What does it mean, exactly? To not desire dance… I suppose it means something a little different to everyone. What comes to mind? Maybe, you don’t desire dance when you’re spiking a flaming fever, curled up on the couch in a fetal position – tissues and tea at your side, complete with a loving momma. Maybe you don’t desire dance when you’ve had a monstrous day at school that seemed to never end; it exhausted you beyond what you thought possible. Or maybe you don’t desire danc

Colleges and universities in the U.S. offer an attractive option for high school graduates interested in continuing to dance while advancing their academic credentials. If the college route is one of interest to your dancer and your family, then let me share what we learned during the college dance audition process. College searches, in general, are time-consuming and full of hurdles. Adding a specific focus to the search adds a layer of complexity. For our family, taking a m

In the spring of 2016, I made my way out to England to audition for the Graduate Program at Northern Ballet in Leeds England, English National Ballet School, and Birmingham Royal Ballet. I was offered a place at Birmingham Royal Ballet's school and a place at the Graduate Program with Northern Ballet for the following year. September came and I made the decision to accept the offer with Northern ballet. My parents helped me prepare for my move over to England! This meant t

I am often brought to uncontrollable tears by watching dancers and their ability to exhibit such enviable grace on the dance floor, making even the most difficult ballet moves look like fluid motions. I grew up with two older brothers, so I was more likely to climb trees than dance. (Not that I didn’t enjoy spinning around on my four-poster bed with a microphone-brush in my hand, but the thought of anyone witnessing my clumsiness makes me feel flush even now!) When my daughte

As dancers, we often strive to perfect our performances of the choreography given to us; and we may only wonder what it feels like on the other side of the rehearsal studio. However, at Ballet Society, some students are given the rare opportunity once a year to choreograph their own pieces to music. During the first Beautiful Chaos production at Ballet Society, I was about fourteen-years-old and I had decided I wanted to be in a student’s piece rather than choreograph my own—