from the
STAGE
to
PAGE
ACT ONE:
DANCING
From taking ballet classes at the local park district to performing with a regional ballet company; or from a short time with a small modern troupe to entertaining thousands across North America as a back-up dancer for a drag performer: I’ve seen and done it all.
ACT TWO:
GOING ROGUE
First Arcticle
CS Magazine May 2008
A few years after hanging up my dancing shoes, I got my first professional writing gig. It was an article about a dancer who was retiring: someone whose work I knew well and a familiar topic. I was a legit writer! I quickly learned that the most interesting things don’t always make the editorial cut, so I started a dance blog where I could cover what I wanted and say it in my own way (read: cuss). Enter Rogue Ballerina, my alter ego.
ACT THREE:
THE JOFFREY YEARS
The Joffrey Ballet is intertwined with my writing journey. In college, I reviewed a Joffrey show for a class, and I’ve covered them a LOT over the years on my blog and for Windy City Times and See Chicago Dance. Eventually, I landed a position in their marketing department, where one of my duties was managing editorial content for their program books. A years-long project that I’m particularly proud of was managing the creation and publication of their 60th-anniversary coffee table book. To this day, a large portion of my assignments are still covering Joffrey.
ACT FOUR:
WRITING
When the pandemic eliminated my job, I took time to reflect and think about what I really wanted to do with my life. So, I dusted off my journalistic hat and started writing (and talking – I launched a podcast from my closet!) about dance again. Full circle, but on my own terms. The freelance life is sporadic, eclectic, frustrating, and exhilarating. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Alongside dance writing is my true passion – children’s books. This little girl who used to read Winnie-the-Pooh in her closet by flashlight is now publishing picture books and starting her own small children’s publishing imprint. Dreams do come true.
EPILOGUE:
WRITING MY OWN STORY
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