Are dancers Artists or Athletes?

Many people regard the word "athletics" in connection with being a ballet dancer to be somewhat unsavory. Yet, when I decided to begin dancing again after so many years removed, an "athlete in training" is exactly how I thought of myself. It was not easy, and still isn't for me. There are many days when I am so sore I feel physically ill and the last thing I want to do is go to class. So my husband has to act as my coach many times.

Before I started with the new company the only way I could get in a full week of classes with my teaching schedule was to attend class on Sundays, my only day off. I told my husband that no matter what I said on Sunday mornings he had to make me go to class. Thankfully, he kept his word. Most...ok, every Sunday I woke up only wanting to sleep in and relax on the couch, but he told me that I would regret not going to class and he pushed me to go. My husband was a soccer player so he understood the demands of an athlete in training. Without his help I don't know if I could have done it.

So I come to my point. Should those who work with dancers: the teachers, directors, choreographers, treat them as artists or athletes?

I am not a painter but I can imagine that a curator of an art gallery would never come up to an artist and yell "NO NO NO, this just isn't good enough! Go back and re paint that. You are better than this!" Which is of course a common type of dialog between a dancer and the person who is rehearsing them.

Much like a coach, I believe it is the job of the Artistic Director or Ballet Mistress to push a dancer to be their best. The days when you feel like you can't go on are of course the toughest but it is their job to be honest about your work and to push you to continue.

Myself and two other girls in my current company are working on a piece that is physically exhausting. We ran it all the way through on Friday and I think we all felt like we could die. It is times like these where the athlete side takes over. I can not get through the ballet in my current state so I am going to have to add cardio to my current work out routine. When I get the physicality of the ballet down I can work on the artistic side of it. But without the physical capabilities to do the ballet all the artistic pondering in the world won't make a difference.

Of course dancers are artists. We tell a story and express ourselves through the ballets we do, which is an art. Yet, we demand our bodies to do these exceptional things that can only be categorized as athletic. So we are a little of both.

I think it is the best of both worlds. I love the physical side of ballet and I love to express myself. We are artistic athletes. We go through so many of the same struggles athletes do but at the end of the day we have an artistic outlet that no other athlete has. Plus, when we work really hard we get flowers!

 

A beautiful bouquet given to me by a student and her mom

Thank you ladies!

It may be beautiful at the ballet but it's still a job

Welcome to my "office" 

This gorgeous studio is where I have been spending my mornings. It is easy to forget when you are staring at a beautiful old building with high vaulted ceilings that this is work, but at the end of the day it's still your job.

 The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of a typical office job is the morning cup of coffee at your desk. We may not have a desk, but we do have coffee in abundance.

 The coffee is a very crucial part to getting over the hump that I think we are all currently feeling. My body is tired, and I think it is trickling into my mind. The normal morning conversations for most dancers usually goes as such, "How are you?"-"I'm sore".... "I'm tired" ..."My feet hurt"...ect. All of these things are of course accurate, but for myself I can't let those thoughts overwhelm my head.

The last two days of rehearsal have not been my best, and I think it is because I am letting my mental self suck my energy. I am determined from now on to be as positive as possible. It is not the easiest thing to find your inner cheerleader, but I know she is in there and I need let her out.

When I was young I loved to play pretend, and I guess I still do. So let's play pretend. Or at least pretend  until I can find my own confidence. Tomorrow I will not be me, tomorrow I will be someone completely fabulous who even on their worst days could dance circles around any choreography.

Hmm... Let's see...


My go to girl usually is Sylvie Guillem. With her legs that go on endlessly, and her steely strength. She is as perfect as anyone gets. But with the way I am feeling right now I don't think I could do Sylvie justice. Even in my own head.

Another favorite has always been Lucia Lacarra. That woman is beautiful, but she is so soft and delicate I think I need a little diva-ness to get over this hump.









I think this time I will draw on someone who I have seen around town. She dances in San Francisco and every time I have seen her I think she has a hint of rock star about her. This week I would like a little bit of Sofiane Sylve. The woman can turn for days and has a fabulous jump, but more than that she is the type of person that commands a room. That is what I need right now. 


 Being a diva is not easy. I don't know how Cher has done it all these years. I am not typically an in your face kind of person, or an overly confident person by nature. Yet, the ballet world is hard and the "sheep" don't survive. I have spent too many years letting my self doubt get the best of me. Tomorrow at my "office" I WILL be fierce.

It's all about a maintenance routine

I just got back from a much needed massage, and it got me thinking about how important it is to maintain your body as a dancer. It's funny because if I were a professional race car driver my car would be cared for pristinely. Every inch of that car would be looked after by a team of experts with special knowledge of that particular part of the car. Yet, as dancers we sometimes neglect our instrument...our bodies. Why is that?

I think it's often that dancers are conditioned to push trough the pain. You can't be injured, so dancers tend to neglect miner pains until they become major problems. I remember as a young dancer never caring for my body until the pain was so great I couldn't stand it any more. Which is completely absurd. It is much easier to come home and ice a sore ankle, go to the chiropractor, or see a physical therapist on a semi regular basis than it is to dance through excruciating pain from an injury that was never addressed.

It is all about finding your own maintenance routine. It has taken me twenty three years of dancing to figure it out, but dancing in pain is not fun. I ice or heat everything that hurts! Even if I know its not "injured", and I go and get a deep muscle therapy massage twice a month. This has helped me so far. I am over the masochistic ballerina thing. I would prefer no pain thank you very much! I think we can all agree on that.

WEEK 1:

My first week as a contemporary artist was a very enjoyable and exhilarating experience. This is not Swan Lake and I couldn't be happier. Although I have done contemporary and modern work before, the inner workings of a contemporary company are very different from a classical one.

First of all there are fewer dancers. Apposed to the average twenty to thirty dancers that occupy a classical company we only have eight. I have a strong feeling this leads to a less competitive atmosphere and more time spent working on the art. Every first day of contracts for me in the past has had a sense of tension in the air. Who are the new dancers? Are they good? Who will be given the best roles? ect. Last week was the first time in my dancing life that the first company class was not met with a sense of tension.

Also, fewer dancers means more work for each individual dancer and less time to learn each role. We are learning so much at a very fast pace we have to stay focused on the work, and the work alone. There just isn't time to think of anything else.

My feet hurt, my body aches, and sometimes I think my brain could explode, but I could not be happier with my decision to dance again. I feel completely at home with the new movements and I welcome every challenge that is given.

AND BELIEVE ME IT IS CHALLENGING. CONTEMPORARY DANCE IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT.

I thought I would begin my blog to clarify to those who are maybe not as familiar with ballet why being a 5'11" dancer may not be a good thing. The most common response I get when I talk to people who are not affiliated with ballet about my height is "Wait..aren't dancers supposed to be tall?". Although dancers are very long limbed and give the appearance of height they are in fact of average height.

So what is the perfect ballet body? 

Wendy Whelan-NYCB

 Most classical dancers are around 5'6". So 5'7"-5'9" are considered tall and 5'3"-5'5" are considered short. Anything beyond that on either side starts becoming very problematic. Of course most people know that dancers are supposed to be thin. However, being too thin is also a problem. NYC Ballet principal Wendy Whelan has talked very openly about her frustration with being called "too thin" by critics.

Alright, we now know that you can be too tall, too short, too fat, and too thin. Whew... if that wasn't hard enough I'm not done. I could spent all day talking about the hundred things that makes dancing technically possible but that would be boring, so lets stick to the physical appearance.

 Let's talk muscles! As anyone who has seen a ballet dancer balance on on their toes with their other leg extended to their ear can imagine it takes a lot of strength to do ballet, but dancers are supposed to look ethereal. Most female classical roles are for the soft and super feminine person. Being very muscular does not fit into that feminine ideal, especial in the upper body. Most dancers are strong in their legs but problems arise when a dancer begins to look to buff. This goes for the male dancer as well. The men spend all day lifting women over their heads but you would never mistake a male dancer for a body builder.
 You may be asking yourself how do you develop the strength of a lion and keep the appearance of a swan? The answer is...IT'S HARD!



Lastly, in complete contradiction to my previous statement that female dancers are supposed to be the feminine ideal everything that makes a woman a woman...I'm talking curves...are a hindrance. Breasts and hips are a big no no in the ballet world. Barbie would not make a good ballerina.

Now of course this is all the ideal. This is not my personal opinion either. I happen to love a dancer who is different and unique. Ballet has come a long way, and more and more dancers are changing peoples perception of what is the ideal dancer.

Cheers to everyone who defies the standard look and makes dancing about just that...Dancing!