The joy of being a ballet performer

Holding a post graduate degree in publishing and also a graduate degree in arts, New York-based Taylor Gordon, the super star of ballet has left no stone unturned to master traditional ballet performance.

Raising her bars to reach and teach other budding artists, this writer, dancer and a teacher is indeed overwhelmed with her skills that she would love to pass on to the future generation. She will be performing for the third time in Hyderabad for the International Dance Day today.

Taylor narrating her story about how she found interest in ballet dance, "I have been in New York City for about 12 years now, dancing professionally. I have actually gone to college of communication arts and did my master's degree is in publishing, so I have been dancing in one side and writing the other side of my life even though both are difficult careers and especially in America it is very competitive to be an artist and a freelance writer."

"My family ran a dance studio when I was growing up, that's where it all started," she shares. "Ballet is very strict and for some reason my personality just gravitates towards it. I am good with following rule and in ballet there are a lot of rules and so it is very specific," she relates her love for ballet.

Every person be it a performer or an entrepreneur overcomes a lot of challenges and so did Taylor, "One challenge on top of my head are injuries as a dancer. Pretty early in my career I had a surgery on my ankle which was not fun, but coming back from that I learnt quickly the hard way, how to keep myself healthy and how to strengthen every other muscle in my body and also how to balance by not overworking my body. It was tough obstacle, but one that happened early. Now I know how to knock on it."

Taylor vouches for traditional style, "I think every dance form has a little bit of fusion mixed; in ballet too, the contemporary fusion is mixed with few positions and hand movements, but nothing can replace the traditional dance form in ballet."

Different places lead to different experiences. About the city, she says, "When I came to Hyderabad for the first time, and stepped on the stage, I saw people pull out their phones and click away. In New York phones are not allowed. Here, I felt like lady Gaga. In Japan a lot of them wear the facemask even in the theatre, so I cannot really see their expression, but they are polite. It has been incredible to meet different people and share what I do."

Teaching almost 20 students here Tylor looked all excited and happy doing what she loves the most. She says, "I am very happy to say that everyone here seems to love ballet.

The first time I came couple of years ago, they did not really know what they were learning, but loved the image of it. But now that they have worked with me a few times, they have become better and have more understanding of the technique. They come to me with questions now and as a teacher it is good for me as they are learning something." "I think I will be traveling and teaching; so, dance will always be a part of my life," she states.