Lovely article today in the revamped New York Times arts section on American Ballet Theater’s Alessandra Ferri. This passage in particular reminded me of San Francisco Ballet’s own Tina LeBlanc, who is also dancing better than ever after the birth of her second child:
“What she gained from pregnancy was a deeper understanding of her body, a sense of its utility and capacity for generosity, which she had only begun to understand from ballet.
“In dancing, the strongest feeling I get is onstage,” she said. “You don’t just use your body, but you go through your body to talk. You know who you are in that moment. Pregnancy is the same thing. You are giving yourself totally to somebody else, which is your baby, through your body. You know why you have a body when you’re PREGNANT.”
And surprisingly, those 57 pounds, gained and lost, seem to have lengthened her career.
“I thought I was almost done with dancing, and then I came back from my second baby, and my body feels better than it did before,” Ms. Ferri said. “I came back so totally happy and relaxed. And I know how to treat my body, so my body is giving me back something. It’s a second wind.” ”
The article also reminded me of Lucy Gray’s gorgeous photos of three San Francisco Ballet dancer/mothers. They were recently on display at the SF Public Library, but I was delighted to discover you can also see 13 of these images on the web. I love the shot of principal Kristin Long in the bath with her little boy Kai.
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