As difficult as it is to plan for a trip to a new city, there’s a whole additional set of details for a dancer on tour to worry about. What should I pack in my carry-on? Will there be someplace open for dinner once the show’s over? What if the stage is raked? But dancers can become adept at pretty much anything—from conquering jet lag to learning the necessary foreign-language phrases. Five dancers gave us a peek inside their touring lives.
STERLING HYLTIN
Company: New York City Ballet
Rank: Principal
Favorite theaters: “It’s a tie between the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg and the Tivoli Concert Hall in Copenhagen. There’s such history in the Mariinsky, and in Tivoli, there’s a roller coaster next to our dressing room that flies by every few minutes!”
Antidote for jet lag: Melatonin. “It’s my secret weapon. I take a pill right before bed to help me sleep through the whole first night.”
Suitcase must-have: A neck fulcrum. “It looks sort of like a pillow. I lay on my back with it for 15 minutes and it aligns my neck, which can go out very easily, especially when I’m on a flight and sleeping in a horrible position.”
Staying in touch: “I use the Viber app on my iPhone. It’s basically an internet telephone, so as long as you have Wi-Fi, you can use it to make calls or send texts.”
PASCAL MOLAT
Company: San Francisco Ballet
Rank: Principal
Go-to travel snack: ThinkThin energy bars from Trader Joe’s, which he munches on if he’s stuck in a theater all day and can’t grab a real meal. His favorite flavor is peanut butter. “I usually bring a dozen with me!”
Best audience reaction: “When I was training as a teenager with the Paris Opéra Ballet, we toured to Tokyo and the people there went crazy for us. We must have had 20 cars of people following our tour bus. We all felt as if we were Michael Jackson.”
On having a roomie: “At SFB, whoever wants a single room puts his or her name in, and then we draw to see who gets one. I prefer to be alone, but we’re all good friends. If I do room with somebody, I try not to choose anyone very young—because they are very ready to party!”
Staying in touch: Molat, who has a wife and 3-year-old son, is a huge fan of Skype. “Depending on where we are in the world, I use it to wish my family good morning or good night.”
TRICIA ALBERTSON
Company: Miami City Ballet
Rank: Principal
Best audience reaction: Paris, in the summer of 2011. “We did 17 performances, and every one had standing ovations—for every ballet.”
Essential carry-ons: Thinksound headphones (eco- and acoustic-friendly) and a feather pillow.
Best hotel amenity: A refrigerator. “Late-night dining options are often just a Denny’s, so I like to have my own food.”
Worst disaster story: “When traveling to Cedar Rapids, we had a layover, and several of us decided to hang out away from our crowded gate. We didn’t keep an eye on the time, and the plane ended up closing the doors before we could board. We had to rent a minivan—I was the only one old enough to drive a rental car—and drive six hours to the hotel!”
RACHEL FOSTER
Company: Pacific Northwest Ballet
Rank: Principal
Theater pick: The Joyce in New York. “I like its small, intimate feeling.”
Overcoming travel troubles: “I need to have my compression socks so my feet don’t swell. And when I get to the hotel, I have to take a bath. I’m a bath-taker.”
Go-to travel snacks: Carrots, raw almonds and fruit-and-nut trail mix.
Essential carry-ons: All of the dancewear necessary for the shows—shoes, tights, a leotard and warm-ups. “Just in case my luggage doesn’t make it.”
BENJAMIN BEHRENDS
Company: Trey McIntyre Project
Harshest performing conditions: “I have a really hard time adjusting to higher altitudes, and when we performed in Vail, Colorado, we were dancing on an outdoor stage. It was beautiful, but they had to have oxygen tanks waiting for us offstage. We would run off, throw ourselves on the ground and someone would put an oxygen mask over our mouths.”
Essential carry-on: A long, thick scarf. “It can be used as a blanket, a pillow, or a divider between you and the person who has his arm on your chair.”
First foreign phrase to memorize: “I always try to learn how to count, since it comes in handy when asking for prices and when we teach master classes.”
Favorite souvenir: A helmet from Vietnam. “They’re all motorcyclists there, and everybody wears a certain kind of helmet. So we went to a vendor, and a bunch of us got one to use with our bicycles back home. But then one of our translators explained that it’s not actually for protection—it’s just a fashion statement!”
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Jan 20, 2021
Courtesy ABC
Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Alicia Mae Holloway Talks About Her Time on ABC's “The Bachelor”
Bunheads tuning in to the season premiere of ABC's "The Bachelor" on January 4 may have recognized a familiar face: Dance Theatre of Harlem's Alicia Mae Holloway, literally bourréeing out of a limousine to greet bachelor Matt James. While Holloway unfortunately didn't get a rose that night, she did thoroughly enjoy being the long-running reality franchise's first professional-ballerina contestant, as she told Pointe in a recent Zoom call.
<p><strong>Have you always been a fan of "The Bachelor"?</strong></p><p>My friends would watch it back when I was a student at the School of American Ballet. I watched one episode and was like, "What is this?! Why would people do this?!" A few years later, I started Colton Underwood's season because I was feeling really left out in my group chats. I binged the whole season and became obsessed.</p><p><strong>How did you get cast?</strong></p><p>One of my best friends (Jacqueline Bologna, of New York City Ballet) told me to apply. I wasn't sure but filled out the online application anyway—and promptly forgot about it. One day, I got a random call from L.A. The voicemail said, "Hey Alicia, this is so-and-so from ABC's 'The Bachelor,' and we're really interested in you." It all happened from there!<strong></strong></p><p><strong>During the audition process, did you emphasize your career and identity as a ballerina?</strong></p><p>Absolutely.</p>
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Alicia Mae Holloway
Renee Choi, Courtesy Holloway
<p><strong>Did you have any misgivings about going on the show, like whether the ballet world would view you differently?</strong></p><p>That was at the forefront of my mind throughout this whole process. I'd read articles about people who lost their jobs and couldn't find another one after coming off the show. That was my main concern, because my career has always been first and is always going to be first. But I felt in my heart that this was something I really wanted to do. I decided that if people don't want to work with me because I did something I wanted to do, that's on them and they're missing out on me.<strong></strong></p><p><strong>Were you concerned about taking time off from Dance Theatre of Harlem?</strong></p><p>At DTH we tour 16 to 18 weeks out of the year. Obviously, we can't do that now due to COVID-19, so we've been doing virtual classes and workshops. The company got to go to Kaatsbaan in the fall, which looked amazing—I obviously was not there. Basically, I realized that now was the time to go on "The Bachelor" if I was ever going to do it. We just got back to work in the studio last week, so I think the timing all happened perfectly.</p>
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<p><strong>Did you feel any kind of pressure to represent ballerinas—and ballerinas of color—on national television?</strong></p><p>Arthur Mitchell, who founded DTH, said something once that stuck with me: "Cinderella doesn't walk into the ball. She arrives." What that says to me is, you have to present yourself in the best way possible all the time. You always have to be the best version of yourself and present yourself with the most class and integrity. I do want to be a role model and uphold my reputation, because I never had a professional ballerina who looked like me to look up to when I was young.</p><p><strong>How did you plan to keep up your technique and stamina while on the show?</strong></p><p>Before I left, I made a promise to myself and to my boss that I'd give myself daily ballet class. I wrote down at-home workouts and my favorite pointe exercises, and I brought two pairs of pointe shoes: one newer and a more dead pair for building my strength with.</p>
<p><strong>You got a lot of screen time in the premiere episode (watch it <a href="https://abc.com/shows/the-bachelor/episode-guide/season-25/01-week-1" target="_blank">here</a>), prepping your pointe shoes and dancing around the resort.</strong></p><p>Yeah, I was shocked by how much they ended up showing! I just wanted to showcase my real daily life as a dancer.</p><p><strong>Did you pre-choreograph that (amazing) exit from the limo?</strong></p><p>It literally came to me in the moment. At first I thought I might do a grand jeté, but immediately realized the dress was not made for it!</p><p><strong>How did the other women react when they learned you're a ballet dancer?</strong></p><p>Honestly, they were so kind. Everybody went, "Oh, my gosh, I've never met a real-life ballerina!" There weren't any ignorant or awkward questions. It was validating to get such a positive response.</p>
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<p><strong>Understandably, there were a few tears in your interview after the rose ceremony. What was going through your mind when you realized your "Bachelor" journey was over?</strong></p><p>There were a lot of emotions. To viewers, the night seems short, but it is <em>long</em>—and I'm an emotional person. What got me through was reminding myself that everything happens for a reason. I was very upset that I didn't get to speak to Matt because we have things in common. He went to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, I went to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. He lives in New York, I live in New York. He has a white mom and a Black dad, I have a white mom and a Black dad. I was obviously sad when I left, but I do feel like Mrs. James could be in that amazing, intelligent, badass group of women. I left feeling that Matt was in good hands.</p><p><strong>Has the show changed your life at all?</strong></p><p>My Instagram following went up, and I've gotten more offers to do photo shoots and stuff like that. I shot my first music video in December. The reaction from the dance world has honestly been nothing but great. I really thought people would throw shade, but everybody has been so supportive. I've gotten a lot of messages from people who were mad I was voted off. <em>[Laughs]</em></p><p><strong>What have you been up to since the show?</strong></p><p>Life has been great overall, though I didn't get to work with DTH from the end of September until January 4. I was a little bored at first, in part because I couldn't go on social media in case people figured out I got eliminated. So I kept myself busy and created routines, because I thrive when I have a set schedule. I taught at SAB for a week back in the fall, and I taught a lot in Pennsylvania and in West Virginia, where I'm from. I'm now back in New York and ready to return to the studio with DTH.</p><p><strong>What advice do you have for other ballet dancers who are presented with an opportunity like this?</strong></p><p>If your gut is telling you to do it, go for it. Life is short! If you can make it work while keeping your dance career your number-one priority, then I would highly recommend going for an unconventional, once-in-a-lifetime chance.</p>
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Jan 21, 2021
#TBT: Carla Fracci and Stephen Jefferies in "La Esmeralda" (1987)
Carla Fracci, a former principal dancer of La Scala Ballet in Milan, is among the rare class of ballerinas who continued to perform into her 50s and beyond. Romantic ballets were her calling card throughout her career. In 1987, when Fracci was 51, she was featured in a television special, dancing reconstructed 19th-century ballets in the style of historical ballerinas. In this clip of La Esmeralda from the program, Fracci and her partner Robert Jefferies, a former principal at The Royal Ballet, deliver an extraordinary performance, capturing the verve and spirit of their characters.
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<p>The set is magnificently detailed with a soaring backdrop of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. There is also—somewhat comically—a live goat onstage, as there were in many early performances of <em>La Esmeralda. </em>In Esmeralda's variation, the choreography differs from the version often seen in competitions today and is based on Marius Petipa's revival of the ballet for the Russian ballerina <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathilde_Kschessinska" target="_blank">Mathilde Kschessinska</a>. Fracci emphasizes its intricate footwork and musicality; her mastery is evident in the gorgeous control and precise accents of her ballonés en pointe (0:40). Jefferies, as Phoebus, dances with a confident, relaxed air in brilliant petit allégro. In the final diagonal of his variation and in the coda, he demonstrates incredible dynamism in his pirouettes, with slow, suspended turns, as well as tight, fast ones. In the more lyrical sections, the pair dance fluidly in unison, and Fracci's delicate tambourine work makes the prop seem like an extension of her body. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!</p>
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Jan 20, 2021
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Ask Amy: How Can I Make the Most of Performance Opportunities in a Pandemic?
My school is connected to a professional company that operates on a show-to-show basis. Students can audition for company performances when they're 15. My 15th birthday is in February, and I think that our directors are choosing people to participate in virtual performances based off of whether they have performed with the company before. This was supposed to be my big first year with the company, but COVID-19 has changed that. How do I make it known that I want to participate? Do you think I should wait until things are more normal? —Lila
<p>There's no question that the coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to make adjustments to their seasons and rosters. But even if your local company is only working with dancers who've performed with them before for their upcoming show, there's no harm in letting them know that you'd love to be considered. You'll be within the age requirements, plus you attend the affiliated school and have a history with the organization. Why not see if it's a possibility?</p><p>Since you are still a student, I would first speak with your teachers. Remind them that you'll be turning 15 and eligible for the company's spring performance. They can best direct you on how to convey your interest to the artistic staff, since they understand the culture and structure of the organization. For instance, they may prefer to speak to artistic staff on your behalf, or they might suggest that you email the company manager (the person who typically filters audition applications for the director). Or, they may tell you to contact a member of the company's artistic staff. An email is probably best if you don't work with the director or ballet masters frequently, but this is a better question for your teachers.</p>
<p>Once you have established what the proper channels are, think about what you want to say. Keep it honest and professional: that you've grown up dancing at the school and watching the company and would love to audition for the spring virtual performance. If you know anything about the choreographer or the work that is being performed, say what you admire about it. Acknowledge that spots might be limited because of COVID-19, and that you would be willing to be an understudy. (Understudying is an important stepping-stone: You can learn so much from being in rehearsals with the company, even virtually, and being prepared to go in for someone will make a strong impression.) You may also want to include a video link of your dancing if the director isn't familiar with it. They may or may not offer you a position, but they'll at least know how you feel and that you're serious enough to make it known.</p>
<p>And if it doesn't work out this year? Take heart—you are still young, and there will be more opportunities once the pandemic passes. If you have ambitions to dance professionally, this will be good practice for preparing cover letters for company auditions in the future.</p><p><em></em><em>Have a question? Send it to </em>Pointe<em> editor and former dancer Amy Brandt at <a href="mailto:askamy@dancemedia.com" target="_blank">askamy@dancemedia.com</a>.</em></p>
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