At age 17, Courtney Shealy moved by herself from her home state of Florida to New York City to join the studio company of American Ballet Theatre. Since then, Courtney has progressed steadily upwards to her current position as a member of American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet. Besides being a ballet dancer, Courtney is also a multifaceted artist who enjoys singing and playing music, serving as a muse for dance photographers, and taking the occasional hip-hop class!
1.To get off to an unconventional start, please write a haiku about anything that comes to mind at the moment.
Dancers are crazy, Push our bodies past limits, Yet we still love it.
2. How did you get into dancing?
My grandma saw that I loved to perform in living rooms, in restaurants, and pretty much anywhere I could get the attention. I was about 5 when she enrolled me in a musical theater class. The teacher of that class told her I had a lot of potential and that I should audition for Northwest Florida Ballet Academie. After a couple of years, I auditioned when I was in third grade. I received my acceptance right after the audition and joined the next day. When I was 16, I had my sights set on going to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s high school program for my senior year of high school. My teacher at the time, though, told me that there was an audition for American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive and studio company in New York City and that I should go. I went to the audition, and they invited me to come back for a week to take classes with the studio company. So, I went back in April for a week, and I got the email two weeks later that I was accepted!
3. Did dancing help you through anything difficult in your life?
Dancing has always been my escape. It’s my free therapy! It especially helped when I was growing up and dealing with a custody battle between my parents. My mother and father separated after I was born. Between the ages of 5-12, I clung to dance whenever I could. It was the only stable thing in my life for years. My father has always been my rock and best friend and has always encouraged my passion for dance. To this day I use dance as therapy, expression, and as a tool to get through hard and stressful times.
4. In your time as a dancer, what’s the craziest thing that has happened to you?
The craziest thing that happened to me was when my company was on tour in Detroit, and we were performing Romeo and Juliet. I was supposed to be done after being a town lady in Act I. After finishing the part, I went all the way back to our dressing room, which was practically a mile away from the stage. I obviously started changing and was taking my character shoes off. All of a sudden over the intercom, I heard our stage manager saying, “Courtney Shealy, come to stage immediately. You’re doing ballroom scene!” This was the scene right after the town ladies’ scene and was a quick change. May I remind you, at this point I was completely undressed and started freaking out. I put on briefs, grabbed my character shoes, and raced through the theater with a towel wrapped around me. This dressing room had never felt farther!!! In my sprint, I literally ran by EVERYONE! Crew, dancers, security guards, you name it!!!! I got backstage only to find that a fellow dancer had jumped in the spot and was already onstage. I went to our stage managers, and they said they had made a mistake and that it wasn’t my fault. After that incident, I always wait a little longer before getting completely undressed during a show!
5. What would you say to someone who is hesitant to go see a ballet performance?
If you want to escape from reality and see some pretty strong people showing you their soul onstage….. come!!!!!
6. If ballet had a slogan, what would it be?
If you don’t love it, it’s not worth it.
Responses edited by Adelaide Clauss
Dancers Are 