Alyssa Gregory

“Ballet first came into my life when I dressed up as a ballerina for Halloween. My mom got me a costume, and I absolutely loved it. I would wear it after school, and I think my mom noticed that I had a real interest in it. So, she signed me up for ballet classes when I was five years old. My first impressions of ballet were at such a young age, but I liked it enough to keep going back all these years.

What really drew me to ballet was the structure and how focused you had to be. There were proper ways to do things, like putting your arm here and bending your knees like this. Even as a young kid, it felt really good in my body. I think ballet has shaped me through the discipline it requires. It's not easy, and my dance teacher growing up used to say that part of our job as dancers is to make it look easy, so everyone thinks they can do it.

Ballet also gave me a strong sense of community. The friends I grew up dancing with are still some of my closest friends. We spent so much time together—like, I was at dance from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and then all day Saturday rehearsing. We literally grew up together, and when you go through that kind of experience with people, it creates an undeniable bond. We've all been through some tough times together, and it's created this amazing sense of love and family.

While ballet isn't as present in my day-to-day life as it once was, I naturally transitioned from being a studio dancer to a studio teacher. I started teaching ballet to little kids when I was an assistant teacher at my studio. Teaching became a significant source of income for me during undergrad, and I was valued for my ability to teach young children, which not many teachers want to do.

My ballet mentors and influencers have been really important to me. Mrs. Boyle, my dance teacher growing up, gave me such a strong foundation in ballet. She wasn't the best at communication, but she knew how to teach ballet. Other influences include dancers like Misty Copeland, Michaela DePrince, and contemporary ballet dancers like Alicia Graf Mack. Seeing this versatility is really important to me.

I said yes to this project because I love teaching ballet and want to get back into it. It feels like a good entry back into teaching for me. I'm also excited about teaching adults, as teaching kids has been my focus in the past. I'm particularly excited about the barre portion of the class, as it's the most fulfilling and juicy part of class for me, and I'm eager to experiment with it.”