Stairway For Ballet

Daphne Lee, a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, began her dance training at the Rahway Dance Theatre. Daphne has done community work through out the country via masterclasses and career readiness talks to the youth. She has assisted in raising over $5,000 in scholarship money in partnership with Brown Girls Do Ballet. She was a member of Ailey II, Lustig Dance Theatre, Zest Collective, Oakland Ballet Company,and dance artist for UK artist Sydney Jo Jackson, and Collage Dance Collective, and she will continue her mission to inspire the youth through art. She was also the Miss Black USA in 2017.

In this episode, we talk about  how perfectionism is also a growing epidemic in the dance world. Unfortunately, the lack of help from the dance industry for dancers has led to dancers to be be influenced by depression, anxiety, anorexia, bulimia and even suicide. We consider why dancers are generally perfectionists in the first place. We also discuss the ways to fight back the idea of perfectionism and develop productive coping skills– the only way to grow as an healthy artist is to accept your flaws and mistakes and learn from them rather than beating yourself up for it.

In this episode, we talk about something that is rarely talked about in the dance world: LGBTQ+ and Non-Binary Inclusion in Dance. We explore how most ballet techniques and movements segregate itself into gender based categories. In addition, we discuss #BoysDanceToo (including how this was focused on hypermasculinity) and various examples of LGBTQ+ and Non-Binary dancers . Finally, we also discuss ways to make dance studios more Inclusive for LGBTQ+ and Non-Binary Dancers. 

Special Feature!

Samantha Parr is a 17-year-old ballet dancer from San Francisco, California. She has danced since she was 3 years old, and has attended summer intensives at Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet West. In addition to ballet, Samantha loves to samba dance, run, and create Pinterest boards of just about everything! Samantha plans on attending a four-year university after high school and hopes to join a dance program to continue her passion.

In this episode, Samantha talks about what inspired her to start Dancer For Dancer, what she thinks about dancing unprofessional lyrics, and songs she would put in her playlist for life.

In this episode, we talk about body image roles and issues in the dance world. We discuss how one of greatest artistic demands in dance is physical shape, contributing to the desire of a thinner body and the continuous self-dissatisfaction state because of the standard of the supposed “perfect body.” We also examine ways to build a better body image and self-confidence and the importance of loving your body.  We also point out that loving your body is easier said than done, but it is definitely possible and achievable. 

In this episode, we talk about the traditional gender roles and stereotypes in ballet. We explore stereotypes limit dancers to express themselves both physically and emotionally, especially the stereotype that women are dependent and men must always be strong and are never allowed to show emotion, both of which are no longer supported by modern society.

Tanvi Mavuri is a 15 year old student at the Canadian International School of Bangalore and she attends the Lewis Foundation of Classical Ballet. She shares a huge passion for ballet and it's been a part of her life ever since she was little for the past 12 years. When she leaves for university, she hopes to continue she studies in the medical field and she aspires to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

In this episode, Tanvi talks about what it felt like to get the lead role for a production, how she craves going back on stage right after she dances off-stage, and the weirdest food combination that she likes.

Abi is 16 years old and has danced for about 11 years. She is currently a junior at Lake Orion High School and attends Valentina’s school of ballet. In her free time, she loves to hangout with her dog and family, especially her sister. Her sister, Elizabeth, is also a dancer and attends Butler University. Abi would love to make a career out of ballet, but also shares a love for science. 

In the episode, Abi talks about what ballet classes gives her, her stage fright, and what she will call her autobiography and movie.

Nyla is 15 years old; she has danced for 11 years and recently started to focus more on ballet at Valentina’s School of Ballet. In her free time, she does school work and loves to hang out with her friends and her dog. When she is older, she aspires to work in the Physiology field or be a Cardiothoracic surgeon. Norah also loves to dance. She spends most of her time either working on online school or at dance- education is one of her top priorities along with dancing and her family. She is not quite sure what she wants to pursue when she becomes older, but she would like to be both a lawyer and a dancer, and she is sure that she will eventually have to pick one to focus on. 

In this episode, Nyla and Norah both talks about their experiences of discrimination in dance studios,what their favorite part of dance is, and whether they will travel to the past or the future that entails an unexpected reason.

Katie is a 15 year old student from Rochester, Michigan. For as long as she can remember, she has studied classical ballet and piano. While the work can often seem tedious, she has found that the performance at the end is always worth it. In the episode, Katie talks about how she started ballet, what she saw in competitions and summer programs and the one thing she would eat for the rest of her life.