I love ballet. Who doesn’t! I always marveled at the grace and the beauty of the dance and wondered what it took for a woman to achieve such balance and form. All these years, I have yearned to meet a ballerina. And then it happened.
We were at Chautauqua Institution last summer, staying at the Summer House Inn. Every morning my husband and I would have breakfast in the shared dining room. That is where we got to meet other guests and exchange notes as in ‘where are you from?’ and ‘did you like the symphony orchestra yesterday?’ One morning, I noticed a teenage girl sitting at another table, taking her breakfast. She stood out. For one, you don’t see young teenage girls at the inn. Most of the guests are much older, as in retired or semi-retired. Second, she was by herself. Guests are usually couples or pairs. But what struck me about her most was her looks.
She had her blonde hair tied up in a tight bun revealing her long neck. She wore a casual tee-shirt but had light make-up on. She carried a perfect posture and when she rose to get her toast popping out of the toaster, she moved with the grace of a swan. Her face glowed and I couldn’t take my eyes of her.
“Khalid,” I whispered to my husband. “I wonder if this girl is a ballet dancer?”
And then she was gone. I didn’t see her at lunch or at dinner.
Next morning, she was there again toasting her muffin. She glowed and I stared.
“Hi,” I said, interrupting her breakfast.
“Hi,” she said with a smile. Her phone dinged, so I moved on.
The third day I couldn’t stand it anymore and walked up to her table and took a seat.
“Good morning. I am Sabeeha.”
“Hi. I am Hattie.”
“Hattie, I am from New York City. Where are you from?”
“Binghampton.”
And so began my courtship. She was a ballet dancer; a student at the Chautauqua Ballet School. She was there for the summer and would be performing.
“Why are you staying here instead of the dorm of the ballet school?”
She explained that she spent all day at the school and after work, prefers the quiet of the guest house. She didn’t say: privacy. I had already invaded that.
The next day I approached her again. “I would love to know more about your life as a ballet dancer. Could we make some time to sit and chat. I am a blogger and I would like to write about you, if it’s o.k.”
“Sure.”
So it was said, and so it was done. She and I got together at the Brickwalk Café, an outdoor coffee place in the plaza. She had just come back from rehearsal, had taken a shower and we sat down to chat.
Hattie, how old are you?
Sixteen.
When did you start dancing?
When I was 3. As soon as I was walking, my mother started taking me to Mommy and Daughter gymnastic classes. That is where I got my flexibility. When I was 4 or 5, my mom got me a Nutcraker doll. I had heard about it and ever since wanted to be a ballet dancer. I was 9 when I started focusing exclusively on ballet.
How did that come about?
Our neighbor across the street, a grandma, told me to check out New York City Ballet school. We lived in Binghamton. My mom took me for the audition, and I got a full year scholarship in a performing arts children’s school, but couldn’t accept it. My mom heard of a ballet teacher at an academy near home and he molded the techniques in me. I continued to audition at ballet programs, including the American Ballet. I got a scholarship to The School of American Ballet, and offers for full year and summer programs. I accepted a summer program at the School of American ballet, and fall mini-sessions.
Where did you live?
At the dorm at Julliard in NYC.
How old were you then?
I was 13.
Tell me about how you practice.
For 9 years I practiced 6 days a week, after 7 hours of school, plus one hour travel time. Now at Chautauqua, I practice 20 hours a week doing ballet and variety of other dances. Several hundred students auditioned and a small percent are selected. We are 20 students to a room and dance classical ballet, contemporary ballet, Jazz, Tap and musical theater. At the end, we do pilates to cool down.
When did you start dancing in the pointe ballet shoes?
When I was ten. The ballet teacher knows when you are ready for these shoes. They provide ankle support particularly for doing Fouttes—the full circle. I can do that now. You have to be fitted for pointe shoes. They are made out of paper-mache, and you bang them on the floor to soften them. And then you sew your elastics and ribbon on them.
How much do they cost?
$100 a pair. On the average, they last a week, some 3 days, some just one class. Mine last a week and that is a good wear. Russian shoes last longer. I have brought 8 pairs with me. Some of the students have brought 20. The shoes, tuition, housing and meals, they all add up. We also have to bring our own outfits.
How can you dance on tippy-toes?
The toes are sore at first. But with practice, it gets easier.
I have noticed that some dancers wear flat shoes.
Ballet flats are socks. You wear those before you graduate to the shoe level.
You and your family have invested so much into your vocation. Where do want to take this craft?
I want to be a professional dancer, perhaps with the NYC Ballet. But my education is important too. There are some colleges that have ballet programs, Indiana University being the best. So I am going to try that route and then make my way into a ballet career.
I have noticed that you eat healthy, and carbs too.
I have to watch my weight and I burn all the calories. At 5.7” I have long limbs due to ballet.
What is your schedule like?
8:30 am. Warm up
9 am – 10:30 am. Technique
Break
10:45 am – 11:45 am: Variation Class
Lunch
One hour: Rehearsal
One and a half hour: Musical Theater.
How do you feel afterwards?
Ballet is like meditation. It’s also fun, like a social event with friends.
Your mother seems to have been your partner in this journey. You must feel blessed.
I do. My mom is coming this weekend for my performance and will be staying with me at the Summer House Inn.
I’d love to meet her.
P.S.: I did meet Hattie’s mom. She is as beautiful as her daughter. Actually it’s the other way around. That Sunday we watched Hattie perform in the Amphitheater. I kept telling people on my right and my left, “See that dancer on the left. I know her.” She graced the stage as we watched her turn into a swan.
Thank you Hattie, for sharing your story
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