9 Dancers Share the Lucky Charms that Help the Show Go On
For many dancers, having a good luck charm stowed in a dressing room or dance bag feels like the key to a successful audition or show. We asked nine pros to share the goofy/sentimental/magical objects that they believe can make the difference between the performance of a lifetime and, well, actually breaking a leg.
Christine Cornish Smith, “My Fair Lady on Broadway”
Courtesy Christine Cornish Smith
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{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Christine Cornish Smith, “My Fair Ladyu00a0on Broadway””, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003eI always keep the quote “To thine own self be true,” from Shakespeare’s u003cemu003eHamletu003c/emu003e, somewhere in my dressing roomu2014or in my makeup bag if I’m traveling. It became special to me in seventh grade when my mom included it in a good luck card for a school play. I’ve carried it with me from that day forward as a reminder of her incredible support. It also reminds me that if I’m not acting from an authentic and true place, my work is never as effective.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eCourtesy Christine Cornish Smithu003c/pu003e”}
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{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Anthony “Kanec” Carr, commercial dancer”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003eMy teddy bear, Bud, was a gift from my grandmother, who was such a big part of my life that anything from her meant everything to me. She gave it to me when I was 9 and had recently lost my previous bears Jack and John Teddy, so Bud had a big space to fill. When I’m on tour, Bud comes backstage with me and travels in my carry-on bag, and he happens to make an excellent plane pillow. Bud has been around the world. I might be the only adult who’s brought their childhood teddy bear to the top of the Eiffel Tower.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eCourtesy Anthony Carru003c/pu003e”}
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{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Chase Johnsey, freelance ballet dancer”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003e When I danced with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Iliana Lopez, our ballet mistress, wore Red Door perfume by Elizabeth Arden. She was so beautiful and elegantu2014and you could always smell her. Now I wear that same perfume for performances and sometimes for class, and it transforms me into a ballerina. It’s comforting and brings me a sense of calm.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eCourtesy Chase Johnseyu003c/pu003e”}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “Alicia Delgadillo, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003e The Hubbard Street dancers trade merde gifts with each other before premieres. They might be a piece of candy, or something more personal. A former company member used to buy a Costco bin of cheese balls for everyone! I keep my most precious gifts in a travel bag that I have with me for every performance. One of my favorite things in there is a piece of an ornamental ball that a colleague took from a hotel during my first tour with HS2. It stayed in one piece for the entire two years of our contract, but shattered into exactly six pieces after our final touru2014one for each of the six dancers in the company.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003eCourtesy Hubbard Street Dance Chicagou003c/pu003e”}
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{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “u00a0Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan, Pacific Northwest Ballet”, “credit”: “”, “description”: “u003cpu003e My dad got me this blue-heart necklace on a string at a Native American festival when I was a kid. We were told it was lucky, so I started wearing it to every show and on every plane ride. When I was 12, right before I left for my first summer intensive, I realized I’d left the necklace at the studio the day before. I texted all my friends trying to find itu2014and my parents had to drive me to the studio before the airport because I u003cemu003ereallyu003c/emu003e needed to have my necklace. I still wear it to class and rehearsal, and I keep it in the pocket of my warm-up vest before performances.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Lindsay Thomas, courtesy Pacific Northwest Balletu003c/pu003e”}
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