Still a Dancer: Week One

Lindsay Live | Mar 04, 2009 | 3

Lindsay Dreyer, Photo by Richard Calmes

As many of you know, I was a dancer. And I considered myself a dancer up until about three years ago when I graduated from Barnard College. After school, where I majored in Dance, I took a job at the television show Inside Edition where I sat in a cubicle for about nine hours a day. During my downtime, I was still writing for Dancer Magazine, but not really dancing aside from a few classes every four or five months. As a result, I didn't feel much like a dancer anymore.

But a few weeks ago my life changed. It was like an epiphany. We were holding the cover story photo shoot (Paul Taylor Dance Company) for our March issue of Dancer Magazine and our amazingly talented photographer, Richard Calmes, suggested we do the test shots on me. I kind of thought he was joking. I mean, seriously? Why me? I hadn't danced in years and probably looked terrible. But something inside of me said, "Why not me?" So I agreed.

It felt like a scene out of "Save the Last Dance" or some other lame dance movie, but I actually fished my pointe shoes out of a dusty box in my storage unit. There they were - toe pads still in them. Nostalgia raced through my body like a shot of straight adrenaline. I was really going to do this. I practically sprinted to the studios at 890 Broadway.

It was just like riding a bike. I put my shoes on, laced them up, and bam! I was a dancer again. Or maybe I had never stopped being a dancer. Perhaps I was just on an extended hiatus.

We took a series of photos, and although my legs didn't go as high as they used to and my ankles felt slightly unsteady in releve, everything was so right. At that moment I knew - this is where I'm meant to be. I actually asked myself, "What was I doing with my life NOT dancing?"

Then I remembered one little word - confidence. I never had the confidence or belief in myself that I could keep dancing or make a life out of it. Well that's not entirely true because I always knew I was pretty good. But I wasn't good enough to be a Principal in New York CIty Ballet, and if I couldn't have that, I didn't want anything at all.

But now, thankfully, I'm realizing the myriad of opportunities in dance beyond classical ballet companies. A former child actress, I'm also seeing the opportunities for dancers on television and in movies.

I'm seizing this moment because I'm not getting any younger. I would hate to wake up one day when I'm 50 and look back and regret not dancing. I have 18 years of superior training under my belt, a SAG card, and a New York City zip code. It's really a no brainer.

I've spent the past three weeks pushing myself to get back in the best possible shape. Between Pilates at the gym, ballet classes at Steps, and walking instead of taking cabs, I'm starting to feel my body changing. It's beginning to remember how to use certain muscles, especially in my core. I'm very sore still, but the good kind of sore I remember feeling after my first few rehearsals for Arabian in "The Nutcracker."

So what's next? Well, more of this workout regimen until I'm in the right shape to actually pursue dance. Then, it's down to Florida to work with the photographer who took my headshots when I was a little kid. (Yikes!) And after that... you'll see me running around New York City to auditions and casting in between writing and interviewing!

So this is the goal - I want to chronicle my experiences and progress on this blog on a weekly basis. I want to share it all with you, the highs and the lows (and there will be many), the struggles and the triumphs. I also hope to inspire others out there who are too scared to follow their dreams. There is only one way to live... in the moment!

I hope you'll share your stories as well. Post a blog, leave a comment or email me at lindsaydreyer@danceruniverse.com.

Until next week's update... happy dancing!

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