My Ballet Story
When I was eight years old, the entire 3rd grade class of Challenger Elementary School took an early holiday trip to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”, the famous rendition of the ballet with scenery by storybook genius, Maurice Sendak. I wore my favorite dress, a white-lace-trimmed green velvet number with an empire waist, and my mother fastened my long, frizzy, mouse-brown hair with a big bow in the half-up style that was popular for 1998.
My memory is faint on the drive there (possibly a very nice coach bus?), but I do remember the walk down the center aisle, orchestra level, where we tipped our heads over the edge of the pit and peered through wonder-filled eyes at the human penguins who carried violins and flutes and oboes, playing note after note that made zero sense to my young ears, but stirred anticipation into the atmosphere of the darkening theatre.
Running back to our seats, we sat just in time for the curtain to rise and that familiar overture to wash over the rows of elegantly dressed patrons. I felt elegant, too.
My most vivid memory is of the woman in the peacock costume - she whipped her endless, multi-layered, multi-colored tail around precisely as she stepped confidently on her toes to the music of the “Arabian” divertissement in Act II. I could never remember the steps, but I certainly remember how I felt as I watched, totally enraptured by her performance.
Suddenly as it started, the ballet was over.
As we began our journey home, I thought only of how I had never wanted anything more in my whole life than to be that woman in the peacock costume.
While I don’t remember precisely when I decided that I wanted to “ballet” for the rest of my life, it crept into my soul slowly, quietly, and soundly after The Nutcracker, filling my dreams and my journals with wishes of pointe shoes and a port de bras that would stop time.
Beginning with formal ballet lessons at age 10, I danced through high school, summering at PNB and earning my pointe shoes right after I turned 13 (Bloch Suprimas).
Though I was studying music in undergraduate school (and took quite a break from ballet classes), I also joined the dance performance company at my university in my first year, and later I was accepted into a graduate program for dance pedagogy (I turned out to be a pretty terrific ballet teacher, and taught my first class at age 14).
Years later in March of 2016, I graduated from Flight Attendant training and began my career at a major US airline. By the following December, I had volunteered to sew a tutu and dress myself up as the Sugar Plum Fairy for a children’s event at work on an airplane.
Ballet was always calling to me, even at 32,000 feet.
As much as I love ballet, I’ve always grappled with my place in the ballet world (as I’m sure many of you do, too). I never quite made it to the level of proficiency I desired as a teen, and I was never pushed to excel like I craved later in my life once I’d left any prospects of a traditional ballet career behind.
I’ve always felt a little lost. Aimlessly attending open adult ballet classes was never enough, and stumbling my way through Youtube videos that sometimes were beyond my level was frustrating without feedback (and left me feeling like a failure because once upon a time, they wouldn't have been difficult enough).
It wasn’t until I discovered an incredible student-led ballet company, here in Chicago, that I felt once again at home in a studio. The group welcomes community members into their student ranks, and gives us all a chance to perform full-length storybook ballets twice a year on a real stage, costumes and all!
My first production with the group was the classic drama, Swan Lake. Out of necessity, and as I am wont to do, I volunteered to make four bodices for the Big Swans, one of which was me! Having a longer torso and a bigger chest can be a nightmare to costume when everything is designed for the professional, uber-fit ballerina body.
I learned a ton from this project, most of all the importance of proper tailoring, and the magic of made-to-measure garments.
My sewing continued through the summer of this year, and Bluebird Dancewear was born out of my own experience in needing custom dancewear.
I thought,
“How many adult beginners or late starters fall in love with ballet, and have such trouble finding their own special costume in a size and shape that makes them feel beautiful and valued in the ballet community?”
I wanted to offer my sewing services to fill this need for folks, beginning with Custom and Ready-to-Wear practice tutus, and working my way up to fully decorated costumes with bodices and trims and sparkles that you can keep forever, knowing it was made with love and care and hardwork, just for YOU.
I’ll leave you here with a few of my favorite dance photos I’ve had taken over the years, and hope you’ll stick around (and maybe sign up for our mailing list here!) to watch Bluebird flourish into one of your favorite dancewear brands. It’s a slow and steady pace, but we are all here to create things we think you’ll love, take your feedback, and constantly iterate on our products, never settling for “finished” or “done”.
If you ever have questions, comments, or ideas, I obsessively check my email. Please don’t hesitate to reach out! You can use the contact form at the top of this page, or email us at info@bluebirddancewear.com.
As always, happy dancing!
Best wishes,
Sasha
Founder, Bluebird Dancewear
