Tag: lia cirio

What It's Really Like to Be a Principal Dancer in a Ballet Company

It was Valentine’s Day when then–16-year-old Lia Cirio auditioned for Boston Ballet—and was hired on the spot. Every year since, Cirio has celebrated February 14th as not only a day for teddy bears and chocolates, but also as the day she became a professional ballet dancer. Now, Cirio is a principal at the company, and […]

Letter to My Teenage Self: Lia Cirio

Commanding, versatile, fearless, sinewy, grounded—it’s impossible to describe multifaceted Boston Ballet principal Lia Cirio in just one word. That’s partly because she’s had a perfectly pointed foot in two distinct corners of the dance world. She joined Boston Ballet II in 2004 and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a soloist in the main company […]

Surviving the Last Days of Nutcracker: Our Top Tips

Nutcracker is always a bit of a slog. But in the days between Christmas and New Year’s? Ayyyyyyyy. Sure, the end of the run is in sight, but that also means you’ve already put your poor feet through dozens of shows. And without all the holly-jolliness of holiday shopping and cookie baking and present wrapping […]

Shank Strategies

Super-hard shanks can make new pointe shoes feel like bricks on your feet. That’s why dancers have come up with tons of clever ways to bend, cut, score and tape their shanks—adjustments that can significantly improve a shoe’s performance. It’s a highly personalized process, and often a complete game-changer. Here are a few of the […]

Nutcracker Survival Tips

Nutcracker season is in full swing! We asked Boston Ballet principals (and siblings!) Lia and Jeffrey Cirio for their best tips about how to survive and thrive during the run of performances. Be sure to catch Boston Ballet’s brand-new Nutcracker November 23-December 30. Dance Spirit: What’s your favorite Nutcracker role to dance? Lia Cirio: I […]

Back to Boston

I took a bus back to my home state of Massachusetts this weekend to escape from the city for a few hours, and while I was there I managed to catch one of the last performances of Boston Ballet’s “Simply Sublime.” It’s an ambitious title for a program, so I was excited to see if […]

Summer Study Survival Guide

Summer intensives are a great way to boost technique and make new friends. They’re also just what the name suggests: intense. For most dancers, summer study means leaving home for the first time, dancing many more hours a day than they’re used to and trying out different dance styles. But challenging as they are, summer […]