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Ballet Myth Busters

Ballet Myth Busters

Episode 4: Hobbies

In the last episode of Ballet Myth Busters, we were all about food. In this episode, we’re all about the other kind of fuel that dancers need: fuel for their inner artist. Do ballet dancers really just eat and sleep ballet 24/7? What do they do to relax and recharge?

MYTH: Ballet dancers only dance.

FALSE. “Having a life and downtime away from ballet is super important—both physically and mentally,” says SF Ballet Corps de Ballet member Joshua Jack Price. To perform all the steps and bring to life all the passion, sorrow, and joy of a ballet, dancers look for outside hobbies to refuel as an artist. “When I’m not running, swimming, taking class, rehearsing, or sleeping, you’ll usually find me trying something new in the kitchen or playing one of my various gaming consoles,” says Price. “Last year, I built myself a computer: complete with color-changing interior and all the latest tech. But I also love taking spontaneous trips to places around San Francisco that I have never been to before—places like Angel Island where you can really get a bird’s eye view of the Bay are super inspiring.”

Many SF Ballet dancers are also artists in more ways than one, participating in fashion campaigns, writing screenplays, and shooting amazing photographs during their time outside the studio. Some dancers, such as Principal Dancer Tiit Helimets and Soloist Julia Rowe, have taken online classes through the LEAP Program at St. Mary’s College of California to earn their BA in Dance (Helimets has gone on to undertake a masters in 3D animation; he graduates in May).

Created by Principal Dancer Tiit Helimets

And others have taken time off to travel, get married, and start families. Varied life experiences make dancers the artists they are when they go into the rehearsal studios each day.

Here are some hobbies that Corps de Ballet member Gabriela Gonzalez is doing during shelter in place:

Created by Corps de Ballet member Gabriela Gonzalez
(Find her on Instagram: @gabri_go)

 

Check out previous episodes of Ballet Myth Busters

Header Image: Elizabeth Powell and Kimberly Marie Olivier getting read for company class during tour in London // © Erik Tomasson