Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabrielle Foley.
Gabrielle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I spent the first part of my life growing up in a small town in the middle of Nebraska being a normal little kid dancing at a local studio, going to school, and doing other after-school activities. When I turned 13, I attended my first ballet summer intensive at Kansas City Ballet and after that, I was hooked on ballet and it was all I wanted to do. The next summer, I attended The Joffrey Ballet summer intensive in New York City and then the year after attended my first summer with Ballet Chicago. That summer at Ballet Chicago, I was introduced to the Balanchine style of ballet and I had never loved anything more, at the end of that summer, I was asked to stay at the school year-round and be a part of the studio company attached to the school. That summer, I was 15 and decided to pick up my whole life and move away from home to follow my dream. Going from being a normal kid living in Nebraska to living on your own at age 15, having an apartment, riding the train by myself, grocery shopping and cooking for myself, doing school online, and spending all day dancing and training was quite a change. Throughout the years, I spent there I began to come into my own as a person and figure out who I really was and who I wanted to be both as a person and a dancer. I had two amazing directors and a few great teachers that mentored, and pushed me to help me to get into a professional company and who gave me the opportunity to perform many featured roles in ballets I didn’t think I would ever get to perform. When I turned 18 during my third year at the school, I began to audition for professional companies and was offered a contract to dance with the City Ballet of San Diego.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road to becoming a professional ballet dancer and dancing a season with a company is filled with constant struggle. Besides moving away from home at such a young age being a dancer is extremely hard on your body and your mind. I have had to deal with multiple injuries during my training and now, when auditioning for summer intensives and jobs you feel like you hear a million and one rejections before you here one yes, and especially once you get to be in the professional world the pressure that is put on you to be as skinny as you possibly can is absolutely insane. Plus, all of the extra everyday challenges that life throws at you, it’s hard to not feel like the whole world is out to get you. But throughout each challenge, you endure you are able to learn from it and become a stronger person. Most of the time, when you are in the thick of it, it never feels that way but each obstacle I have had to face, so far has helped shape me some way into the woman that I am today and even though there are challenges, just knowing that I have started to achieve some of the things I have been dreaming about my whole life makes me feel like I am on top of the world and I wouldn’t change a thing. My advice to young women starting on their journey is that when all you want to do is give up that there are so many amazing things waiting for you, but you have to push through the challenges life throws at you to get there.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am so lucky to work in a field that is all about creating beauty and art and that is so emotionally rewarding. Every day we start with a ballet class to warm up and get our bodies ready for the day and to strengthen our technique and then we will have rehearsals all throughout the day. The rehearsal process for ballets normally take a little over a month of just learning all of the choreography and perfecting it and then you get into the theater and you get to perform! The rehearsal process can be long and grueling but getting to pour your heart on a stage beside all of your friends and coworkers and knowing that you all came together to bring this beautiful art to the world is the most amazing feeling. I truly don’t know of any other profession that lets you do that.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
Women are constantly pushing through barriers to be noticed and even listened to in this industry and in general. If you look most ballet companies are lead by men, most choreographers are men, the men in some companies make over double what their female coworkers make. Over the past few years, there has been a bit of a shift in opening up and there is more upcoming female choreographers and directors but it is still nowhere close to equal. The women of today’s world have so much to bring to the table and they are fighting so hard to even be considered but there won’t be more of a change until we focus on equality and fight for the recognition that we deserve.
Contact Info:
- Email: gabby.e.foley@gmail.com
- Instagram: @gabby.elise
Image Credit:
Ron Mckinney
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