Hello everyone!

We all know that today is a day of reflection for many people, myself included. There’s every reason to be sad about what today commemorates. There’s no denying that there’s been a huge shift, and the world that we currently live in is not and has not been the world of thirteen years ago. If we dwell on this too much, it can be horribly upsetting, but then again, the only guaranteed thing in life is change. What I like to think about is the fact that this week marks another time that’s been significant in my life.

This photo was taken six years ago- almost to the day.

It’s a photo of the very first dance class that I taught. I still have the same leotard (I wore it today, in fact!), and I still roll one pant leg up in that silly dancer style. Like the very first dance class I ever took, this day stands out in my memory. I’ll also never forget being accepted into the BFA program in college, as our ballet teacher told us that we could call ourselves dancers now. While I vividly remember every production that I’ve ever done, these moments in my life stand out to me completely. I  remember being cast in my favorite rolls, the many hours spent backstage, and the stab of relief mingled with melancholy as a show run draws to a close. When people ask me what I do, I feel the need to explain things away. I feel odd saying: “I’m a dancer.” But, it’s the truth. I’m not a teacher, turned dance-enthusiast. I was a dancer before everything else.

I’ve found joy, and a solidarity in teaching. I didn’t decide to teach right off the bat, to be quite honest. I did the audition circuit, I took classes, and I ran around because I didn’t entirely know what to do. Sometimes I feel as if I get as much from my students as I’m giving them. The lack of judgement and the kindness they show me sometimes makes me wonder why the rest of life can’t be like it is in the studio. Growing up, you generally tend to cultivate a talent and passion for something. What they don’t teach you is that you can, logistically, make your passion your life, your way of making a living. It may not always come in the way you thought it would, but it’s possible.

There will come a day where I’ll be unable to dance like I do now. And probably a day where I feel cumbersome in a leotard and tights. But, that will never make me less of a dancer. As Martha Graham said, “”I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer. It’s permitting life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable.”

This has been dubbed the “most graceful selfie” ever. Playing dress up. In this way, I hope I’ll never grow up.

In a tutu. Because I can.

It’s inevitable.

EVA♥

Hello everyone!

Quick question: has everyone else noticed the sudden uptick of ballet in ads and pop culture as of late? I sure have.

There’s the phenomenal Misty Copeland UnderAmour TV spot:

…the viral Taylor Swift music video:

…the many deoderant ads:

It seems that the idea that dancing is hard and/or sweat-inducing makes for great antiperspirant commercials. And, we can’t forget the infamous Free People spots gone horribly, horribly wrong.

So, what happened? It seems that every few years or so, ballet is thrust into the spotlight. Back in the day, it was Center Stage and more recently Black Swan, with all its dance double controversy. Dance has always been a big part of pop culture, but ballet, which has such a small niche, tends to come and go. It’s often labeled with the stigma of elitist, out-dated, and boring. Now, I’ll be the first one to tell you that I’m not the biggest fan of sitting through a three hour production of Swan Lake. Here’s a hint: uber-classical ballet is really fun…when you or your friends are the ones doing it. Recently, ballet as an art form has given way to so many visually diverse, modern, and mind-blowing new works. It’s changed so much over the last few decades, even.

 It’s always nice to see something you’re passionate about in the limelight. In a world that’s always moving on to the next “big thing,” it’s conversely frustrating to see people absorb the thing that you’ve dedicated your life to, without context, and move on. Misty Copeland, as beautiful as she is, is a very much (and self-proclaimed, I might add) the unlikely ballerina. Ballet, like any athletic endeavor, has its politics- its traditions and its trends. That being said, it’s wonderful to witness ballet’s evolution, and its occasional emergence in pop culture. All I ask is that, after you get tired of watching Taylor Swift play ballerina and when Misty’s chiseled physique ceases to amaze you, you don’t forget about the ballet. Maybe go, have a glass of wine, and see one for yourself.

EVA♥