Pushing Over the Box

Fangqi Li, American Ballet Theatre Soloist — On Confidence & Belonging | Pushing Over the Box

Fangqi Li had just gone back to China after an injury during her first months in American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company, certain her time there was over, when her direc

Nathalia Arja, Miami City Ballet Principal — On Identity & Resilience | Pushing Over the Box

Nathalia Arja was 15 years old when she waved goodbye to her mother at the airport in Rio de Janeiro and flew to Miami — alone, speaking no English, with a full scholarsh

Ashley Hod, New York City Ballet Soloist — On Promotion & Success | Pushing Over the Box

Ashley Hod was a 17-year-old student at the School of American Ballet when Hurricane Sandy shut New York City down — and in the middle of it, sitting at her grandmother's

Jonathan Chmelensky, Royal Danish Ballet Principal — On Promotion & Success | Pushing Over the Box

Jonathan Chmelensky was about to premiere the lead role in John Neumeier's Mahler's Third Symphony when the Danish prime minister announced the country was shutting down

Roni Mahler — On Turning Down Joffrey, Swan Lake, and Disturbing Molecules | Pushing Over the Box

Roni Mahler was three performances into her career at American Ballet Theatre when Cynthia Gregory sprained her ankle. She had 24 hours to learn Odette. In this episode

Kathryn Morgan — On Hashimoto's, Seven Years Off, and Life Beyond the Tiara | Pushing Over the Box

Kathryn Morgan was a soloist at New York City Ballet, dancing Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, when her muscles started giving out on pointe and she couldn't understand why. We

Deborah Ory — On Injury, Photography, and What She Looks for in Every Shot | Pushing Over the Box

Deborah Ory went to college for dance. In her second semester, she got injured. Everyone had already registered for classes and she didn't know what to do — until she spo

Emilie Gerrity, NYCB Principal — On Falling, Comparison, and Your Own Path | Pushing Over the Box

Emilie Gerrity was a competition kid. Star Power. Disney World. Hip hop, lyrical, tap, jazz — all of it. At 12, she walked away from competitions and decided she was goin

Emma Von Enck, NYCB Principal — On Promotion, Nerves, and Real Success | Pushing Over the Box

Emma Von Enck quit ballet when she was 12. She wanted to try acting. She hated it. She begged her mom to put her back in. A few years later, she was standing in the wing

Darla Hoover, Former NYCB Dancer — On Balanchine and the Art of Teaching | Pushing Over the Box

Darla Hoover started dancing in a barn. Her teacher took one look at her and told her parents: "You need to save your money — she's going to end up in New York." She did.

Alexa Maxwell, NYCB Soloist — On Injury, Musicality, and Life at NYCB | Pushing Over the Box

When Alexa Maxwell arrived at New York City Ballet as a brand new apprentice, she expected a few weeks to find her footing. Instead, on her very first day, she was emerge

Seth & Sarah Orza, Former PNB Principals — On Reinventing the Ballet Shoe | Pushing Over the Box

Seth and Sarah Orza danced at the top of their field — and then used everything they learned about the dancer's body to completely rethink the ballet flat. The story of h

Naomi Corti, NYCB Soloist — On Artistry, Injury, and What Success Means | Pushing Over the Box

Naomi Corti tore her ACL, both menisci, her MCL and PCL just one month after getting her corps contract at New York City Ballet — and she says she wouldn't trade that inj

Misty Copeland — On Injury, Resilience, and 25 Years in Ballet | Pushing Over the Box

Misty Copeland started ballet at 13, was the only Black dancer at ABT for the first 10 years of her career, and waited over 15 years to be promoted to principal — and thr

Cassandra Trenary: From ABT to Vienna State Ballet — A New Chapter | Pushing Over the Box

Cassandra Trenary spent years dreaming of becoming a principal dancer at ABT — and then, at the height of her career, chose to leave it all behind and start over in Vienn

Erika Mayall, Dance Physiotherapist — On Injury Prevention and Safer Training | Pushing Over the Box

Erika Mayall was a dancer who went to physical therapy as a teenager and thought — why isn't there someone who actually understands what we do? So she became that person.

Kyle Froman, NYCB Dancer & Dance Photographer — Embracing Multiple Passions | Pushing Over the Box

Kyle Froman spent 14 years at New York City Ballet before walking away to become a photographer — and the moment he decided to leave came down to a single opportunity in

Ingrid Thoms, American Ballet Theatre — On Navigating Company Life | Pushing Over the Box

Ingrid Thoms joined ABT's Corps de Ballet just months before the pandemic shut everything down — and somehow came out of it closer to her colleagues and more certain of h

Skylar Brandt, ABT Principal — On Injury, Recovery, and Coming Back Stronger | Pushing Over the Box

Skylar Brandt has danced Giselle, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote on the ABT stage — but behind the roles is a story of a herniated disc she tried to dance through, a promotio

Erica Pereira, NYCB Soloist — On Motherhood and Dancing at the Highest Level | Pushing Over the Box

Erica Pereira has risen through the ranks at New York City Ballet, become a mother, and somehow made it all look graceful — but her honesty about perfectionism, lonelines