I made it through an intense week at the 2023 International Adult Ballet Festival, cried through dress rehearsal, and (after dusting myself off) won the gold for the beginner classical division! Here’s an Instagram reel highlighting the week.

Oh, and I turned 50!

For years I’ve wondered what 50 would feel like and, let’s be honest, it’s really just another day. I was, however, delighted to wake up proud of my performance from the night before and felt excited to get back on the road for an evening in Savannah before retreating into the Blue Ridge mountains for a few days.

After my hip replacement last July, I wanted to push myself in this year’s solo once I healed. I returned to ballet in late September, began working on my solo in October with my teacher Sean Kelly (shown below), and returned to pointe work at the barre in January. When I found out that there was a pink fairy option for the Sleeping Beauty group piece in the ballet festival (costume below), I signed up for twice weekly private pointe lessons this spring (thanks, Anne!).

I mean, I had to be pink!

This also allowed me to do my Les Sylphides (video here and below) solo en pointe thanks to the push to be a pink fairy (it’s embarrassing to admit what really motivates me).

In this podcast, I share more into what it took to become a pink fairy and, ultimately, win the gold plus tips on bringing your own dreams to life at any age!

I can’t thank you enough for your kind notes and support as I navigated performing in a ballet festival and turning 50 over the past week. This community (you!) means the world to me. Merci for being such an integral part of my world. Bisous. x