Why Reed Tankersley Loves Freelancing and Living in New York City
When Reed Tankersley was honored as one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2017, he was a recent graduate from The Juilliard School who had been traveling the country as part of Twyla Tharp’s 50th Anniversary Tour. Since then, Tankersley’s career has continued to bloom, landing him in the studio with Tharp for a slew of additional projects (like the troupe’s 2022 run at New York City Center), as well as the lead role in Cirque du Soleil’s Volta in 2019. He’ll kick off 2025 with Tharp once more, dancing in the company’s 60th-anniversary tour.
Tankersley is a lush and commanding mover, with an almost preternaturally calm onstage presence—he is easy to trust, even in the most demanding roles. In fact, he relishes the challenge. “When you’re performing something like In the Upper Room, you have to create a whole routine of how you handle yourself throughout. You have to be able to stay in a good headspace, even when you realize you still have 20 nonstop minutes left,” Tankersley says.
New Beginnings
“One of my favorite things about being a freelance dancer is that every job introduces me to a new group of colleagues and a new environment. I try to approach each job with an open, willing, and optimistic mindset. Over the years, I’ve realized how unique and lucky freelancers are in that regard.”
Big Apple Benefits
“I love the accessibility of New York City. I love going to concerts, exploring the culture of the city. Everything is so available, and while I love dance, obviously, I also love a lot of other things—living in the city lets me have more balance in my life, which also helps my dancing.”
IRL Energy
“I think live performance is so important because so much of life is done virtually these days. People spend so much time on their phone that it’s easy to forget what it’s like to experience someone’s actual energy, right in front of you. You really feel something. It’s really moving—and also just really cool.”
