Age: 16
Hometown: Titusville, FL
Favorite Brands: Suffolk, Eleve, and Luckyleo
Dream Roles: I would love to dance Aurora, Odette/Odile, Giselle, and I also love doing contemporary/neoclassical pieces.
Where do you dance?
I am currently a trainee with the Orlando Ballet.
How did you first get interested in ballet?
Almost all of my siblings danced at some point, so I was put into dance as well. I didn’t really like ballet at all at first. I mostly did jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and other styles. I didn’t seriously start doing or liking ballet until I was about 12 years old.
What is your favorite combination to do at the barre?
I like one of my teachers ron de jambe combinations:
It always starts with some type of fondu, into 4 ron de jambes and then a grand ron de jambe en lair. We do this on flat normal and reversed right and left and then on releve normal and reversed right and left, and then we do port de bras stretches into a balance on each side.
What pointe shoes do you wear and why?
I wear Suffolk Stellar pointe shoes. I have worn these basically ever since I started dancing on pointe. My feet are just so used to them, and I love them so it’s hard for me to wear any other shoe now. They also do not die very quickly for me - which is a great plus!
How do you prep your pointe shoes?
I sew my loop elastics first on each shoe, and then I sew one loop ribbon on each shoe this way you do not have to tie your ribbons and don’t have to risk them ever falling out in class or during a performance.
After they are all sewn, I step on the box to squish them a little and then I bend the shank just a little bit to make them more pliable and formed to my foot shape. I also scrape the bottoms with a shoe scraper to prevent slipping - especially when they’re new.
What does a typical morning look like for you?
I wake up and get some coffee, put my hair in a bun, get dressed, and leave for dance.
What are a few of your favorite healthy snacks?
I love Larabars, RX bars, bananas, apples, carrots and hummus, and yogurt and granola.
What is something you struggle with as a dancer?
I think self confidence is a very hard thing.
There will always be people who bring you down, but there will also be plenty that build you up. Your self confidence may be altered by the people around you, but in the end it’s how you view yourself from the inside that portrays to the outside for everyone to see.
We all strive for perfection which makes it harder to be confident in ourselves when we feel we are nowhere close to where we want to be, but having self confidence is the first step to believing in yourself following by others believing in you.
How do you stay positive as a dancer?
Whenever I feel down I try to look back at how far I have come. I picture myself 3 years ago trying to do what I’m doing now. I always think about why I started to dance and why I love to dance, and look back at some of my greatest accomplishments and strive for more of those great moments.
I try to avoid thinking about whether or not certain people like me or not because dance is for yourself and the people who paid to watch you bring art into their life.
Did you enjoy using Pointe Paint?
Yes, it was so easy and convenient and no mess at all! The colors are great too!
How do you #FeelGoodDanceBetter?
I love playing with my dog, baking and cooking, hanging out with my closest friends and family, and watching good Netflix shows.
What is something not many people know about you?
I love to organize things - anything and everything.
