Everyone on this planet has their unique story, one that has surely suffered from the dynamic pandemic plot twist.
In the ballet industry, dancers have confronted in different ways the dramatic change from long, active, creative hours in the studio to restrictive space and time to spare within the confines of their homes. Some have welcomed parenthood, others traversing the borders of their dancing roles to explore other artistic avenues such as choreography or cinematography.
Jordan-Elizabeth Long, Soloist with Miami City Ballet, initially decided that putting her nose into academics books so that she could finally graduate from college was a way to use her time productively. In the essay below, she shares how this derivation from ballet ultimately led her back to where she belongs.
by Jordan-Elizabeth Long
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected my life in profound ways, like many other performing artists. This virus emerged in our world shortly after my 30th birthday, somewhat of a midway mark in a professional dancer’s typical career.
When the pandemic hit in March of 2020, I think we all thought it was only going to last a few weeks. As it dragged on, I began to lose hope of ever regaining my old life. My way of coping with that feeling was to run in the complete opposite direction of ballet.
I was about 7 courses away from an undergraduate degree in business administration, so I threw myself into my schoolwork, added a minor in international studies, and tried my best to forget that I had ever been a dancer. I holed myself up in my parent’s home in North Carolina and pondered the idea of attending literally every type of graduate school known to mankind.
Little by little, I had a series of events happen that let me know I was not done yet, little breadcrumbs that led me back to ballet.
A career saved
In August, my dear friend and fellow MCB dancer Adrienne Carter called me and asked if I would like to be a part of a “ballet bubble” in Wellington, Florida that was being organized for some dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Miami City Ballet. My first response was a definite no, since I couldn’t see any reason to go back in the studio when my studies seemed to be more pertinent at the time. She called me again about a week later, basically telling me flat out that I had to come down there and go into a studio again. Looking back, I really think this moment saved my career.
My first day at the studios, all the dancers worked on Balanchine’s Nutcracker pas de deux with repetiteur Sandra Jennings via Zoom. I was one of the only dancers there that had actually performed this role before, and I ended up having to leave the studio that first day because I was so overwhelmed with emotion, wondering if I would ever perform those steps on a stage again.
Eventually, day by day, I regained my footing in the studio and realized that at this moment, I had a chance to start from scratch. I had heard other dancers referencing times such as these, when coming back from a serious injury or pregnancy. When you stop doing something that you have been doing since age 4, you suddenly have the opportunity to rebuild yourself as a mature artist.
Letting go in order to rebuild
In October, MCB found out that we would be getting the opportunity to perform 14 performances of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker outdoors in a specially built theater, located in a park. While I was ecstatic at this possibility, I didn’t let myself believe it was real just yet.
In November, the entire MCB company returned to the studios for rehearsals. Even with all the COVID protocols in place (physical distancing, dancing in masks), it felt unbelievable to be “home.” With so few performances, I hadn’t expected to dance much, but then the schedule went up and I was called to rehearse Dew Drop and Arabian Coffee.
A couple weeks later, I was scheduled for a Sugar Plum rehearsal. In these rehearsals, the artistic staff kept commenting on the fact that my dancing looked so different. I still can’t really put into words what happened, but I know that completely letting go of everything I knew about ballet and dance in general led me into a different phase of my career. When I thought I had lost everything, I got the opportunity to rebuild a mature Jordan-Elizabeth Long.
As I did my makeup and hair for my performance as Sugar Plum Fairy in the last performance of the run, I was overcome with emotion thinking about the parallel between that moment and the first day at the ballet bubble in Wellington. What I thought was gone forever had just been handed back to me, but I had become an entirely different person in the process. A year that I had originally felt was lost from my career actually helped me find the dancer I was meant to become.
Creating a new normal
In the same way that I feel my own personal artistry gained more depth during this time, I am also watching how entire organizations are creating new opportunities and initiatives.
The whole idea of class, rehearsal and coaching via Zoom is something that has emerged during this time that I think will greatly affect the dance world. Can we stage ballets like this? Can choreographers create new work in this manner? It will never replace working together in the studios, but I think the pandemic has encouraged the dance world to be more open to technology.
I think we will see this time open up more opportunities for choreographers to work with different companies, company members to stay in better shape during breaks, and for dancers of all ages to learn from teachers that they never have had a chance to take class with before.
I grew up in a rural town in Virginia and my mother used to drive me to Washington D.C. to watch professional ballet and to Charlotte for masterclasses and auditions. Watching young dancers in 2020 getting to see the various company’s digital seasons on their computers or attend a summer program from their home studio, I can’t help but think how this will broaden opportunities for talented young people who happen to be born far from a big city.
Nurturing from within
Because of the fact that there is so much unknown at the moment, companies have had to rely on resources that they already have, but that has also led them to realizing the talent that already resided within their own walls.
Here at Miami City Ballet, we are about to present a series of pop-up performances around our city. Seven new, short works are being choreographed by our dancers, using their own colleagues. To my knowledge, this is the first time that MCB has performed works created by their own dancers. Many of the choreographers are first-timers and they have mentioned that they never would have thought to choreograph had this opportunity not been presented to them. Others have always wanted to, but never gotten a chance like this.
For me personally, it is my first time really being involved in a choreographic creation as a dancer. Titled “To Miami, With Love”, these pop-ups will be presented from January 30 – February 21, and I believe they will bring a completely new audience to our MCB world.
Featured image for Jordan-Elizabeth Long’s essay of her in George Balanchine’s Rubies © Alexander Iziliaev, courtesy of Miami City Ballet
