THE BASICS
Name: Heather Lively
Age: 19
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Hometown: Louisa, VA
Role in C’ville Ballet: Company Member
FAVORITES…
Food: Hmm… I LOVE Funyun Rings. I also like tacos, dark chocolate, chocolate ice cream, white cheddar popcorn, cheese, and lots of junk food =)
Color: Pink
Book: Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
Movie: Titanic…yes, it makes me want to cry everytime. =)
Quotation: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Whatever life throws at you…make the best of it!
Spot in C’ville: Sugar Hollow. I went hiking out there once and it’s absolutely beautiful.
Business/Store in C’ville: The Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar on the Downtown Mall.
NERDY BALLET QUESTIONS
Tell us about your dance background and training:
I started dancing in a very small studio in Ridge Manor, Florida with Debbie Harris. I danced there until I was 9, and was very passionate about jazz. After that, my family moved to Thomasville, Georgia, and I began studying ballet more seriously at South Georgia Performing Arts. I still really loved jazz, but the school was very strong in ballet. I joined their pre-professional ballet company, South Georgia Ballet, and also had the opportunity to learn dances from the Rockettes. I danced there until 2005, when my family moved again to Ruckersville, VA (shortly after we moved to Louisa, VA) and I took classes at Wilson School of Dance. My love of ballet really developed when I started studying with Ariadne Conner (the co-founder of Charlottesville Ballet). Her choreography was very flowing and it was actually fun to dance! In the summer of 2008, I was one of 25 dancers in Virginia chosen to attend the Residential Summer Governor’s School for dance for a month. In 2009, I was invited to join Charlottesville Ballet as the first apprentice, and I am now a full-time company member this year.
What genres of dance do you enjoy?
Of course ballet, but I also jazz and occasionally tap.
What kind of pointe shoe do you wear?
Capezio Glisse’s.
Do you have a favorite ballet:
It’s going to sound very cliche, but I’m going to have to say The Nutcracker. It reminds me of Christmas and all-day Saturday rehearsals =)
What’s your favorite ballet/dance step:
Pirouettes– gotta love those turns!
Tell us, why do you dance?
Well, I started because my parents put me in dance classes when I was about 4 years old. But I think I stuck with it because it was fun, especially in the early days where I took a lot of jazz (I couldn’t stay interested in ballet when I was younger). It really just became a part of me. I’m always dancing around everywhere, and without it I’m just lost. I also feel as though I’m not very good at expressing my emotions, so I can really show them through dance.
OTHER
What other jobs/activities/academic pursuits are you involved in? I am a full-time student at Piedmont Virginia Community College and plan to transfer later to pursue my teaching degree (I’d like to become an elementary school teacher). I’m a bit of a work-a-holic and hold a couple of different jobs outside of dancing. I am a jazz and creative dance teacher at The Dance Barn in Stanardsville, VA. I also teach jazz classes at the Boars Head Inn in the fitness center, where I also work a floor position (I fold towels and clean some of the machines). As if that weren’t enough, I’m a waitress at an Italian restaurant called Ragazzi’s….I also sleep occasionally =)
What other talents or passions do you have? I really enjoy choreographing. I’m working on some choreography for the dance program at PVCC, and hopefully will get to show my work on Charlottesville Ballet one day. Through out high school, I really enjoyed acting and if I had anymore time I would like to get into it again. I also enjoy singing at the top of my lungs in the privacy of my car!
Anything else you’d like to express: I can’t wait to see what Charlottesville Ballet has in store for us this year!
Heather’s full professional bio can be found online at www.CharlottesvilleBallet.org.
Thanks for enjoying our “Meet the Artist” segment–
and look for a new Charlottesville Ballet artist profile next month!