Kirsten Evans, company dancer with Festival Ballet Providence, is the author of Setting the Barre. (settingthebarreblog.com). Setting the Barre is the written rambling of Kirsten’s conscience – an attempt to chronicle her adventures as a professional ballet dancer, both onstage and off. For Kirsten, blogging spawned from her habit of constant journaling. She has always found writing to be very therapeutic, and from this practice the blog has grown into her designated place for uncensored self-discovery. It is a documented outlet for all of the words her body works so hard to convey through movement.
Her happiest dance-related moment came two seasons ago, when she was promoted from Apprentice to full Company Dancer mid-season. She had been working very hard learning and performing two different roles in Balanchine’s Agon as well as working as an original cast member in an entirely new contemporary ballet by their resident choreographer, Viktor Plotnikov. In her many years as a student with the affiliated school and trainee with the company, she had never seen a dancer promoted in the middle of a season. So, it felt very monumental. Hearing that announcement following the opening performance was truly a moment of pure joy and gratification. As dancers, they become so used to criticism and negativity, this validation of her efforts felt completely restorative.
Setting The Barre is very near and dear to Kirsten’s heart. It is a channel for all
of the overwhelming inspiration, emotional anxiety, and intense physical stress that comes with being a professional dancer. It is a deeply personal dialogue. Her goal is to continue letting these things manifest in their written form, so that her body can be a more peaceful place, reserved for technical growth and artistic experimentation. That being said, she also hopes her blog could be used as an inside perspective of what the life of a ballerina is really like. It is geared for those outside this “mysterious profession” interested in learning more. The general public knows so little about the vast ballet world to which so many dancers dedicate their lives. Kirsten feels honored to shed a bit of light and grow this understanding whenever possible. Through shared passions, she has also been enjoying making new friends in the blogging community. Establishing supportive relationships with people she has never physically met. That has been very rewarding for her.
Kirsten say her advice to dancers younger than herself is pretty simple: know yourself. The ability to be in tune with your body and your mind is essential to finding success as a dancer. Learn your strengths and your weaknesses. Spend extra time practicing the things that give you grief, and don’t forget to acknowledge all of the beautiful, powerful things your body can do, too. Finding this balance is a process that continues throughout a dancer’s entire career. Realizing this and learning to take each day one at a time has helped me find freedom in my dancing.
Kirsten can be reached in the following ways: by email: settingthebarreblog@gmail.com, by instagram: @settingthebarre, by twitter: @setthebarreblog, by facebook: settingthebarre.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Kirsten Evans of Setting the Barre.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
