• Contributors
    • Catherine L. Tully, Owner/Editor
    • Dance Writers
      • Rachel Hellwig, Assistant Editor — Dance
      • Jessika Anspach McEliece, Contributor — Dance
      • Janice Barringer, Contributor – Dance
      • José Pablo Castro Cuevas, Contributor — Dance
      • Katie C. Sopoci Drake, Contributor – Dance
      • Ashley Ellis, Contributor — Dance
      • Samantha Hope Galler, Contributor – Dance
      • Cara Marie Gary, Contributor – Dance
      • Luis Eduardo Gonzalez, Contributor — Dance
      • Karen Musey, Contributor – Dance
      • Janet Rothwell (Neidhardt), Contributor — Dance
      • Matt de la Peña, Contributor – Dance
      • Lucy Vurusic Riner, Contributor – Dance
      • Alessa Rogers, Contributor — Dance
      • Emma Love Suddarth, Contributor — Dance
      • Andrea Thompson, Contributor – Dance
      • Sally Turkel, Contributor — Dance
      • Lauren Warnecke, Contributor – Dance
      • Sharon Wehner, Contributor – Dance
      • Ashley Werhun, Contributor — Dance
      • Dr. Frank Sinkoe, Contributor – Podiatry
      • Jessica Wilson, Assistant Editor – Dance
    • Dance Wellness Panel
      • Jan Dunn, MS, Editor
      • Gigi Berardi, PhD
      • James Garrick, MD
      • Robin Kish, MS, MFA
      • Moira McCormack, MS
      • Janice G. Plastino, PhD
      • Emma Redding, PhD
      • Erin Sanchez, MS
      • Selina Shah, MD, FACP
      • Nancy Wozny
      • Matthew Wyon, PhD
    • Music & Dance Writers
      • Scott Speck, Contributor – Music
    • Interns
      • Intern Wanted For 4dancers
    • Contact
  • About
    • About 4dancers
    • Advertise With 4dancers
    • Product Reviews on 4dancers
    • Disclosure
  • Contact

4dancers.org

A website for dancers, dance teachers and others interested in dance

Follow Us on Social!

Visit Us On YoutubeVisit Us On TwitterVisit Us On PinterestVisit Us On FacebookVisit Us On Instagram
  • 4dancers
    • Adult Ballet
    • Career
    • Auditions
    • Competition
    • Summer Intensives
    • Pointe Shoes & Footwear
      • Breaking In Shoes
      • Freed
      • Pointe Shoe Products
      • Vegan Ballet Slippers
      • Other Footwear
  • 4teachers
    • Teaching Tips
    • Dance History
    • Dance In The US
    • Studios
  • Choreography
  • Dance Wellness
    • Conditioning And Training
    • Foot Care
    • Injuries
    • Nutrition
      • Recipes/Snacks
  • Dance Resources
    • Dance Conferences
    • Dance Products
      • Books & Magazines
      • DVDs
      • Dance Clothing & Shoes
      • Dance Gifts
      • Flamenco & Spanish Dance
      • Product Reviews
    • Social Media
  • Editorial
    • Interviews
      • 10 Questions With…
      • Dance Blog Spotlight
      • Post Curtain Chat
      • Student Spotlight
    • Dance in the UK
    • Finding Balance
    • Musings
    • One Dancer’s Journey
    • Pas de Trois
    • SYTYCD
    • The Business Of Dance
    • Finis
  • Music & Dance
    • CD/Music Reviews

Inside My Dance Bag: Nashville Ballet’s Julia Eisen

September 12, 2017 by Rachel Hellwig

Julia Eisen in The Ben Folds Project. Photo by Heather Thorne, Taken at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

How many years have you been doing ballet?

I started ballet at age 4, so I’ve been dancing for 23 years now (10 of those years professionally).

What are some roles you’ve danced with Nashville Ballet?

I began dancing at Nashville Ballet in 2010. Since I’ve been here, I’ve danced Lady Fortune in Nashville Ballet Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling’s Carmina Burana and Dew Drop Fairy in Vasterling’s Nashville’s Nutcracker. A few of my other favorite roles have been in Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort and Christopher Bruce’s Moonshine and Sergeant Early’s Dream.

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

My favorite thing about ballet is the moments captured while you’re on stage. It’s like time has stopped and you’re completely in the moment. You’re sharing something special with the other dancers and the audience that will never be recreated exactly.

What’s in your dance bag?

I use a Lululemon dance bag. Here’s what’s in it:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: ballet bag, dance bag, dancer gear, Inside My Dance Bag, Julia Eisen, Nashville Ballet

Inside My Dance Bag: Sally Turkel of Ballet San Antonio

April 15, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

Sally Turkel. Photograph by Alexander Devora.
Sally Turkel. Photograph by Alexander Devora.

How many years have you been doing ballet?

I’ve been dancing for about 16 years.

What are some roles you’ve danced with Ballet San Antonio?

With Ballet San Antonio I have been very lucky to perform a wide variety of different roles and characters. Some of my favorites have been the title roles in Ben Stevenson’s Romeo & Juliet and Cinderella, as well as the role of Odette/Odile in his Swan Lake. I’ve also danced the lead in Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations. In February, I performed the role of Wendy in Peter Anastos’ Peter Pan. It was a very fun ballet with lots of silly moments…and, as Wendy, I got to fly!

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

One of my favorite things about ballet is that it is always changing, and, as a result, ballet is always changing me as a person. Everyday I come into the studio and discover something new about my technique or learn a new approach on tackling a particularly demanding step. As a performer, I’m constantly learning new ballets and choreography. With each new piece, I learn new ways to understand musicality and search for the intention behind the movement. Throughout the rehearsal process I find myself growing as an artist, an actress, a dancer, and as a human being. And then I get to share everything I’ve learned and experienced on stage with the world! I feel incredibly lucky to call myself a ballet dancer and feel very fortunate to always be growing as a person through this beautiful art form.

What’s in your dance bag?

Freed Maple Leaf Variation pointe shoes – I have about 6 pairs rotating at a time which I keep organized in a reusable wine bag (this way they are organized by pair and not mixing with my other dance wear), toe spacers and gauze which I use instead of toe tape (it doesn’t slip off when my feet get sweaty!), foot roller, dense rolling ball, thera band, back warming brace, Rubiawear leg warmers and socks that I’ve cut into ankle warmers, shorts, Eleve and Tulips by Tracy skirts, aqua socks (they keep my feet so warm!), multiple shades of chapstick/lipstick, water bottle, and, for snacks, I usually like to have bananas or apples, nuts, and protein powder (mix with water for a quick and easy snack when you don’t have a long break!).

Sally Turkel Dance Bag 1


Sally Turkel. Photograph by Alexander Devora.
Sally Turkel. Photograph by Alexander Devora.

Sally Turkel  began her ballet training at the Cary Ballet Conservatory, in her hometown of Cary, North Carolina.  At age 14, she was accepted into the residential high school’s ballet studies program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Upon graduation, Ms. Turkel performed with Houston Ballet, HBII, Carolina Ballet and Steifel and Stars.  In subsequent years she joined Colorado ballet, where she danced for five seasons, performing a wide range of both classical and contemporary roles.  A few of her favorites include the Serenity Fairy and Puss and Boots in Sleeping Beauty, Little Swans in Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Glen Tetley’s The Rite of Spring, Michael Pink’s Peter Pan and Dracula, Agnes DeMille’s Rodeo, Lynn Taylor Corbett’s Great Galloping Gottschalk, and Christopher Wheeldon’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In 2013 Ms. Turkel joined Ballet San Antonio and was promoted to Principal Dancer the following year. While with Ballet San Antonio, Ms. Turkel has danced the roles of Odette/Odile in Ben Stevenson’s Swan Lake, Mina in Gabriel Zertuche’s Dracula, Cinderella and Fairy God Mother in Stevenson’s Cinderella, the Sugarplum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and the female lead in Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations. In addition, she has worked with choreographers such as Stephen Mills, Twyla Tharp, Michael Pink, Emery LeCrone, and Stanton Welch.

In February 2015, Ms. Turkel danced the role of Juliet in Ben Stevenson’s Romeo & Juliet.

“Turkel maintains the character arc from impudent and reluctant girl to the grieving and horror stricken widow-too-young, with a richness of feeling that goes beyond her obvious prowess as a dancer.” [Tami Kegley, The Rivard Report].

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: ballet bag, Ballet San Antonio, ben stevenson, dance bag, Freed Maple Leaf Variation, Inside My Dance Bag, peter anastos, Sally Turkel

Inside My Dance Bag: Anwen David of Ballet Memphis

February 23, 2016 by Rachel Hellwig

Anwen David. Photograph by JORAM MONDIE.
Anwen David. Photograph by JORAM MONDIE.

How many years have you been doing ballet?

I have been doing ballet for 17 years. I took my first class when I was 5 years old.

What are some roles you’ve danced with Ballet Memphis?

This is my third season with Ballet Memphis. My favorite character role has been Clara in The Nutcracker. I have also enjoyed roles in Swan Lake, Peter Pan, Steven McMahon’s Confluence, Matthew Neenan’s The Darting Eyes, Gabrielle Lamb’s I am a woman: Moult, Mark Godden’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and others.

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

I love the process of becoming a character and sharing a piece of my soul with the audience through that character.

What’s in your dance bag?

Freed Wing Block pointe shoes, I am currently transitioning from a 3½ XX to a 4 XX to try to get a better fit. I like Maker A best. I keep several pairs of pointe shoes in my bag so I can rotate them and wear different pairs for different rehearsals. I also have a pair of flat shoes (Sansha size 5), toe pads, toe spacers, two kinds of toe tape, a sewing kit with needles, thread, scissors, toe nail clippers, Thera-band, trash bag shorts, two wrap skirts, a tin of hairpins, two balls for massaging, and a water bottle. I often bring my phone and sometimes headphones as well. Finally, I try to keep some nuts or fruit with me for energy during long rehearsals.

Dance Bag Anwen David 1

 

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: Anwen David, ballet bag, Ballet Memphis, dance bag, Freed Wing Block, Freed Wing Block Pointe Shoes, Gabrielle Lamb, Inside My Dance Bag, Mark Godden, matthew neenan, Steven McMahon

Inside My Dance Bag: Alabama Ballet’s Tricia Bianco

August 27, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Tricia Bianco. Photograph by Emily Orcutt Photography.
Tricia Bianco. Photograph by Emily Orcutt Photography.

How many years have you been doing ballet?

I began training when I was two and half, so I’ve been dancing almost nineteen years.

What are some roles you’ve danced with Alabama Ballet?

My favorite role with Alabama Ballet was the Cowgirl in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo. I also loved performing Lead Marzipan in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and as a Blue Girl in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs.

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

My favorite part about dancing is working hard and seeing the results. It’s so gratifying and there’s always something to work on and perfect even further. And there will always be another goal ahead of me to tackle. I also love the feeling when I’m onstage. We spend so much time in the studio for maybe three minutes on the stage, but when I’m up there I feel so alive.

What’s in your dance bag?

Bloch Heritage pointe shoes, jumper, cover-ups, leg warmers, Tiger Balm – a dancer’s best friend for achy muscles, sewing materials and new pointe shoes – to sew on breaks, Abigail Mentzer and Bulletpointe skirts, bobby pins, hair elastics, hairbrush, supportive athletic tape, and Kenesio Tape – I had a Deltiod sprain last season, so it supports my arches on long days, and, for snacks, I usually keep an apple and some seasoned almonds in my bag for sustainable energy, and, of course, H2O to keep hydrated!

Tricia-Bianco-Dance-Bag-1


 

Tricia Bianco. Photograph by Melissa Dooley Photography.
Tricia Bianco. Photograph by Melissa Dooley Photography.

Tricia Bianco began dancing when she was two and a half years old at Alabama Dance Academy under the direction of Pamela Merkel, Michael Vernon, Jamie Hinton, and Tammi Carr. She has received and accepted scholarships to summer programs with Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Alabama Ballet. In 2011, Tricia competed in Youth American Grand Prix and was Top Twelve in the Southeast region. Tricia was offered an apprenticeship when she was seventeen with the Alabama Ballet in 2012, and is excited to be returning for her fourth season and first year as a Company Member.

Since joining Alabama Ballet, her favorite roles have included Showgirl in Roger Van Fleteren’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Juliet’s Friend in Van Fleteren’s Romeo and Juliet, the title role in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo as Cowgirl, Lead Marzipan in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and Blue Girl in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs. She also teaches at Alabama Ballet, and is a teacher for the Ballet’s outreach program, City Dance. Tricia also teaches at Westwood Ballet. Tricia feels very blessed to be a member with the Alabama Ballet, and is looking forward to her first season as a company member.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: agnes de mille, Alabama Ballet, balanchine, ballet bag, Bloch Heritage, dance bag, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Inside My Dance Bag, Les Patineurs, Rodeo, Sir Frederick Ashton, Tricia Bianco

Inside My Dance Bag: Miami City Ballet’s Samantha Hope Galler

August 18, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Samantha Hope Galler as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Miami City Ballet’s "George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker". Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.
Samantha Hope Galler as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Miami City Ballet’s “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker”. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.

How many years have you been doing ballet? 

I began ballet at the age of five, so twenty years now. 

What are some roles you’ve danced with Miami City Ballet?

I joined Miami City Ballet in 2014. Since then, I have performed roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and as the Harp Soloist in Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations.

What’s your favorite thing about ballet?

Being completely swallowed by light on stage.

What’s inside your dance bag?

I usually have about 6-7 pairs of Capezio Arias to rotate, gel toe pads, second skin, toe spacers, Sansha ballet slippers, two rollers, stretching stick, headphones, iPad, grey theraband, shoe scraper, fashionable duct tape, band-aids, Oragel, scissors, towel, hand cream, alcohol wipes to clean my feet at the end of the day, alcohol spray for pointe shoes, extra rosin, perfume, garbage bag pants, purity face wash, wine holder for my pointe shoes, Salonpas deep relief roll on, pliers, sewing kit, red stretch strap, and, for snacks, I always have Gu Brew and Quest bars to get me through my day if needed, plus tic tacs or mints.

Samantha Hope Galler Dance Bag Contents 1


 

Samantha Hope Galler. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.
Samantha Hope Galler. Photograph by Daniel Azoulay.

Samantha Hope Galler, a Bedford, Massachusetts native, spent 13 years training with The Ballet Academy, Inc., under the direction of Frances Kotelly in the Cecchetti Method. She performed six seasons with The Northeast Youth Ballet under the direction of Denise Cecere. She continued training, on scholarship, with Boston Ballet School and received the PAO Merit Trainee Scholarship. She received the NFAA Honorable Mention Award in Ballet. Galler spent summers training at Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Boston Conservatory. She danced with Cincinnati Ballet in their 2008-2009 season under the direction of Victoria Morgan.

Samantha spent five seasons with Alabama Ballet under the direction of Tracey Alvey and Roger Van Fleteren. During her tenure there, she was promoted to principal dancer. She had the honor of performing some of her dream roles including Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, The Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, The Sylph and Effie in La Sylphide, Myrtha and Moyna in Giselle, Dryad Queen and Mercedes in Don Quixote, and the Rancher’s Daughter in Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo. Her Balanchine roles included Dark Angel in Serenade; The Sugarplum Fairy, Arabian and Lead Marzipan in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker™; and the principal roles in Allegro Brillante and Tarantella. She has also performed in Jiří Kylian’s Sechs Tanze, and Van Fleteren’s Shostakovich and Romancing Rachmaninov, both world premieres. Samantha joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2014.

Follow Samantha on her website and blog.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Dance Clothing & Shoes Tagged With: balanchine, ballet bag, Capezio Arias, dance bag, george balanchine, Inside My Dance Bag, MCB, Miami City Ballet, nutcracker, Raymonda Variations, Samantha Hope Galler, sansha, The Sugar Plum Fairy

Dance Artwork

Get Your Dance Career Info Here!

Dance ebook cover

Podcast

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

This site sometimes features advertising, affiliate marketing, or affiliate links, such as Amazon Associate links and others. When you click on these links, we get a small sum that helps to support the website operations. Thank you! There’s more detailed information on ads and our disclosure policy under the About tab in our navigation at the top of the site. We clearly mark any and all posts that contain these features.

Copyright Notice

Please note that all of the content on 4dancers.org is copyrighted. Do not copy, utilize, or distribute without express permission. We take cases of infringement seriously. All rights reserved ©2022.

Copyright © 2025 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in