Articles from February 2025

Ashley Bouder on the Ballets That Have Defined Her Career

The last few weeks have felt fairly routine for Ashley Bouder—morning class, rehearsal, picking up her daughter from school—until it hits her: Her 25-year career at New York City Ballet is about to come to a close.

“I go through little bouts where it’s really real and I feel like crying,” she says. “But I’m still having happy moments in the studio dancing these roles that have been part of me for decades.”

After training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Bouder came to the School of American Ballet at age 15, in 1999. She was made an apprentice with NYCB in 2000 and proceeded to ascend rapidly through the ranks, becoming a corps member that same year, a soloist in 2004, and a principal in 2005.

On February 13, Bouder will take her final bow with the company, dancing the title role in George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins’ Firebird—which was also her first principal part. Now 41, she has left the mark of her power and bravura on an impressive range of repertoire. Ahead of her retirement, she chose six memorable ballets from her career to reflect on.

Donizetti Variations, by George Balanchine

Bouder, wearing a candy-pink ballet dress with a long skirt and white blouson sleeves, is caught at the height of an enormous Italian pas de chat, with her left leg extended and both arms flying.
Bouder in Donizetti Variations. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy New York City Ballet.

“I debuted this during my ‘falling’ era. I was so excited to be onstage that I’d jump a little too high or something, and down I’d go. Not a little ‘Oops,’ but a face-plant. When Andy [Veyette] and I ran out for the pas de deux, I fell right away. It was during a pause in the music. As I got up in the silence, I nodded at the conductor like, ‘Thanks for waiting.’

“But I just love this ballet because it’s pure joy—it’s very me. And it has my signature step, the Italian pas de chat.”

Tarantella, by George Balanchine

Bouder, wearing a tutu with a red velvet bodice and white ribbon-lined skirt, is caught at the height of a huge saut de chat, her face beaming. The ribbons on the tambourine that she holds in her right hand stream out behind her.
Bouder in Tarantella. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy New York City Ballet.

“I first danced this at CPYB and I was very excited about getting to shake a tambourine. I thought, ‘OMG, a prop! I am so in.’ But it was harder than I thought. It took me a while to not shake the other hand, only the tambourine. My coach, Sally [Sara Leland], would just shout ‘Left hand, stop it!’ I’d walk around my house practicing not shaking my left hand.

“The steps are funky and quirky. I tell younger people they just need to do it over and over. Once it’s in your body, it never leaves. It was always a go-to for gigs and ballet galas. It’s only six minutes, so you can just go to town with it, give it everything.”

Stars and Stripes, by George Balanchine

Bouder, wearing a tutu with a blue velvet bodice and yellow skirt and a red military cap with a yellow feather, is pictured at the height of an assemblé, her body leaning forward over her outstretched legs.
Bouder in Stars and Stripes. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy New York City Ballet.

“I also did this at CPYB, dancing with Jonathan Stafford. Then I did it as my workshop ballet at SAB two years later. In the solo, I kept going too far in the wide-leg jumps. When Peter Martins came in to coach, he added a beat to each, so I wouldn’t do a straddle split. I laughed because that made it harder, but I kept it in the choreography all these years.”

The Sleeping Beauty, by Peter Martins, after Petipa

Bouder, wearing a pink tutu with flower details, stands on pointe in attitude devant, leaning back luxuriantly into her raised right arm.
Bouder in The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy New York City Ballet.

“This was my first full-length. I was 20 years old when I debuted. I remember sitting onstage as a corps dancer watching the Rose Adagio, thinking: I want to dance Aurora the next time this comes around. Four years later, I saw my name for a rehearsal for Sleeping Beauty, but it didn’t say which role. I came in and asked Sean Lavery what we were doing. He said, ‘You’re the Sleeping Beauty.’ I thought: Did I manifest this?

“I felt very changed after this role—I became a ballerina. You have to show her journey from the young princess, to the vision, to the regal queen. It was my first time dancing a character that full. The beginning was easiest for me to identify with at first, but over time I grew into the later parts and finally felt comfortable in the delicate solo and regality of the third act.”

Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, by George Balanchine

Bouder, wearing a flowing white dance dress and a tiara, stands in a majestic tendu devant.
Bouder in Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No.2. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy New York City Ballet.

“This ballet is like packing all of Sleeping Beauty into 45 minutes. There’s no story, but it requires maturity, and the coaching for this role really made a difference for me. Dick [Richard] Tanner and I could have an entire conversation about why I did a particular arabesque. Why is that step here? We really broke it down. Susie [Susan] Hendl, she didn’t like how I was coming out and opening my arms in a sous-sus. She said, ‘I want you to make me cry. It just needs more than what you’re doing.’ Somehow, I knew what she meant. After the show, she was like ‘Yes,’ and there were tears.”

Firebird, by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins

Bouder, wearing a feathered red tutu and headpiece, stands in sous-sus on pointe, looking up and out over her raised right arm.
Bouder in Firebird. Photo by Paul Kolnik, courtesy New York City Ballet.

“This was my first principal role, and I was 16. I learned the role in two hours and was literally pushed out of the wing for my first entrance because I didn’t know when to come out. I didn’t get too nervous, because it felt like a runaway train: It was happening whether I freaked out or not, so best not to.

“The Firebird is a complex character. I’ve known from the beginning who she is, what drives her, but it took me years to get it right. I really grew up in this character, and I couldn’t imagine dancing anything else for my final performance.”

The post Ashley Bouder on the Ballets That Have Defined Her Career appeared first on Dance Magazine.

It’s all about the hips! Anatomy for dancers

The hip is a vital joint for dancers, offering a balance of mobility, stability and strength. It is a ball-and-socket joint where the femur (thigh bone) meets the acetabulum (socket) of the pelvis. This design allows for a wide range of motion, crucial for extensions, splits and jumps. The joint is supported by ligaments, tendons, and many muscles such as the hip flexors, glutes and rotators, all of which need to work together to maintain strength and control. The close relationship with the pelvis means that these two areas strongly influence each other.

Dancers place significant stress on their hips through repetitive movements, frequent twisting, but primarily with extreme ranges of motion. Typical injuries for the hip area are labral tears, tendinopathies, impingements and muscle tears/strains.

With a consistent regime of self-assessment and specific training, however, you can minimize the risk of injury to your hips and keep kicking and leaping into the sunset!

Our approach of Align – Move – Load addresses centering of the joint and functional range, authentic movement patterns and technique, and then adding load to the training to improve strength. When you look into training any area of the body you may want to consider the process below. There are a couple of video examples for you.

Understand the area.

The starting point is to understand the anatomy of the hips and your natural turnout range. This video highlights the bones and muscles of the hip and pelvis:

Self-assessment

How they move, range, tension and feel for any difference between the right and left.

Create space and release.

Release tight areas that may be preventing full range and the other muscles/fascia that connect into this area. Mobilize into all directions. (balls, foam roller, mobilizers, eccentric control)

Train stability.

Focus on the smaller muscles around the hip that control the joint through range; this needs more endurance style work. Look at control for psoas, iliacus and QF.

Train strength.

Strengthen the hip in normal function and full range (squat, lunge, hinge). This video shows a single leg squat – necessary for any lower limb training plan.

Be specific.

This where we train specifics for dance – turnout, leg elevations, splits, kick power. This video shows one type of turnout training with the hip at 90.

At half a century, I am still dancing and fully active despite a horrible looking hip MRI!

Please remember, although we are talking about hips, the body is fully interconnected and all joints talk and affect all other joints of the body. Your sore or ‘locked’ hip may be a result of a foot, thorax or shoulder that doesn’t move properly!

By Sally Harrison, BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, Corrective Exercise Coach, Personal Trainer, Pilates Educator, of Band-ITS & Strength4Dance.

The post It’s all about the hips! Anatomy for dancers appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Top 5 nutrients for 2025

Are you getting these key nutrients? It’s unnecessary to spend tons of money or go to extremes for better health. Dancers are already overachievers as it is, so just focus on eating enough throughout the day and then five simple nutrients that will make a difference.

#1. Vitamin D3

Many people don’t know that this vitamin improves muscle strength. Two recent studies on ballet dancers showed that supplementation of 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D3 increased isometric muscle strength, muscle power and decreased injuries (1). Dancers are often deficient in vitamin D because we’re indoors and it’s tricky to get enough from food alone. Deficiencies lead to lower bone mineral density which raises the risk for stress fractures. Vitamin D helps the immune system fight illness, particularly viruses. The past five years have demonstrated that vitamin D status helps fight Covid. Not just a vitamin; it also acts as a hormone. That’s one reason it’s cited as improving symptoms of depression and anxiety. People shouldn’t mega dose unless under careful medical care. Generally, there’s improvement with supplements of 2000 IU or less, especially when taken with food that has dietary fats like nuts, seeds and yogurt. Food sources would be fatty fish, fortified cow’s milk and plant-based milks/yogurts, fortified orange juices, and mushrooms.

#2. Fiber

This is arguably the most important nutrient in human nutrition. You thought I was going to say protein, but nope, that’s not what the studies show. Most westerners get more than enough protein but get far too little fiber, and this is one reason for the obesity epidemic. It improves digestion and helps the good microbes thrive in the gut, which affects everything from body weight, to food cravings, to vitamin and fatty acid production, and even mental health. Getting enough fiber from foods helps maintain or achieve a healthy body weight. Dietary fiber improves satiety and decreases hunger. A high fiber/plant-centric diet is associated with lower inflammation, reduced joint pain and decreased risk for disease. Fiber is found in all plant foods, particularly whole grains, legumes, avocados, and of course fruits and vegetables. Supplements aren’t necessary in general.

#3. Magnesium

This mineral affects muscle function, heart health, mental health, focus and sleep. Mg Glycinate may help with sleep and reduce anxiety and is best taken in the evenings. Mg L-Threonate has been shown to improve memory, learning and may help those with ADHD so it’s better when taken in the mornings (3). Mg citrate and Mg oxide help with constipation. According to elite athlete dietitian Dan Benardot, “Magnesium is a critical component in the processes that create muscular energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fats” (2). If someone is deficient, taking magnesium through supplements or focusing on foods has been shown to “positively affect endurance and strength performance” (2). Food sources include Brazil nuts and other nuts, leafy greens, beans, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, avocado, and brown rice. The body needs about 400 mg/day.

#4. Potassium

This electrolyte impacts muscle contractions, nerve function and fluid balance, which is why it’s known to help prevent muscle cramping during exercise and improves menstrual cramps. With all the focus on potassium’s role in sports nutrition, it’s often overlooked how low potassium levels (particularly with a high salt diet) can affect depression, confusion and anxiety. You don’t need expensive supplements. Food/beverage sources of potassium are easy to get if you’re getting 3-5 servings of fruits and veggies per day, particularly spinach, bok choy, leafy greens, oranges/citrus, bananas, pinto beans, tomatoes, potatoes with skin, broccoli, sports beverages and coconut water. The body needs about 2500- 3500 mg/day.

#5. Calcium

Given the fact that stress fractures are an all too common injury in the field of dance, adequate dietary calcium is essential. Everyone knows that calcium is stored in the bones and is a huge factor in bone strength, dental health and prevention of fractures, but what’s not commonly known is that the body tweaks calcium levels in the blood stream to reflect the body’s changing needs hour to hour. It affects acid/base balance, blood pressure, and muscle contraction and release (yes, it’s also an electrolyte). The amount of calcium you get when you’re young will impact your bone health through your whole life and can decrease risk for osteoporosis (brittle bones) later. Food sources are soy and cow’s milk, fortified milks and yogurts, tofu, tempeh, beans, greens, almonds, broccoli and even chia seeds. Total body needs are 1000-1300 mg per day; however, in supplement form, the body prefers to absorb only about 500 mg at one time.

Obviously, there are many important nutrients that impact health, and we are only highlighting five of them in this article. Please consult with a registered licensed dietitian to medically identify your unique needs. This article is for information only.

Sources:

  1. Rakovac M, Sajković D. VITAMIN D AND INJURIES IN DANCERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. Acta Clin Croat. 2023 Apr;62(1):214-223. doi: 10.20471/acc.2023.62.01.25. PMID: 38304359; PMCID: PMC10829964.
  2. Benardot, D. Advanced Sports Nutrition 3rd ed. Human Kinetics. 2021
  3. Archer, A. An integrative and functional approach to ADHD Management: guidance for the clinician.
Emily Harrison of Nutrition for Great Performances.

By Emily C. Harrison MS, RDN, LDN of Nutrition for Great Performances.

Emily Cook Harrison MS, RD, LD 
Emily is a registered dietitian and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nutrition from Georgia State University, USA. Her master’s thesis research was on elite level ballet dancers and nutrition and she has experience providing nutrition services for weight management, sports nutrition, disordered eating, disease prevention, and food allergies. Emily was a professional dancer for eleven years with the Atlanta Ballet and several other companies. She is a dance educator and the mother of two young children. She now runs the Centre for Dance Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles. She can be reached at emily@dancernutrition.com
www.dancernutrition.com

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