I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. At a very young age, I studied all types of dance and some ballet. When I was nine years old, I auditioned for School of American Ballet (SAB), but was unfortunately not accepted. However, after studying ballet for a year, I reapplied and was accepted. My sister, who is twelve years older, was very important throughout the process of me becoming professional dancer. For eight years, I studied at SAB and attended various other programs. At 13 years old, I commuted by subway to go to classes outside of SAB. For example, I attended USDAN, a summer intensive on Long Island, and theSPAC summer intensive in Saratoga. I studied with various other teachers outside of SAB, who had lots to offer. I finished high school and began to dance full time. Being a professional dancer was a very demanding career.
Every dancer in the New York City Ballet company had their own rituals and routine. Before the performance, the corps dancers rehearsed all day. Two hours before the performance, I changed into my warm ups, put on and prepared my point shoes, and stretched. Later, I applied my stage makeup. At the beginning of my career with New York City, a makeup artist was available to help with makeup backstage. My standard makeup consisted of pancake (foundation), powder, blush, eyelashes, and lipstick. Depending on which ballet, I did my own barre, and prepared myself for the performance by listening to the music and going over choreography. After, I would put on my costume in the costume department. Lastly, I would go behind the curtain and get my heart rate up by jumping, turning, and going over the choreography for the last time before heading on stage.
My favorite ballets were; Serenade (George Balanchine Choreographed for SAB), Symphony C (classical ballet), and The Concert (Jerome Robbins), which I thought was very fun to dance.