Three ballerinas have opened up about how they manage to remain confident about their bodies despite daily criticism and their perpetual efforts to get even better at their art.
Isabella Boylston, 31, is a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She explained that she uses criticism as a way to improve, and prefers to focus on constructive remarks.
‘Every time I go onstage, I get critiqued,’ she told Elle in a new video. ‘But criticism is necessary. It actually drives you to become better and to perfect your technique and your artistry.
Speaking out: Isabella Boylston, 31, is a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She is one of three ballerinas who have opened up about body confidence in a new clip
Message: Alison Stroming, 24, a dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, urged others to focus on themselves because someone else will always be better
Past: Sara Mearns, 31, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, looked back on a back injury dating back to 2012, which could have ended her career
‘I try to focus on what’s constructive and use that to make myself better.’
In addition to using criticism to her advantage, Boylston explained that self-acceptance plays an important part in preserving her self-confidence.
‘You can’t please everyone, so don’t even try. Trust your instincts and be true to your own vision,’ she added.
Alison Stroming, 24, a dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, expressed similar feelings, and pointed out that it is helpful to focus on her own skills rather than comparing herself to others.
‘There will always be someone with better legs or a higher jump or prettier feet, and you just have to focus on yourself,’ she said.
Wise: Stroming pointed out that it is helpful to focus on her own skills rather than comparing herself to others
Philosophy: In addition to using criticism to her advantage, Boylston explained that self-acceptance plays an important part in preserving her self-confidence
Thankful: Now that she is able to dance again, Mearns has found renewed gratitude for her body and for her art
The ballerina, who was adopted from Recife, Brazil when she was four months old, also opened up about performing in mainly white ballet ensembles.
‘I always sort of felt a little bit of an outsider,’ she said. ‘I was usually the only dancer of color in my class.’
Meanwhile, Sara Mearns, 31, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, looked back on a back injury dating back to 2012, which forced her to take an eight-month break and could have ended her career.
Now that she is able to dance again, Mearns has found renewed gratitude for her body and for her art.
‘Ballet is my oxygen and it’s the only thing I know. What keeps me going now is just the fact that I can go onstage and perform, because there was a time where I didn’t think that was ever going to happen again,’ she said.
This state of mind helps her to keep going even on days when she finds it difficult to go practice.
‘When I wake up in the morning and I say I just don’t know if I can’t do it, I go back and remember the days where I woke up and I couldn’t dance,’ she added.
‘For me, there’s nothing else that can be better than this.’