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NYC > Minneapolis > Chicago: Adventures on the Road and Touring Tips

September 17, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

By Samantha Hope Galler

NYC and Serenade
NYC and Serenade

Touring with a professional dance company is a maturing experience. The process tests you in many ways. Since joining Miami City Ballet, I have toured to Vancouver, Ottawa, New York City, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Every city is culturally diverse, but all share an appreciation for dance. I look forward to sharing several touring experiences with you from my recent three-city tour with Miami City Ballet…

At Lincoln Center
At Lincoln Center

It is a dancer’s dream to perform at Lincoln Center. As the home of George Balanchine and New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center has a high level of historical importance. The backstage area, dressing rooms, and even the elevator reminds a performer why Lincoln Center is so remarkable. Our week there included three dress rehearsals and seven performances. Every performance highlighted a piece that was created for Miami City Ballet. Liam Scarlett’s Viscera, Alexei Ratmansky’s Symphonic Dances, and Justin Peck’s Heatscape were among these works. The company also performed works by George Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. On Wednesday evening, we performed Balanchine’s Serenade. It was a high point of the tour. The company also performed Twyla Tharp’s Sweet Fields. This particular work by Twyla first premiered in 1996. It is extraordinarily spiritual onstage and was a true highlight to bring it to the Koch Theater. In fact, the audience reacted so well that we returned for a curtain call after each performance.

Class at the Koch Theater
Class at the Koch Theater

To finish off the 2015-2016 season, we performed in Minneapolis and Chicago. Both cities presented new venues and different inspirations. Compared to the New York step of our tour, we presented similar programming which included Balanchine’s Serenade, Peck’s Heatscape, Scarlett’s Viscera, Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements, Ratmansky’s Symphonic Dances, and Balanchine’s Bourrée Fantasque. The audience stood on their feet after each performance.

Photos of Chicago
Photos of Chicago

Touring Tips on the Road:

While touring, learning to reset and refocus is important. Below are a few suggestions on how to approach touring with your best foot forward….

#1: Remember your goals. Touring is a very exciting element of company life. Usually, the first thing you want to do is explore the city, but, it is important to remember that you are there to perform and work.

#2: Plan ahead. I recommend researching the area around your hotel or near the theater so you have an idea of what is available. It is helpful to know where you can grab food quickly before or after the show.

#3: Stick to your routine. On tour, the theater, the distance to the theater, and the studio space are different. This means it’s important to stick to your regular routine for preparing for class and performances. If you usually spend 45 minutes warming up before class, make sure you do so.

#4: Eat! Be sure to bring good snacks for the trip so you do not get stuck trying to find something last minute. I like to have a variety of snacks like Cliff Bars, trail mix, and bananas. Check to see if there is a refrigerator at the venue or in the hotel. In this case, I would be sure to have yogurt, veggies, humus, or deli meat.

#5: Sleep! I recommend turning in a little earlier than usual.

#6: Keep you head held high and be positive. Touring is one of the most rewarding adventures a dancer can be a part of. Not only will you have the opportunity to perform in theaters around the world, you will also have the chance to be introduced to new audiences. A main reason I enjoy performing on stage is to bring audiences the emotion of our art form. So enjoy every minute and dance your heart out.

Dreams Come True... Samantha at Lincoln Center. Jonathan Taylor
Dreams Come True…Samantha at Lincoln Center. Photograph by Jonathan Taylor

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Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: advice, advice for dancers, chicago, Koch Theater, lincoln center, Miami City Ballet, Miami City Ballet 2016 Tour, Miami City Ballet New York City Tour, Minneapolis, Samantha Hope Galler, tips, Tour, Touring

My Top 3 Challenges As A Dancer

April 6, 2016 by 4dancers

Joffrey Ballet dancer Cara Marie Gary in Jiří Kylián's Forgotten Land.
Joffrey Ballet dancer Cara Marie Gary in Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

by Cara Marie Gary

As a young ballet student or aspiring professional dancer, some big challenges in life usually center around getting into a top summer program, performing well in a competition, or landing that first contract with a professional company. These were certainly part of my experience, but now as a professional dancer with some seasoning and experience, the challenges that I face on a daily basis are different, but just as important.

Pain Management

One of the top challenges in my life as a dancer is dealing with and learning to appropriately manage pain. Fortunately, I haven’t had any major injuries while dancing professionally, but aches in my body are a daily struggle, as an average five-day rehearsal week consists of approximately 38 hours of dancing. Each morning I wake up refreshed, but often with minor aches and pains, and over the years, I’ve found some helpful remedies for this challenge. I often consult with my physical therapists about the pain I’m experiencing and they always offer specific strengthening exercises for weak areas that could be linked to the source of pain.

It’s simply part of my daily routine for my joints to snap, crackle, and pop, especially in the morning, and even though I’m used to these noises, I try to make monthly appointments with a chiropractor for proper treatment. 
I’ve also learned to explore and experiment with alternative techniques and have discovered a lot about what works for my body. For example, I tend to hold a lot of tension and stress in my upper back and neck. I’ve found that the best remedy for this area of pain is a technique called “cupping”. It’s an ancient form of alternative medicine that uses cups and heat to create a suction that pulls the fascia tissue towards the cup, ultimately mobilizing blood flow to promote healing. The cups are normally left on for about fifteen minutes, and once they are removed I feel an immediate release of tension and have a noticeable increased range of motion in my upper back and neck areas. This technique creates dark circles where the cups where placed, and often times my co-workers joke that it looks like I got attacked by an octopus, but I don’t mind, because cupping works miracles for me!

Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary.
Myself after cupping. (Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary.)

When my calves or hamstrings are hurting, I’ve undergone a technique
called “dry needling”. This is a process similar to acupuncture, but a little more invasive, because the needle is inserted into the skin and muscle. Sometimes, the sensation of the needle hitting a trigger point makes me almost jump off the table, but the certified physical therapists are quick and efficient. At times I’ll be a little sore the next day, but the overall result pays off with lasting relief in the areas that have been targeted.

Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary.
Ice bucket. (Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary.)

My favorite treatment, of course, is a massage – but not one of those gentle, relaxing, soft-music-playing-in-the-background kinds. I find that deep tissue massage is the best to help release knots and improve circulation. In contrast, my least favorite treatment is the ice bucket. Although it is effective, I tend to hold off on using this treatment until I can no longer stuff my swollen feet into my pointe shoes (Nutcracker season is often the culprit). Everyone has a different pain tolerance, but it’s important to not just push through the pain. Instead of continuing to torture my body, I’ve learned how important it is to deal with pain intentionally, and to find specific and effective ways to care for myself.

Personal vs Professional Life

Another challenge I face as a dancer is separating my work from my personal life. Although I’m passionate about dancing, I’m normally in the studio eight hours a day, five days a week, and I feel it’s important to focus on other interests and activities once work is completed for the day. To tackle this challenge, my roommate (also a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet) and I came up with some “house rules”.

First, we are intentional about limiting talk about work when we’re at home, and we also make sure to leave “work duties” at work – that means no bringing pointe shoes home to sew! Instead, we focus our attention on other aspects of our lives. For example, we try new recipes and often cook together, and instead of watching dance-related videos, we might turn to Netflix for a less-connected escape from reality.

Amber Neumann (my roommate) and I having brunch. Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary.
Amber Neumann (my roommate) and I having brunch. (Photo courtesy of Cara Marie Gary.)

We both enjoy art in other forms and have unashamedly bought into the growing phenomenon of the therapeutic adult coloring books, and I sometimes paint while my roommate designs and sews clothing for herself and others. I also enjoy crocheting, (I usually have a project or two going at a time), and on weekends I like to add brunch or a Bikram yoga class to the mix. As dancers, it’s important to recognize that we work in a very unique artistic bubble, and I’ve found that it’s healthy (and fun!) to develop boundaries and a balance between my work and my personal life.

Adapting To Change

A final challenge I face as a dancer is learning to adapt to change. I’ve found that it’s necessary to be versatile in all aspects of what my job demands. The beautiful thing about our art form is that it is constantly evolving, and dancers often have to learn to adapt to new choreography and styles as ballet and dance continue to push boundaries. It’s important to not be timid and learn to be bold when exploring new styles of movement. l try to watch and learn from fellow artists and apply corrections from ballet masters and choreographers, and I’ve found it always goes a long way to be polite and respectful to the people surrounding you as you learn together.

Dancers also have to adapt to occasional disappointments at work. Like any other job, there will be good days and bad days. Sometimes you show up to work and feel great when you’re completely on your leg and feel like you’ve had some really productive rehearsals or successful performances. Other days you might deal with situations like dealing with a painful ache, experiencing unwanted casting changes, or not seeing your name next to a desired role. I think it’s important to avoid focusing on the drama or negative feelings on those bad days. Instead, it’s important to open up your horizons to inspiration not only in the workplace, but also outside of that “ballet bubble”. That could be through studying something new, getting involved in organizations about an issue or community that matters to you, or simply getting out in your city and appreciating what makes the world around you unique.

As humans, we’re often creatures of habit and resist change, but I’ve come to realize that change is the only constant in life. Accepting this fact and learning to move forward has been an ongoing task, and I find that I deal with this challenge most successfully by choosing to adapt and learn from each experience.

Though the challenges that I now face as a professional dancer are different than my days as a young student, pursuing this career has certainly always kept me pushing myself to learn and improve in new settings and environments. Since the opportunity to dance as a career has become my daily reality, I’ve learned that challenges will always keep coming, but life is too short to not enjoy each moment. I challenge aspiring dancers to not be discouraged by the challenges they face, but to find something positive in every day, and use that determined perspective to keep moving toward their goals.


Cara Marie Gary
Joffrey Ballet dancer Cara Marie Gary

Contributor Cara Marie Gary is a native of Belton, South Carolina. She joined The Joffrey Ballet in July 2012. Prior to joining The Joffrey Ballet, Ms. Gary danced with American Ballet Theatre’s ABTII and was an apprentice with Orlando Ballet. Ms. Gary began her formal ballet training at International Ballet Academy in Greer, South Carolina, under Hennadii Bespechnyi and Vlada Kvsselova. Ms. Gary received additional training at summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Brianskv Saratoga Ballet Center, Ukrainian Academy of Dance South Carolina Governors School, Ballet Spartanburg, and Chautauqua Institution. Ms. Gary graduated with honors from Belton-Honea Path High School and is currently pursuing a Business Administration degree online through North Greenville University.

In 2010, Ms. Gary was a competitor in the IX USA International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi. She was a top twelve finalist in the Youth America Grand Prix National Finals in 2008 and 2009. She also received the overall Grand Prix Award in the 2009 YAGP regional semi-finals. In 2006, she was awarded a Diploma of Laureate at the VI Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition held in Kiev, Ukraine.

Ms. Gary has had the opportunity to tour throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Gary has performed the title role in classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Don Quixote, Paquita, Markitanka pas de six, and Coppelia. Her repertoire with ABT II includes roles in the Flame of Paris pas de deux, Jerome Robbins’ Interplay, Antony Tudor’s Continuo, George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Stars and Stripes pas de deux, Jessica Lang’s Vivace Motifs, Roger Vanfleteren’s Pavlovsk, Jodi Gate’s A Taste of Sweet Velvet, Aszure Barton’s Barbara, and Edward Liang’s Ballo Per Sei. Ms. Gary has performed roles in new choreography by Robert Hill. Her repertoire with Orlando Ballet also consists of Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Career Tagged With: advice for dancers, ballet student, cara marie gary, dance career, dance challenges, joffrey ballet, professional dancer, The Joffey Ballet, young dancer

A Ballerina’s 8 Top Tips For Dancers

February 25, 2016 by 4dancers

Alice in Wonderland ballet, leap
Sharon Wehner and artists of Colorado Ballet. Photo by Mike Watson.

One of our goals at 4dancers is to provide you with solid advice that you can put to use in your dance life. We asked Colorado Ballet ballerina Sharon Wehner if she would share some of her best advice for dancers, and she compiled a great list for us to share with you here…enjoy!


by Sharon Wehner

Listen to your teachers, but use your brains too!

This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but because dance, particularly some techniques like Graham or classical ballet come steeped in tradition, there is always an aspect of “shut-up and dance” when it comes to being in the studio. This is both good, and bad.

As a student of anything, whether math, Spanish, or dance, it’s crucial that you be able to trust your teachers. Once this trust is established, a student’s job is to listen and absorb the teacher’s information, and then apply it. The more trust and respect established, the more a dancer can get past their own limits, fears or hesitations and improve technically and artistically. But unlike your academic teachers, there are no standards set for who can teach dance. Anybody can open a dance studio. Of course there are a myriad of training courses and degrees with testing and accreditation, which certainly lends credibility to a teacher’s qualifications, but a piece of paper does not necessarily guarantee a great teacher. There are amazing teachers who have no degrees. On the other hand, there are also amazing former professional dancers with years of experience who are not the greatest teachers.

So as a young dancer goes through his or her training years, it is a good idea for both parents and students to evaluate teachers based not only on their experience and credentials, but also on what makes sense for that student. As mentioned above, the best teacher-student relationship consists of inherent trust and respect. Because dancers are often asked to work through feelings of discomfort and fatigue, both emotionally and physically, it falls upon the shoulders of a teacher to gauge when this push is necessary for a dancer to improve, and when it crosses the line into “too much.” And again…every dancer and student is different. Some people thrive on stern discipline, while others need a softer hand. But either way, it is important that a dancer be able to balance listening to their teachers with complete trust, while simultaneously being able to think for themselves, and pay attention if they feel that a teacher is crossing that line.

Know your learning style.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Career Tagged With: advice for dancers, ALICE (in wonderland), colorado ballet, dance career advice, professional dance advice, Sharon Wehner, tips for dancers

18 Things I’ve Learned About Being A Professional Dancer

November 4, 2014 by 4dancers

Alessa Rogers, photo by Rick McCullough
Alessa Rogers, photo by Rick McCullough

Dance, like any other career, has a learning curve. With time and experience, you find ways to navigate your daily life in this art form–and piece by piece you learn what works best for you in terms of a career path. It isn’t always easy–especially in the beginning–but over time, most dancers find their own way.

Our new series features posts from professional dancers from companies across the nation. They’ll be writing about a variety of different topics, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what this career looks like up close…each from their own individual perspective.

Today we’ll be hearing from our new contributing writer Alessa Rogers. A dancer at Atlanta Ballet, she has graciously pulled together some of the most valuable things she has learned over the course of her career to share with you here–including a piece of advice from Twyla Tharp! Look for more posts from Alessa and other professional dancers in the coming months.

We hope you are enjoying this new series!        –Catherine


dancer doing a grand jete
Alessa Rogers rehearsing Possokhov’s Classical Symphony, photo by Charlie McCullers

 by Alessa Rogers

There is no formula for being a professional ballet dancer. There are some obvious requirements like having a good work ethic, a good teacher, a fair amount of luck–and a lot of Advil. But there are some other tips that I’ve picked up over the course of the past couple decades that I have found useful in my career.

1) Don’t quit. This may seem like a no-brainer but sometimes I feel like the reason that I managed to become a professional dancer over some of the girls I trained with is simply that I stuck with it and they didn’t.

2) Be nice. By criticizing others you take energy away from improving yourself. Gossip will not make you a better dancer and it will definitely make you a less desirable person to be around. Remember that the dance world is incredibly small. You will run into the same people again. Make it so that when you do run into those people they are happy to see you. You never know when it will pay off to have been kind.

Even when you are doing a solo, don’t forget about the countless people who helped you get to where you are today–your parents, teachers, the artistic staff, even the production crew. These people don’t get a curtain call or spotlight. Be grateful to those people in your life and when you get a chance, pass it on.

3) Love your body, worship it, treat it well. As a dancer, your body is the only instrument you have. Listen to it when it hurts and needs special care. Kiss your feet before a show. Say thank you to your body after a long week. Ballet gives us nothing to hold, so care for your body like a museum would care for a masterpiece.

4) Learn from others. Watch dance voraciously. Watching the people in your class is the easiest way to do that but these days you can watch almost anything online. If possible go see professional dance live. Ask professional dancers questions. Learn from them. But learn from your friends too. A correction for them is also a correction for you. Which brings us to:

5) Corrections are good things. Don’t feel ashamed or take it too personally if you get a correction. Feel grateful that you have a chance to improve. Strive to hear a correction only once.

As soon as I am given a correction I repeat it in my head a few times to help it stick. Later I might write it down. Be patient with yourself if it does take some time to apply. Bodies respond differently everyday and habits are hard to change but make no excuses when something doesn’t work. Mistakes happen, even when you are a professional dancer. Learn from them and then let them go.

Alessa Rogers, photo by Rick McCullough
Alessa Rogers, photo by Rick McCullough

6) There will always be someone better than you. The sooner you realize this the sooner you will be able to be proud of where you are right now and how far you’ve come. Having people who are better than you should give you inspiration–not depression. Be gentle with yourself. A dancer has to work hard enough, don’t put yourself down while you are doing it. Trust me, other people will do that for you. Be patient with yourself and ignore the naysayers, especially if the naysayer is you. You are almost certainly better than you think you are.

7) You have to find the right company for you. It might take a few before you find a good fit. Having a dream company is good for motivation, but realize there are so many factors that go into hiring dancers. If that dream company passes you up because they need a brunette this season that shouldn’t crush your dreams of being a dancer in general.

Find a company that will appreciate you and also push you to be the best dancer you can be. When you do get a job don’t be afraid to have respectful conversations with your director about issues that concern you. Also, cattle call auditions are rarely the best way to be seen.

8) Work smart. A ballet career is so short. You have to work hard to make use of the time you have. This does not always mean physically (but do that too). You can save a lot of time and energy if you use your brain as well.

Instead of throwing yourself into doing something poorly over and over again pause and think about how you could approach it differently. You’ll find you have more control over your body and improve more rapidly. Decide before each combination what you are going to focus on in that combination. It might be your port de bras or playing with the musicality or spotting a different place. Thinking about an intention before each combination or visualizing the choreography in your head before you actually take a single step will help enormously.

Also, do your homework at night. Go over your part, research your roles and take care of your body so you are prepared for the next day. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Editorial Tagged With: advice for dancers, alessa rogers, atlanta ballet, ballet company, dance company, professional ballet dancer, professional dancer

One Dancer’s Journey: A Little Advice

March 19, 2012 by 4dancers

For those of you who are just tuning in, this series, “One Dancer’s Journey” follows Todd Fox through his in-depth answers to the questions we typically pose in our interviews with dancers and choreographers. We’re up to question #4….

by Todd  Fox

Todd Fox

4. What advice would you offer other dancers?

I could literally write a book as an answer to this question but that has already been done many times so I will only touch on a few points of interest.

Get over the insecurities and pound that pavement, today!

I frequently hear from young aspiring professional dancers who tell me how they didn’t go to an audition or send out their pictures and resumes for consideration on a gig because they thought for sure it just wouldn’t happen–so why waste time trying. This has never made any sense to me; students will spend years of hard work in the studio improving and expanding their technique/abilities but when it comes time to learn and expand into the actual profession, suddenly they become insecure.

Every aspiring professional dancer needs to realize that auditioning and seeking out employment opportunities in this industry is a learning process unto itself. Just like learning technique, there are dos and don’ts, tips and tricks, and all sorts of trials and errors you will have to go through to learn how to secure employment as a professional dancer. The ratio of being turned down will always outweigh the actual offers of employment–it has been that way since the dawn of the industry and it’s something you are just going to have to deal with.

Everyone has insecurities and nobody likes to be told they are not right for something they really want to do but you have to at least try, otherwise you will never succeed. This industry is filled with stories about professional dancers who ended up getting amazing jobs and opportunities they never thought would happen but because they took that first step and actually tried, it somehow managed to work out. It is imperative that you leave no stone unturned throughout your journey to become a professional dancer… [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial, One Dancer's Journey Tagged With: advice for dancers, auditions, dance competition, todd fox

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