinely positive, uplifting people.

What is your favorite role or ballet you have performed or worked on?

Minori: My favorite piece I’ve danced is kiss. by Stephanie Martinez.

Christine: So many roles have stuck with me. It’s hard to name just one! Dew Drop in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, the Cowgirl in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, the Rum and Coca-Cola girl in Paul Taylor’s Company B and the Mother in Jerome Robbins’s The Concert are all favorites.

We all know that working in the dance world (in any capacity) can be very taxing.  How do you both maintain balance in your lives within your respective roles? 

Minori: Maintaining balance is a continuous journey for me, but I find that confidence plays a crucial role. Learning to trust in my abilities and prioritizing self-love and care significantly reduces anxiety outside of work. Also, recognizing that I am a person first, before being a dancer, enriches my artistic expression. The more life experiences I embrace, the deeper my dancing becomes.

Christine: I am so deeply grateful for the many different journeys I’ve experienced in the dance world. Dancing for 20 years professionally and now leading a company for almost 20 years has been such a gift. I am learning each and every day. I am always looking to grow and challenge myself to be an open, honest leader who can see both sides of the coin. 

I am also a mother of two boys and have raised my sons while building a company. What I do to find balance is prioritize both my company and my family. I am a mother seven days a week, and I work on BalletX seven days a week. Something that helps immensely is keeping my physicality strong. I keep my physical health a priority, and that serves me immensely in keeping a healthy balance — and that is something I work on daily. 

What is one change you would each like to see in the dance world?

Minori: I would love to see an end to body shaming in the dance community. Dance is for everyone, and what resonates with audiences is not the shape of a dancer’s body but the authenticity of their movement and emotion. 

Christine: A global conversation on the impact dance has on the world — a unified voice that connects community to the power of dance. 

What is your top piece of advice for a joyful career in dance?

Minori: Prioritizing your internal experience will lead you to a more joyful journey in dance. Focus on how you feel within the company rather than how your career appears from the outside.

Christine: You will have many ups and downs and probably more downs than ups, but what you do when things are not going your way will define your life. Work harder than anybody else in the room and push yourself to be the best version of you. Sometimes you have to let dreams go, but perhaps you can open up and carve out a new direction that is connected to dance — but bigger and bolder than you could’ve imagined. Never stop dreaming.

Photo of the BalletX Company dancers by: Vikki Sloviter

Photo of Minori by: DVM Dance Photography

The post BalletX: Prioritizing Dancer Wellness appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Ever since I could talk, whenever anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I told them I wanted to be on stage. My Nanna is the one who started me dancing because she made all the cousins put on a Christmas concert every year. We used to sing and dance in full costumes she made us. Performing is what I’ve always known I was born to do. 

I actually nearly went to university to study biomedical science, but a week before I was meant to start, I decided I couldn’t live without performing, so I started late at a full-time dance school in Melbourne and I also completed Broadway Dance Centre’s professional semester in New York City. I trained a lot in ballet when I was growing up because I started at a dance school when I was 10, which is later than most people, and I wanted to get a solid technical foundation. 

Name a standout moment (or two) from your career thus far.  

A standout moment in my dance career is definitely dancing for The Kid Laroi. He is such a well-known pop star at the moment, and getting to dance to his hit song “Stay” ft. Justin Bieber was an incredible feeling. 

Another standout moment for me was dancing and choreographing the music video “All I do” by Australian rapper Alpy ft. Sophiya. Not only was I one of six lead dancers, I also was given the opportunity to choreograph the music video. 

Can you tell us a bit about your dance entertainment business, CTRL Entertainment? What inspired you to start it? How does it work?  

 CTRL Entertainment has been running for 5 years. I originally started CTRL to give myself more work as a dancer, and I am so lucky now that the business has grown and I have the opportunity to give dancers all over Australia dance work. I grew my business by staying consistent and hiring dancers who aren’t only amazing professional dancers but are lovely people who are easy to work with. 

We started off just doing freestyling performances at nightclubs, which continued to grow into festivals, corporate shows, and big events. The two standout moments I mentioned earlier were both through CTRL Entertainment.  

How do you maintain balance in your life as a performer/business owner?

When I first started CTRL Entertainment in 2019, I not only was running my business but I was also teaching at 3 dance studios and working at a school teaching their choreography for their musicals and directing their dance show and I was still doing professional dance gigs and auditions. I didn’t have one day off in the week. I was doing wayyyyyy too much, and I found I just kept getting sick and had no social life. 

Over the years I have realized how important it is to take care of your body physically and mentally. Working 7 days a week with no break or time to rest actually is less effective because you’ll end up having to take time off to recover. I now prioritize my mental and physical health by doing a lot of reformer Pilates and hot yoga. I have found this gives me a moment to switch off my work brain and focus on giving my body what it wants.

How do you maintain a positive body image and well-being as a performer?

When I first started my professional training in 2017, I suffered from body dysmorphia quite severely, comparing my body to others and only looking at the physical appearance of my body, not focusing on what my body can actually do. I have grown to fall in love with my body because as a dancer your body is doing incredible things and you need to love and nurture it to be able to dance your best. 

I stopped looking at the physical appearance and focused on how grateful I am that I have an athletic body that is strong and healthy enough to dance at a professional level. I try never to focus on the number on a scale or measuring tape and just focus on the way my body is feeling. 

What inspires you to keep pushing when your career gets tough?  How have you built resilience in this field?

Whenever I am having a down day, I watch a musical either in person or online to remind myself what I want to do and what my goal is. It is normal to have down days. You need to just accept that not every day is going to be the same; just give yourself inspiration and remind yourself that your hard work will pay off. 

Another thing I like to do when my career is feeling tough is I go and take a dance class with either my favorite teacher or in my favorite genre to give me a little confidence boost and joy. I used to feel very upset if I ever got cut from an audition, but I’ve learned every job is like a big jigsaw puzzle and my spot is only one last little piece and they need that piece to fit into the puzzle that they’ve nearly completed. 

I understand this more now since I have been on the other side of an audition panel; it’s very rarely personal or sometimes even about talent. It’s about finding the right fit for the rest of the cast or brief. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years I see myself living in New York City having a few broadway shows under my belt and transitioning to choreographing for big shows.

What is your favorite way to wind down/self-care activity?

My favorite way to wind down is definitely hot yoga. My brain is constantly running 100 miles an hour, so yoga forces me to switch off thinking about work and focus on my breathing. I also love getting massages for self-care to restore my body. 

What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal definitely is sushi. I eat sushi nearly every day for lunch. Sushi is soooo big in Australia, and you can get it everywhere. I love it because I can eat it nearly every day and not get sick of it because there’s so many different variations and combinations. 

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

There is no rush. I thought my dance career was going to be over at 30 because that’s old…I’m now 25, and I feel like it’s only just beginning. There is no time or age limit, and everyone’s paths are different. Just because it happens quicker for someone else doesn’t mean it will never happen for you.

The post Lucy Mangion on Finding Balance: Australia to NYC appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

In this post, I talk about my experience with aesthetic pressure over the course of my dance career so far, as well as how to exist in an industry that perpetuates the message that unless you look a certain way, there is no space for you.  

My early experience.

I grew up in a small Midwestern town in Minnesota and started dancing at age 3.  I trained in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap through my middle and high school years, and attended a few intensives at well-known professional schools through my high school years. 

When I was 16, I went on my first diet in an attempt to improve my dancing. This led me down a 5–6 year struggle with disordered eating, body image struggles, and low self-esteem.  I had convinced myself that becoming smaller is what I needed to do to succeed at my art, and I wanted it so badly that I did it happily.  

My dream was to be in a ballet company, but I later came to realize that though I loved ballet, there were many factors that would prevent me from ever achieving that end.  Mainly, my body.  Though I tried to fight it through dieting, restricting my eating, and excessively working out, I learned this the hard way through attending summer intensives and seeing a clear difference between the girls who were favored, and those who were not.  

Though I would regularly get noticed for my performance abilities, artistry, and sound technique, I couldn’t compete with thinness, turnout, hyper-extended knees, and high-arched feet.   I had good feet but not great feet.  I had straight knees, but not hyper-extended knees.  And though my size 4 body fits in fine with the non-dancing population, it soon became clear that I was far too “big” for the ballet world.

Challenges in college.

I attended college at a wonderful dance program in the Midwest to pursue a BFA in Dance and a Minor in Arts Entrepreneurship. I kept up with intense ballet training but delved into contemporary dance in a way I had been unfamiliar with. It was amazing, and I soon knew that contemporary dance was the path for me.  

Contemporary dance was so much more inviting to me, and I found more opportunity to express my then chaotic emotions, which was comforting.  However, I was still deep in the throes of disordered eating, trying desperately to maintain a weight that was far too low for my body through extremely restrictive food rules (and eventually bingeing).  My lean figure was embraced at school. It felt good, but in the back of my mind, I was always concerned about what would happen if my body changed.

Eventually, that’s what happened.  My body and mind eventually couldn’t take my restrictive eating habits anymore.  This impacted my health and I started to strain muscles easier (something I had never experienced), and a grade 1 ankle sprain I got from running in the grass with my friends took three and a half months to heal — far longer than it should have according to my doctor.  

I had developed a severe habit of bingeing and restricting, and I even started skipping some of my dance classes because I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror.  I often wondered to myself, Is it supposed to be this hard?

Finding support.

After applying for a scholarship for the Dancer’s Best Body Program, I connected with Jess and committed to changing my ways.  I put my dreams and worries in dance on hold because I knew I needed help with my health.  

Long story short, it changed my life.  I can happily say that I am about three and a half years past my eating struggles. I have built a resilient body image for myself, I am the strongest I’ve ever been…and I am a working professional dancer in a major city.  

When you try to pursue an elite career and are bombarded with messaging that teaches you that only the “fittest” can survive, the desire to control your body becomes an addiction.  Control your body, control your career.  

Keep your body small, you’ll get favorable casting.  Keep your body slim and toned, you’ll be noticed more…you’ll be beautiful.  And even though certain college dance settings and the contemporary dance genre can be more accepting than ballet, it would be silly to refuse to address that there is indeed still bias at the front of the room.

As a teacher myself, though I don’t have any body preferences, when I see a more traditional-looking balletic figure, I STILL think to myself, They are so lucky.  I work daily to ensure that my classroom environment is one where how your body looks is the LEAST important thing. 

In my journey, there were many instances that occurred where I felt so horrible about my body, my dancing, and my life, that I almost walked away altogether.  I was sick of feeling self-conscious, I was ashamed that I had put so much time and effort into something that I felt like I was failing at, and the thought of auditioning brought on a lot of anxiety and feelings of comparison.  

I often wondered how I could consider pursuing a professional career when I couldn’t even survive fitting the mold that I thought was required by my dream career? 

How DO we exist in an industry with such outrageous aesthetic pressure and such deeply ingrained biases about body types?

To me, this is where the rubber meets the road. You have to seriously consider how much you love dancing and what you’re willing to do to keep it in your life.  

Change the narrative of what constitutes success and being “good enough.”  

This is still a daily practice for me. I decide if I am good enough, not anybody else. In my career, I have understudied and I have watched other dancers understudy countless roles.  Though sometimes there is a difference in performance between first cast and second cast, sometimes, the only difference is a “look.” 

Although it can be hard to swallow being seen differently and not being first choice for whatever reason, at the end of the day, what matters is believing and knowing that you are capable of stepping into lead roles, regardless of what you look like.  I try to remind myself that I am doing my best.  One of my favorite affirmations for this is “I trust that opportunities that are meant for me will not pass me by.”

Let your imperfections fuel you to differentiate yourself in other ways.  

How am I relating to the rep I’m performing? How do I tell a story with my movement? What do I add to my company or cast beyond my body?  A huge part of success and resilience in dance is about the way you work, not the way you look.  

If you can become a master of your own body and be efficient and malleable while also capitalizing on your personality and uniqueness, you will go further than someone who just has an “ideal” body.  Remove your body from the equation and look at how you do things.  Dance is hard.  You need grit, patience, and a lot of resilience.  Hone in on those unique skills that only you can bring to the table.  

Take care of yourself and put yourself first. I have learned that if I feel my best, then I’ll dance my best.  I am no longer interested in changing my body for dance, because that does not serve my dancing.  If I am fueling myself properly and in a way that makes me perform well and have joy, then at the end of the day, that’s enough.  

There is only so much you can do to change your body before it hurts more than it helps.  

Though that is a hard truth to accept, you need to accept it in order to preserve your mental and physical health.  Whenever I get tempted to restrict or feel pressure to change my body, I remind myself that even at my very thinnest, I was miserable. 

It was only after gaining weight that I realized how much my body and dancing were suffering by trying to fit the mold.  I can be a great dancer without suffering, and I should not suffer to be a great dancer.  

Decide for yourself what you believe is important when it comes to dance.  Does important work = fitting a mold? Or, does important work involve being in a healthy environment and having a joyful experience?  The product you are a part of is totally important, but if that product (show, company job, presentation) is based around being thin or any unhealthy standard, then I’m not sure how valuable it really is.  

How do your own values when it comes to aesthetics measure up to those of the environment you are in?  If you are receiving messages that are leading you to believe that your body is the problem, it’s time to seriously assess whether or not this is a good place for you.  

Consider being open to finding spaces that appreciate you, even if they aren’t your first choice.  

Put your passion for dancing first. This might look like finding spaces that accept you for you.  It also might mean accepting the fact that your career might not pan out the way you wanted. “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, not the goal.”  

Another possibility would be to start making your own work, or simply designing a schedule that allows you to take your favorite classes and enjoy dancing.  This can be a powerful way to rediscover what it feels like to dance for you and not them.

If you find yourself thinking, I only want a dance career if it means I get to perform, and that scares you, it’s okay.  A lot of times as dancers, we spend so much time trying to master our craft that the thought of quitting (even if it’s for the best) feels like failure in itself.  There is this weird feeling of loyalty to the craft that says, “If you don’t make something of yourself, you wasted your time.”  

This simply isn’t true.  There are so many benefits to dancing that don’t involve dancing itself, and there is no shame in deciding that this path isn’t for you.  It will always be a part of you, and the lessons and challenges that you grew from are experiences that hopefully enriched your character and shaped you into the wonderful person you are today.  That is not failure.  

I don’t (and never did) have a stereotypical “dancer body,” but what I do have is a joyful dance career.  As more dancers express frustrations and stories around their experiences with the aesthetic pressures of the dance world and begin to pursue different avenues involving dance and performance, more opportunities and possibilities are created for all of us who feel that we don’t fit the mold, and the dance world (ever so slowly) changes.  

When I learned to embrace both the fact that I don’t fit the mold and the winding and chaotic path that is my dance journey, I began to find more excitement, creativity, and new possibilities amid all of the question marks floating around in my brain. It is so possible to find success outside of the mold. I just had to adjust my expectations and methods of getting there.  

Though it may not feel like it now, your unique journey is a beautiful one. Trust that the opportunities that are meant for you will not pass you by.

For Eating Disorder Resources visit: https://emilyprogram.com

The post Aesthetics in Dance: How Do We Exist When We Don’t Fit the Mold? appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Claire Peoples

Claire Peoples graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and was one of only thirty undergraduates awarded the Presidential Award of Excellence. At UGA, she was a member of the contemporary African ensemble CADE:NCE and the neoclassical ballet company Dance Repertory Project. She performed in the Spring Dance Concert, Young Choreographers Series, and at conferences across the United States and internationally in Jamaica. 

Peoples attended the American Dance Festival in 2018 on full scholarship, studying contact improvisation, Limón modern, and ballet. For two years, she served as Head Resident Advisor for the Joffrey Ballet School’s summer programs in Georgia, Colorado, and Texas under Artistic Director Colleen Barnes. In 2020–2021, she moved to Massachusetts to dance as a trainee with Boston Dance Theater, where she had the opportunity to train alongside the main company and learn the repertory of notable choreographers such as Itzik Galili, Micaela Taylor, Yin Yue, Shannon Gillen, and Marco Goecke. 

In the 2021–2022 season, Peoples danced as a trainee with Confluence Ballet Company for their inaugural year, also working as marketing and social media manager. With CBC, her favorite roles included Clara in The Nutcracker Sweet and dancing corps de ballet in Fokine’s Les Sylphides. Peoples is thrilled to be joining New Mexico Ballet Company for their 50th year and anticipates a great season in Albuquerque!

What does being a whole dancer mean to you?

Being a whole dancer means nourishing my mind, body, and soul while still working towards my dance goals. While I am always working to improve my ballet technique and strength, I also want to make sure I am not neglecting other parts of myself to accomplish that. 

I used to have a really negative relationship with food, and I felt it was a way to control my body and other people’s opinions about me and my dancing. The Whole Dancer’s curriculum helped me to recenter my relationship with food and remember that I am a whole person outside of my identity as a dancer.  

What are your favorite self-care activities?

My favorite self-care activities are epsom salt baths, going to get a massage, and lighting my favorite candles and eating my favorite snacks while watching a good TV show. I also love crafts like embroidery and decorating old pointe shoes, and doing crossword puzzles.

Connect with Claire!

My dance Instagram: @clairepeoplesdance

My website: www.clairepeoples.com

Photo of Claire by Sarah Takash Photography

Ana Emilia

Ana is an 18-year-old pre-professional dancer aiming to work with recognized ballet companies. She started dancing at 4 years old. Later on at 9 years old, she decided to take it seriously and start studying at EBDM. She continued her studies until 2021 when she graduated with Le Corsaire at 17 years old. 

In August of 2021, I joined Ballet de Monterrey as an apprentice where I got the opportunity to dance in the corps de ballet in Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, and Gala Levitar. After dancing with them for a year and a half, I decided to start training independently to strengthen technique and audition for other ballet companies.

What does being a whole dancer mean to you?

To me being a whole dancer means being a conscious and balanced dancer. To be a whole dancer and get to the best version of ourselves, we must learn to be conscious of all the different aspects that make up a balanced dancer: mental, emotional, and physical health. It is crucial for us as dancers to learn to give importance to how we fuel our body, how much we train, allowing ourselves to rest, strengthen our mindset, take care of our body, and sometimes even completely disconnect from the dance world for a bit. I believe that if you want to grow to be a strong and intelligent dancer, you must learn to be a whole dancer. 

What are your favorite self-care activities?

Doing yoga, reading, meditating, massaging my muscles, and journaling.

Follow Ana

Instagram: @anaemilia.zp

TikTok: @anaem.zp

Zoe Shemet

Tell us about your dance experience so far.

I dance at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia. I am 16 years old, and it is my first year training at The Rock School. 

What does being a whole dancer mean to you?

To me, being a whole dancer means taking deliberate care of every aspect of my dancing. I owe it to myself to put in maximum effort every day, and I also owe it to myself to rest and make sure that my body is happy and healthy. 

Being a whole dancer also means educating myself outside of just the studio on things like nutrition, self-care, and positivity.

What are your favorite self-care activities?

Some of my favorite self-care activities are watching movies, talking and being with friends, improv, listening to podcasts or music, stretching and rolling out my muscles. I have recently come to realize that although self-care can include the things that are very good for my body (like skincare and tidying up), it can also include just things that I enjoy doing.Follow Zoe on Instagram: @zoeshemet

Maia Blake 

Tell us about your dance journey so far.

I started dancing when I was 3 and began ballet seriously around age 13. I studied at Bossov Ballet Theatre for 3 years, then went to earn my BFA in ballet from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Now, I’m dancing in my first professional season with Ballet Spartanburg!

What does being a whole dancer mean to you?

Being a whole dancer means that I am a whole person, not just a dancer. Dance is the biggest part of my life, but I try to not let it take over in everything else I do. I can enjoy time out with friends, a day off or two, a little extra sleep one day if I need, etc. 

Being a whole dancer means that I am balanced in all aspects of dance too! Technique, how I fuel my body, how I cross-train (being turned in is actually so good for you), how I view myself and my body every day, and just having the understanding that not every day will be great and being okay with that. 

What are your favorite self-care activities?

My favorite self-care activities include spending time with friends, journaling, going on nature walks, and having spa day moments for myself! Follow Maia on Instagram: @maiarblake

Kai Cole 

Tell us about your dance background.

My mom insists I’ve been dancing since the womb, but I wasn’t really dancing consistently until I was 13 or 14. I’m somewhat of an “underdog,” I think, because my dance career/journey got off to somewhat of a rocky start (ahem, I didn’t make my high school dance team 3 years in a row), but I think that experience really pushed me to, I guess, want to dance more, and I ended up being led to my amazing home studio. I really like where I am now and the dancer I’ve grown into.

I’m now in my final year of study in the Dance Performance and Choreography department at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Jamaica, and I still dance with the same studio company, BEAM Jamaica. I also teach part-time at BEAM as well as at a local preschool.

What does being a whole dancer mean to you?

I think…being a whole dancer means accepting all the parts of myself and my journey. It can be really easy to kind of gloss over the less spectacular parts of my journey and create this highlight reel of the best moments…but I always try to recognize (and openly talk about) how each part of my dance history was necessary for me to be where I am now. 

This also includes recognizing how each aspect of my being is shaping who I am growing further into, and giving each facet (physical, mental, social, emotional) the right amount of attention and care.

What are your favorite self-care activities?

I consider myself super chill, so a day where I have absolutely no responsibilities and I can watch Netflix all day long…my kinda day.

It helps me to take what I call “unstructured dance breaks,” so just turning on some music and moving for the sake of moving my body, without any expectations of grades, technique, or choreography…I just like to be present in my body and explore, appreciate and enjoy what I can do.

I find hanging upside down does something really nice for my nervous system, so the occasional aerial hammock class really hits the spot for me as well.

Another zero effort but highly effective activity for me is simply sitting in the sun (or outside in general) and just breathing…It’s a good reset for my mind and body.

Follow Kai on Instagram:@kaiyac__@barefootballerinahh

Grant Gonzalez

Tell us about your dance journey so far.

I started dancing at a small studio, The Arvada Center Dance Academy, in Arvada, Colorado, around 14 years old by taking jazz and modern classes. The following year, I began taking ballet classes at the same academy and fell in love with the art form. 

The next year, I was invited to join the resident performing company of The Arvada Center Dance Academy, The Arvada Center Dance Theater. That following summer, I attended the Colorado Ballet Academy Summer Intensive and was recruited to join the highest level in the evening academy at Colorado Ballet Academy. 

I trained at the Colorado Ballet Academy for two more years in their pre-professional division after my first school year with them. My second year in the pre-professional division, I was called to understudy corps de ballet roles with the main company, Colorado Ballet, for the majority of their 2021–2022 season. 

I was lucky enough to go in for a few corps de ballet roles in Derek Dean’s Romeo and Juliet that season. Following my second season as a pre-professional student, I attended a couple of summer intensives and secured a contract as a trainee in the second company of the Kansas City Ballet. 

As of right now, I am still under that contract for the second half of the 2022–2023 season. The last program the company presented was a new choreographic workshop called New Moves!

What does being a whole dancer mean to you?

Being a whole dancer means that I can lead by example on a journey to repair my relationship with food. This opportunity gives me a chance to focus on this goal that I’ve had for a while. I feel like many dancers can often feel like they are alone in the conquest to rebuild their relationship with food, so I hope that I can show others that they are not alone. 

Additionally, as a non-binary and gender-fluid dancer, I’ve been particularly struggling with acceptance of my own unique identity and body type. So I hope to connect specifically with queer dancers who might be struggling particularly with their gender identity and dance.

What are your favorite self-care activities?

My go-to self-care activity after a long day at the studios is taking an epsom salt bath and reading. I recently finished a mystery thriller novel titled The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

Follow me on Instagram @engler.g.gonzalez. If anyone ever has any questions or needs someone to talk to, feel free to reach out. My DMs are always open to connect with others!

The post The Whole Dancer 2023 Ambassadors appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

To have greater, more sustained success in dance, it’s so important to bring supporting people onto your team. Many of the dancers I work with are looking for additional support to use their bodies to the highest level. While nutrition, health, and lifestyle coaching covers a lot of bases, I am not an expert in effective cross training and creating an impactful movement support plan outside of the studio. Luckily, you can reach out to an expert like Leah Bueno for that exact need.

I came across Leah on Instagram (@thepilatesdancer). Honestly, one of my favorite things on IG is finding inspiring, dance-support accounts to follow and share. If you’re looking for an approach that can help you excel in new ways, check out Leah’s offerings. She will help you find greater confidence in how you use your instrument. That kind of shift is valuable beyond words.

Prior to developing your brand, The Pilates Dancer, you were an accomplished performer and teacher. What made you decide to move towards the dance wellness side of the field? How was your transition? 

I think this was a natural progression from my dance upbringing. My mentor Maria Vegh was recruited, along with David Howard, early in her career to be co-director of the Harkness House in New York City. Their mission was to bring in kinesiologists and physical therapists to the studio to help create a modern approach to dance training. I grew up hearing about anatomy in the studio and fell in love with the science of dance. After teaching for professional companies/schools for over a decade, I was interested in continuing my mentor’s legacy, so I received my full certification in Pilates. From there, I went on to become a Post-Rehab Specialist, Instructor Trainer, and member of the International Fascial Research society. I love to learn! 

What are the most common trouble spots you see dancers dealing with? Why do you think this is? 

Definitely the areas in our bodies that require the most movement when dancing. Dancers often have issues with their hips, low back, knees, and feet. When we require a joint to move beyond its normal range of motion, it is important to have an equal amount of strength. If this balance is not achieved, we start seeing injuries and reduced performance in that area.

What are your thoughts on massage tools, such as foam rollers, tennis balls, massage guns, etc.  Do you have recommendations for dancers on these items, or do they even need them? 

Manual therapy is an art form. I think there can be a lot of benefit from self-release techniques if used properly. Unfortunately, dancers often use these types of tools too aggressively or for the wrong purpose. I personally am a big fan of cupping! In my experience, myofascial decompression is a really valuable tool versus using a hard roller which can add compression. 

What are your thoughts on stretching tools? Foot stretchers, stretch bands, etc. Do you have recommendations for dancers on these items, or do they even need them? 

This is where I draw a line in the sand! These are outdated and dangerous tools. They have been used by dancers, including myself, for decades. However, it comes with a big cost to your physical health. These types of tools stretch the connective tissue that is made to protect your joints. If these protective capsules get stretched out, there is no way to repair the damage that has been done, and this can lead to injuries, osteoarthritis, and even a shortened career. There are much better methods, and I advise staying away from these tools. 

Why do you think stretching is the first instinct dancers have before dancing? Why isn’t this first instinct actually warming up the muscles? 

I think part of it is the culture of dance. This is what we were taught to do and what we see from our peers. The other reason is aggressive stretching can make you feel really stiff the next day. When you stretch too far, which is common among dancers, our body needs to take a day to heal. This gives the sensation of being tight, and the obvious solution is to stretch. A better solution is to make smaller mobility gains each day and actively warm your muscles up before dancing.

Take us through an ideal pre-show warmup you might prescribe to a dancer.

Pre-show is all about preparing for what you are about to do. Every warmup should start with 10 minutes of actively warming up your body. This should include full body movements at a moderate pace so your core temperature is slightly elevated. 

Then I like dancers to think about what is involved in their performance. If they are doing mostly slow adagio movement, some stabilization exercises are helpful. If you have a powerful allegro performance, it is important to wake up the muscles that create these movements. Single leg jumps, squats, and planks are a great way to fire up the bigger muscles.

You talk a lot about how stretching too much can sabotage your flexibility and strength goals. Can you share a personal story of how focusing too much on stretching backfired for you?

Yes! I was not flexible when I was a teenager. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was growing and that was affecting my flexibility and I stretched ALL THE TIME. Unfortunately, this led me to become very weak. Any overstretched joint is a weak one. Because I became hyper-mobile in certain areas, other parts of my body had to make up for this instability and became tight. I didn’t understand what was going on, and this cycle of “too loose” then “too tight” continued throughout my career.   

How does the work you do help dancers struggling with body image?

As dancers, we are in the business of people talking to us about our bodies. It is important for us dancers to feel good in every part of our skin. If we feel like our feet are not good enough or our extensions are not what we want them to be, this can greatly affect how we view ourselves. It makes me really sad when people tell dancers that they cannot make improvements in their bodies.

I tell my dancers that if someone tells you “you can’t” they are showing you their limitations not yours! It is really empowering to know that your physical goals can be met with the right tools. I want all dancers to love the image that they see in the mirror. 

Where can people find you and learn more about your work?

Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @thepilatesdancer. My website is www.thepilatesdancer.com, and you can check out my past articles for Dance Magazine at https://www.dancemagazine.com/u/leahbueno.

You mention on your Instagram page that you are an advocate for dancers weight lifting. What advice do you have for dancers who are afraid of weight lifting? Where is an easy place to start?

If you are afraid of lifting weights because you think that you will bulk up, DON’T BE. I have worked with Fitness Professionals for Post-Rehab services, and these people work really hard for their muscles. If you would like to start lifting weights, I recommend starting light and feeling comfortable with what you are building. 

In the summer, what advice do you have for dancers who have a break? How long should they rest? Do they need to stretch every day?

Summer is a great time to reset before the next season. This can look different for everyone. The main thing I advocate for is that you will not lose what you have gained if you take a break. Studies have shown that professional athletes have better seasons when they have a longer off-season. Dancers are not great at taking breaks. I tell my dancers to listen to what their bodies and minds need. 

Do you have any stories about comments on your own flexibility and how you dealt with them during your career?

When I was dancing, I put a lot of focus on my flexibility. Because it was not something that I had naturally, a lot of my self-worth as a dancer revolved around my flexibility. Looking back, I wish I would have celebrated other parts of my dancing. 

At The Whole Dancer, we talk a lot about how long-lasting change takes time. When you are working with a dancer, how long does it really take to see change in their flexibility and strength? 

If someone has unused potential, that can happen quickly. For some people, they see immediate results with strength and flexibility because all they needed to do was learn how to use the strength and flexibility that they already had. However, lasting flexibility gains take 6 months, and the right kind of strength can take months to develop. That may seem like a long time, but it is really short when you think about how long your career as a dancer is.

Can you share a success story about how your work has helped dancers through injury recovery? 

Yes, one of my favorite stories is from a dancer I worked with at The Joffrey Ballet. He had access to amazing PTs, but he had a chronic hip injury that was possibly going to ruin his career. During our first session, I noticed that he was so mobile in his hips that every time he did a Grand Battement, his hips were slightly subluxating. This is when a bone moves partially out of the joint. It was really slight, but I am trained to see the little things. We worked on building deep strength in the hip and correcting his movement. By the third session, his pain was gone, and we continued to build his strength from there.

A lot of what I do is figuring out the root of injuries that keep coming back. He was simply putting a bandaid on the problem, and I was so happy that we could find the root of his problem!

If you’re in need of support, check out Leah’s resources and get in touch!

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Trigger Warning: This post contains stories of body shaming, eating disorders, anorexia and toxicity in ballet culture.

I’ve spent my entire life in the ballet world. I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to a single female dancer that hasn’t experienced disordered eating or an actual eating disorder. So often, it is the reason their careers end, whether the disorder itself is what causes them to stop dancing or, like me, an injury as a result of years of poor nutrition. 

It’s so normalized in the dance community: I didn’t even think I had an eating disorder because my behaviors mirrored my surroundings. Even when it wasn’t the full-blown anorexia that developed later, I was by no means taking care of my body. 

I barely ate during the day. I was praised for not getting my period because it meant my body fat levels were low. Still, I was encouraged to lose weight to “compensate for my height” all while hardly 18 — while my body was trying to go through puberty. 

Telling a young girl that her worth lies in how her body looks is lying to her.

Telling her that if her body changes, she’d be worthless leads to dangerous thoughts. Telling her these things sets her up for distress the moment she begins to grow into a woman. I believed that my body was my only asset, that if I didn’t have this naturally long and lean physique, I’d have nothing. That’s something that I took in and held up as truth for years. 

I never questioned this statement, never thought to assign my worth to my intelligence, compassion, or drive, just my body in all its superficiality. As I got older, my peers grew into women, and people began ignoring, shaming, and sexualizing them daily in classes and rehearsals. I was so afraid of having it happen to me. 

I didn’t hit puberty until I was 18, and so I figured I would just always look like a ten-year-old. To go from being a dancer in a prepubescent body to a dancer with a woman’s frame in a short period of time, and so late, isn’t just uncomfortable physically but mentally. I was terrified of my changing body, and I hated that I was now one of those dancers being sexualized and shamed for how I looked. 

I fought against my natural self with every ounce of me.

My eating disorder began as an attempt to revert back to my childlike body to protect myself. And it eventually resulted in me having to quit ballet. 

When I finally received help, I had already pushed my body to the point of injury due to years of poor nutrition and overuse. At that point, I was in total denial of my disorder and attributed my behavior to “staying in shape” while I was off from ballet.

My therapist sat me down, looked me straight in the eyes, and told me that if I continued with what I was doing to myself, I would die. It took those words to snap me out of this state where the goal was thinness at any cost, where my safety and my value to society was held in shrinking myself. 

While I am no longer in that same lethal headspace, my self-worth is still very much entrenched in my physical being. But it’s no longer the same fight that it was at the beginning. 

I’m learning to forgive myself for putting my body through years of starvation and overuse, ultimately sabotaging my own career by placing weight at the forefront of my goals. I’m learning where these patterns come from; I’m tracing them all the way back to their roots. And in that is awareness, and in awareness there is power.  

Though it looked promising, the recent New York Times article “What is a Ballet Body” was rather disappointing.

It seemed so resigned to the toxicity of ballet’s culture. I admire the dancers in the interview for being so open about their own struggles; however, the way the article is constructed leaves me feeling like we’ve already accepted that this is just how it is. 

How can we move towards a healthier work environment when we’re resigned to this standard where a weight gain of 6 lb. during a break due to a global pandemic makes a woman think she no longer looks anything like a ballerina? 

How can the dance world strive for body acceptance when the costumes matter more to the company than the dancers wearing them? I was raised in this world. 

I understand the need to be in shape, and I understand the desire for the aesthetic. What I don’t  understand is the need to create an environment in schools and companies that leaves dancers  riddled with eating disorders, among other mental health problems. This culture of thinness as  the absolute goal, whether it’s promoted openly in the studio or not, must change. 

At some of my lowest weights, when I was clearly very unhealthy, my health was never a concern for anyone. I was praised for how I looked. How is rewarding starvation contributing to anyone’s artistic development? 

Why is the desired physical aesthetic, for the most part, that of a prepubescent child? It is not necessary; it is not sustainable, and it is entirely unethical. 

I should look like a woman, not a ten-year-old. I refuse to accept that the only way to have dancers look good on stage is through a rhetoric of idolizing extreme thinness above all else. Art does not require suffering; smallness does not hold the key to being powerful and  gorgeous in one’s discipline.

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from a Man in Ballet

Asher Taylor-Dawson shared some incredibly insightful thoughts on the dancers’ body in The Whole Dancer Facebook Group. I asked him to expand upon his ideas for this post. I hope that his perspective will be supportive to those pursuing dance at a pre-professional and professional level. How will you define your best body?

A spark: defining “best body.”

Recently, Jess opened a Facebook group discussion with the question, “What does ‘dancers’ personal best body’ mean to you?”

I was ready for this: as a dancer and as a teacher, I think about that all the time. Right off the bat, I replied: 

“The body that works the best: the one that feels good, can move freely, can execute technique effectively. One that is tired enough at the end of the day to sleep well without being so tired that it’s already cooked upon waking.”

Even before I hit “reply” though, I knew that my answer wasn’t the whole truth. And I had to ask myself why? Why did writing the whole truth feel like stepping onto a minefield?

Form follows function.

I suppose I should begin with the rest of the truth.

I’m a muscular guy with close-set hip, and a dancer in a ballet company with a mostly-classical repertoire. Too much muscle or fat on my thighs makes it harder to achieve the really tight fifth and crossed fourth positions that underpin so much of classical technique.

In short, because of the way my pelvis is constructed, my legs can only be so big before they get in their own way. Anyone whose legs are set a bit farther apart than mine won’t have the same problem.

Therefore, for me, the whole truth includes the caveat, “…and my personal best body has to remain within certain size constraints, for functional purposes.”

When I put it that way, of course, it’s suddenly clear why saying it the first time felt a bit dangerous.

Too often, as dancers, we experience immense pressure, spoken or unspoken, conscious or not, to be smaller, thinner — to fit ourselves into an ultra-lean aesthetic that is, for most of us, unsustainable. And any time size comes up, even in a case like mine, it touches that nerve.

What happens when form gets the upper hand?

There are so many dancers — especially women — of different sizes and shapes whose artistry and technical prowess should be more than enough to earn them their place in the studio and on the stage. 

Yet, the predominant aesthetic in our art form routinely pushes so many of them to the margins or even right out of ballet. They’re seen as “too fat” or “too muscular.” As children, they find themselves tucked away in the back of the Nutcracker’s party scene; as adults, if they can find work, they may be told outright to lose weight.

Most humans can’t be as lean as ballet’s current aesthetic demands and still perform grueling feats of physical dexterity. We’ve been fed the message that if we can’t, we don’t belong in ballet. Worse, the message is bred into our bones, so we hear it from inside, where perhaps it hurts us the most.

Images of great dancers from the past, however, might surprise us. Nijinsky was famously stocky and short-legged. Marie Taglioni was built a bit like a gymnast. Even such legendary ballerinas as Pavlova and Fonteyn seem robust compared to many of today’s slight sylphs and wiry wilis. 

Though aesthetics always influence art, we remember these icons of dance not because of how their bodies looked, but because of what those bodies could do.

In any living art form, technique and aesthetics must, by definition, evolve. We evolved towards a lean, wiry aesthetic — but we can also evolve away from it.

Function and form can be partners.

There remains, of course, the argument that women in ballet should be light so the men can lift them. I feel rather vulnerable saying this so starkly here in a very public setting, but I feel it still needs to be said: if ballet requires women to starve so men can lift them, ballet needs to change.

As a male ballet dancer, I see it as my job to be strong enough to lift my partner. Not her job to be light enough for me to lift.

There are limits, of course. There will always be limits. Great artists, by definition, learn to transcend limitations.

This shouldn’t mean starving female-identified dancers, though. Instead, choreographers and dancers can work together to evoke an image or mood by harnessing biomechanics. We can swap an overhead press lift, where strength is key, for a dynamic lift to a shoulder, where momentum can help. Or we can use any number of other lifts.

To the audience, either one looks like magic — and isn’t that really the point? To create that magic, we have to be healthy and strong. That will look different for each of us, which might mean a very different aesthetic will develop But put us all together, each at our own best, and I suspect that we’ll have something beautiful, and that ballet will emerge renewed.

Asher Taylor-Dawson is a dancer at The Lexington Ballet Company in Lexington, KY, a teacher of ballet and modern dance, and a founding member of Antiphon, a small contemporary ballet company, where he focuses on creating works on diverse dancers across the spectrum of size, shape, and age, using traditional and non-traditional approaches to partnering. Born in raised in Connecticut, he lives in Louisville, KY with his husband, Denis, and their cat.

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with Olivia Mackinnon

New York City Ballet Dancer and Ballet Inspired Fitness creator Olivia Mackinnon shares how she is staying healthy at home during quarantine. Balance is key as well as recognizing that staying in performance shape isn’t necessarily realistic. Read on for some inspiration!

Of course there are some things we’re all collectively experiencing but what have been the most major life changes for you?

I’ve had to adapt to this new normal of not being able to dance with my company. This pandemic has allowed me to take a breath from my normal lifestyle I’ve had since I was 17. I’ve made many new relationships virtually, and discovered a new love for teaching, and creating.

How are you staying positive and motivated dancing at home? 

Having the ability to still connect with my colleagues each morning by taking class through zoom has helped continue my training, and keeps a consistent schedule each day for myself. I’m also able to see my pilates teacher each week. We work through ways of staying at my best even under the circumstances.

Have you made any adjustments to your meal plan? Any favorite quarantine meals or snacks?

Because I’m not pushing myself to the limits onstage, I’ve adjusted my afternoon regime by not eating as much throughout the day. I started making smoothies around 1:30-2:00pm filled with greens, collagen protein, and flaxseed to keep myself full until an early dinner.

As a performing artist I’m used to eating a light protein filled snack before the show, and then a large meal after performing late at night once I’m home. I’ve been enjoying this treat of eating dinner early, and retiring to bed at a decent time!

Are you coping with any anxiety or more challenging emotions? What are you doing to work through them?

I’ve grown so accustomed to my demanding schedule, and I have that type of personality that thrives off of staying busy, and fulfilled by work. As an athlete who’s career can go by quickly, it’s been difficult to have it put on hold for a year.

Instead of continuing to feel sad, I’ve tried to make my weeks filled with classes. Training for myself as well as teaching and helping others has helped.

Are you worried about staying in shape? What would you say to dancers who are concerned about losing technique or “getting out of shape”?

I have to remind myself that there is no way to stay in perfect performance shape without performing. However, there are so many other things I can do to keep myself in top form. On top of taking classes, and seeing my pilates teacher I’ve loved swimming!

I also launched Ballet Inspired Fitness in April. I’ve created classes for all levels that lengthen and tone the muscles. Teaching ballet privates, and group classes as well as teaching/creating my Ballet Inspired fitness has really kept me going.

Will you share about Ballet Inspired Fitness?

Once I started teaching ballet class privates I realized there was a need for a more inclusive way of exercising with a graceful quality.

There were so many ballet classes being provided online, but not many ways to help dancers condition their bodies in a way that translates into improving their everyday ballet class. I also wanted to make sure those who have never taken ballet were included, and that they would have the opportunity to learn positions and movements from the ballet vocabulary while moving their bodies.

All of the exercises elongate the body promoting long lines kindred to those of a ballerina. I started by teaching livestream classes on my instagram @oliviamackinnon and then transitioned to teaching Zoom based classes to build my clientele.

The Zoom classes provide my clients with more personalized attention, and it’s a fun way to meet and connect with new people from all around the world.

The goal is to have clients subscribe to gain access to a full library of classes. That way they can stream anytime, anywhere! I’ve also created tutorials explaining certain ballet movements you might see in my fitness classes. I want to make sure people understand how to perform them.

Follow Olivia Mackinnon on Instagram!.

Photos of Olivia by James Jin and Gabriela Celeste

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with Madeleine Purcell

Madeleine Purcell trained at Connecticut Dance School before being accepted to ABT’s JKO School, where she trained for three years. She spent a final year training in the Balanchine style at Ballet Academy East. Upon graduating she accepted a contract with the Sarasota Ballet, where she danced for two seasons.

After a season spent as a freelance dancer in NYC, she was invited to perform with Tivoli Ballet Theatre in Copenhagen for their world-premiere production of Yuri Possokhov’s The Snow Queen. She split her time this season between Copenhagen and Oklahoma City Ballet, where she will be returning next season.

Of course there are some things we’re all collectively experiencing but what have been the most major life changes for you?

Well, our season in Oklahoma ended abruptly in March, and at that point I had only been back in the States for three months. Since my boyfriend and I had a lease that didn’t end until May, we decided to stick it out in quarantine until the lease finished. His family is in LA and mine is in Connecticut so it was safer at the time in Oklahoma than either location. We planned on moving to a different rental for next season, as I had a job teaching over the summer in OK, but that plan got put on hold.

How are you staying positive and motivated dancing at home?

Giving myself permission to not force myself to take class every day. It makes the days I feel inspired to dance that much more rewarding. I would rather move to enjoy moving and creating, than worry too much about losing my technique. I’ve had injuries where I didn’t dance for longer than the time we’ve been in quarantine. I’m confident that I’ll be able to regain what technique I “lost.”

For me it’s usually stamina that’s hardest to recoup, and I try to get my heart rate up by either choreographing or playing around with phrases from variations. I end up sweating and out of breath, but exhilarated!

Have you made any adjustments to your meal plan? Any favorite quarantine meals or snacks?

Not really– we need to fuel our brains as much as our bodies. Trying to compensate for not having a full day of dance by not eating as much, is a surefire way for me to feel grumpy, groggy, and I end up with wicked headaches. At home in Oklahoma I got really into making gnocchi from scratch– it was very soothing and satisfying to make a delicious meal from a potato, an egg and some flour!

These days tzatziki has been having a moment in my lunches– whether it’s with vegetables or pita bread. I find that the protein in the yogurt keeps me full, and the garlic and dill make it tasty. I’ve also been drinking a lot more water! When you don’t have to stand and dance in rehearsals for more than 3 hours, it’s a lot easier to fit in bathroom breaks.

Are you coping with any anxiety or more challenging emotions? What are you doing to work through them?

Oh completely. It’s nerve-wracking not to be able to plan for the future, whether that’s finding housing for next season, deciding how to get back to Oklahoma, or if we will even start back in 2020. But for me, worrying about things I can’t control is unhealthy and relatively useless. I have to remind myself that there’s still around three months before our pushed back start date. Before October, I can’t worry too much about the what-ifs.

Are you worried about staying in shape? What would you say to dancers who are concerned about losing technique or “getting out of shape”

I think everyone has that fear in the back of their mind. It might seem like an impossible task, but I’ve found that forcing yourself to take class in either an undesirable or unsafe area will lead to burnout. We are absolutely all in the same boat!

Keep moving and stay active, even if it’s not ballet. Honestly you’re probably missing the rush of endorphins from dance, and that can make you feel totally different. I usually end up feeling pretty sad if I don’t move every day.

How are you filling your extra time?

Well, at the moment I don’t have any extra time! I’ve taught a couple of privates on Zoom, and donated two master classes to schools from Brooklyn to Brazil.

Since June, I’ve been teaching four classes a week virtually to 3-7 year olds, a variations class for advanced students, finding time to take class myself, and balancing three university courses (I’m a student at Johnson & Wales online). I’m pretty busy! I even have the opportunity to teach a few limited in-person classes through my first dance school’s summer program in August. I’m also choreographing for the first time for one of the levels to perform, hopefully at the end of next Spring.

I’ve been able to teach more and more, because it’s something I find really rewarding and enjoyable. I miss in-person classes, of course, but I’ve found that connecting through Zoom can be beneficial. I made my own group of fellow professionals and friends that I give a class to once a week. It’s open to whoever wants to join and it’s a good way for me to feel that community to motivate me to keep on dancing!

The post OKC Dancer Madeleine Purcell “Healthy at Home” appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

with Carolyn Lippert

Carolyn Lippert was born in Boston, Massachusetts and trained at Severance Ballet Conservatory with her mother, Carla Stallings-Lippert, and at the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.  

Lippert joined the ABT Studio Company in September 2011 and performed with American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House in 2013.  She went on to dance with The Washington Ballet for their 2013-2014 season and San Francisco Ballet for their 2014-2015 season. 

She joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in December 2015. 

Here’s how Carolyn is staying Healthy at Home:

Of course there are some things we’re all collectively experiencing but what have been the most major life changes for you?

I’d say one of the biggest life changes for me right now has been the lack of physically seeing people. I know that’s something everyone is collectively experiencing, but I feel like not seeing anyone (besides my boyfriend) in person deeply effects me. I miss connecting with people. 

How are you staying positive and motivated dancing at home?

It’s honestly really hard for me. I’ve been stuck in a 450 square foot apartment the entire quarantine, and doing class in my tiny kitchen is far from inspiring.

I’ve been trying to stay motivated and positive, but there are some days that not taking class is better for my mentality than struggling through yet another class with my kitchen table as a barre and constantly kicking walls. 

Have you made any adjustments to your meal plan? Any favorite quarantine meals or snacks?

I haven’t made many changes to my eating, I’ve always just eaten when I’m hungry. I naturally eat pretty healthy, but if I crave something I go for it!

I’ve started cooking more during quarantine and have pushed myself out of my comfort box as a chef (it didn’t take much!).

I’ve also rekindled my love for hummus after overeating it a few years back, so I’ve been dipping whatever I have (veggies, pretzels, etc) in hummus for a snack. And of course all the amazing summer fruit! 

Are you coping with any anxiety or more challenging emotions? What are you doing to work through them?

I have days every now and then that are difficult emotionally, but I’ve found keeping moving and busy helps. On my harder days I’ve found that long walks with my dog help. Just letting myself breathe and enjoy the world around me, like the nature in the park, can help me reset and remember that things will be ok. 

Are you worried about staying in shape? What would you say to dancers who are concerned about losing technique or “getting out of shape”?

I am, and at the same time I’m not. It’s so easy to let the fear of getting out of shape cause unneeded anxiety. I think dancers right now need to realize that it’s ok to relax, it’s ok to not always be doing something to “stay in shape”.

There’s a lot going on in the world, and putting extra stress on ourselves (something dancers, or at least myself, are very good at doing) is the last thing anyone needs right now. There will be time to get back into shape. Do what you can/want every day, but only do what you mentally and physically should. 

How are you filling your extra time?

I’m one of those people who would rather be too busy than not, so I’ve really tried to fill my time. In the beginning of the quarantine I took really long walks with Chloe (my pup), did workouts, “company class” every day via Zoom, and read a lot.

I think I went through something like five books in the first month of quarantine! Once the summer term began on June 1 I’ve had college classes (I’m a student at CUNY). They are definitely filling my time! 

What does your transition plan look like? Have you gotten word as to when you’ll be getting back into the studio? How do you think the structure you’ve created at home will translate back to company life?

Technically, my company is scheduled to start back in September and prepare for our fall season. However, I’m not sure if that will realistically happen. I really hope so!

I plan to go home to California at some point before we start back. While there, my mom will whip me back into shape. (Fun fact: she trained me and was a soloist at ABT and principle dancer at Boston Ballet!)

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