Lonán is a MODG senior from Ireland, who has been dancing since she was five years old. She wanted to begin ballet lessons after seeing ballet featured in movies, such as Barbie, and in magazines. For her fifth birthday, Lonán was able to attend her first ballet lesson.
Lonán’s favorite part of ballet is dancing in the performances and doing bar work. She says a lot of dancers do not enjoy bar work, which is practicing form through repetition at the bar, but Lonán enjoys it, and sees the necessity in it as she says, “I just like it because you’re basically just refining everything, and getting everything really clean, and so that when you do have to do something really complicated, that’s your base to start off on.” Lonán clearly understands the importance of practicing the fundamentals.
She has also been in various productions with her ballet school. They usually do one or two productions a year, with “different variations for every class” but sometimes they will do a production like the Nutcracker. Her favorite was a Balanchine production in 2022, in which she danced a solo.
She has been en pointe for the last four or five years, and she says she loves it. Lonán is dedicated to ballet as she takes different classes two to three times a week, although she will attend more rehearsals when a production or exam is coming up. For ballet exams, Lonán says dancers have to learn “a set bar, a set center practice, [and] a set grand-jete” and that they will be graded and awarded points for each skill set.
Not only does Lonán dance, but she also gives back by teaching dance to younger and middle-aged children, from ages 3-13. It is easy to see how much Lonán enjoys teaching as she talked about it! She says she loves watching the children learn the wonderful art and sport of ballet. One of her favorite aspects of teaching is ” [to] help them grow in their appreciation of it, is really just beautiful.” After she graduates, she does not plan to dance professionally, but she hopes to keep up with her dancing. Lonán hopes to join a dance club or maybe teach ballet again, while she furthers her education at college.
We also asked Lonán why she thinks others should try ballet and what advice she would give to a beginner. She responded with a very inspiring and true statement, that can apply to ballet, but also many things in life; “I think people should try ballet because it’s an art and it’s also a sport. So it’s really beautiful and it’s really artistic, and very visual.”
Her advice for beginners is as follows: “If you’re starting, don’t get overwhelmed by it, and it really is just a process of getting better and better every time. Don’t be afraid to fall and just pick yourself up and start over again, and you know everyone has bad days and good days of it.”
