Today’s “10 Questions With…” features Jacob Lyon from Ballet Quad Cities….

1. How did you become involved in dance?

I had done a few years of show choir in high school with no formal training.  Then, when I was 18, a friend of mine asked if I would join her in taking the ballet class at the community college we were attending.  I didn’t have any reservations or anything better to do, so I did.

When I went to buy my first pair of shoes, and the store was attached to a studio.  While I was trying on shoes, the owner of the studio walked in and stopped dead in her tracks and said, “oh, a boy!”  She told me that if I took the ballet partnering class and one other ballet class a week, I could take as much as I wanted of everything for free.  The partnering with the ladies was my favorite class, and I started taking as many ballet classes as I had time for.  The rest is history.

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

Currently, I dance for Ballet Quad Cities.  We do a lot of contemporary work along with some character and modern dance.  I love being in a small company because I dance till I drop.  Even in shows when I don’t feel like I’m dancing much, I remember that in larger companies, people sometimes only get to do ONE thing in a show.  We all get to dance a lot, and I get the opportunity to dance a lot of great parts that I would never have gotten in a larger company.  The friendships I have made with the other dancers are also increasingly more important the older I get.

3. Can you share a special moment from your career? [Read more…]