Curtain Up

By Wendy Perron

June is busting out all over—especially when Sara Mearns is in the mix. With her daring, luxurious dancing, Mearns is an audience favorite. And springtime in New York is heaven for ballet goers, with both New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre performing diagonally across from each other at Lincoln Center Plaza. It’s a time to indulge in the pleasures of watching your favorite ballerinas. Like the dynamic Sara Mearns. She is built for both strength and fluidity, and she dazzles in a wide range of roles. So…what’s her problem? Overdoing it. Read Astrida Woods’ cover story to find out how she gives her all, how she reins herself in (when necessary), and how she handles stress.

We all know that dance doesn’t come easy—either the opportunities or the abilities. So we organize our lives around our passion, and that entails saying no to certain things that our non-dancing friends routinely enjoy. Other people may call this sacrifice, but for us it’s just having a sense of purpose. However, it’s hard to give up things we regard as essential, whether it’s family time or owning a car in a highway-based city. In “Gotta Dance,” Nancy Wozny talks to five dancers who are (finally) OK with what they’ve given up to get where they are.

I’ve often thought that dancers appreciate other dancers more than anyone else. Sure, the audience cheers and the critics rave (at least sometimes), but as dancers we live and work with each other day in, day out. There’s a special kind of intimacy you gain from just being together in a studio. And if you have a visual streak, you can express that intimacy, that appreciation, as photography. Check out our photo essay “Through a Dancer’s Lens” to see a sampling of the talent that dancers possess behind the camera—including top dancers like Wendy Whelan, Janie Taylor, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

I’ve just discovered Gyrokinesis, the dance form that’s based on circular patterns of movement. My body loves it! Ohhhh, I wish I’d known about it back when I was dancing—it might have staved off the back spasms that plagued me for decades. The Gyrokinesis teachers I’ve had, at both Steps on Broadway and Dance New Amsterdam, have been warm, articulate, helpful, and full of pleasure. This month, “Your Body” explains why this somatic practice is both strengthening and revitalizing.