What Your Favorite Dancers Eat for “The Most Important” Meal of the Day

Every dancer knows that how you fuel your body affects how you feel in the studio. Of course, while breakfast is no more magical than any other meal (despite the enduring myth that it’s the most important one of the day), showing up to class hangry is a recipe for unproductive studio time.

So what do your favorite dancers eat in the morning to set themselves up for a busy rehearsal or performance day?

Hubbard Street’s Kevin J. Shannon and Craig D. Black Jr.

The Chicago couple
starts their day either with an egg and cheese on an English muffin, or whole-grain cereal plus a smoothie, sometimes packed with veggies from their backyard garden. “Craig puts kale in without telling me!” says Shannon.

The Royal Ballet’s Beatriz Stix-Brunell

Though she’s originally from New York, Beatriz Stix-Brunell has adopted a very British diet since moving to London. On her way to the opera house in the morning, she’ll stop off at a coffee shop for two bags of chai tea in steaming soy milk and a large bowl of porridge.

Pilobolus dancer Quincy Ellis

To prepare for intense days of lifting dancers in shape-shifting formations, Quincy Ellis likes to start his day with an unusual breakfast choice: Chicken. “I like to have chicken in the morning to get protein early in the day,” he explains. After a light morning workout, his breakfast often looks more like your typical lunch or dinner: In addition to chicken, he might have black beans with onion and garlic, and roasted broccoli, plus an apple, coffee and water. And probably some eggs, too.

Taylor Swift dancer Stephanie Mincone

When she’s on the road during a Taylor Swift tour, Stephanie Mincone, a pescatarian, makes sure to give herself enough energy so that she never feels sluggish onstage. Breakfast might be avocado toast, scrambled eggs or dairy-free yogurt with granola and berries.

Broadway dancer Kamille Upshaw

For Kamille Upshaw, nutrition and satisfaction go hand in hand. At home, she likes waking up to a bowl of oatmeal with raspberries and blueberries, sweetened with agave. She’ll also have two scrambled eggs and bacon to make sure she gets enough protein. (Her fridge is always stocked with eggs for breakfast or a hard-boiled snack anytime.)

Trisha Brown Dance Company’s Leah Ives

Leah Ives
, a member of the Trisha Brown Dance Company, eats a lot of eggs—it’s her go-to form of fuel. “I look for eggs that are omega-enhanced, cage-free and from a small farm, preferably,” she says. Her favorite dish to use them in? Strata. Here’s her recipe:

Ingredients

• 12 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• basil and other herbs (to taste)
• dried-out bread, torn in pieces (enough to line the bottom of the pan)
• precooked chicken breast, torn in pieces
• feta cheese, in chunks
• cherry tomatoes, halved
• spinach, sautéed

Directions

1. Spray the bottom of a 9“x13“ baking dish with cooking spray, then line the bottom with the bread.
2. In a separate container, beat the eggs and milk, adding salt, pepper, basil and other herbs (or Dijon mustard) to your liking.
3. Evenly place the feta, tomatoes, spinach and chicken on top of the bread.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the fillings and bread. Some pieces might float up—push them down.
5. Cover with Saran wrap and leave in the fridge overnight.
6. In the morning, bake at 350° F for 45 minutes or until set.

Mark Morris Dance Group’s Lauren Grant

Show days start in the kitchen for Lauren Grant. Specifically, with steel-cut oats to give her sustained energy all morning long. “The night before, I’ll boil the oats, then turn the heat off and let everything steep overnight,” she says. “In the morning, I’ll reheat them and add coconut oil, bananas, cinnamon and high-quality cultured butter or grass-fed whole milk.”

Pacific Northwest Ballet star Noelani Pantastico

Longtime principal Noelani Pantastico needs to eat breakfast every single day. “Or else by class I feel loopy,” she says. She loves having fruit like bananas, mangoes and Hawaiian papayas, if she can find them. She also typically works in something starchy, like toast or oatmeal. Other times she’ll go on a yogurt or smoothie kick. “I just listen to what my body wants.”