Piqué. Relevé. Développé. These are all terms every ballerina is familiar with. Ballet, an art consisting of eloquence and grace, is a form of dance derived from France. Originally established in 16th century Italy, ballet was eventually transitioned to France through royalty in the latter end of the century. The dance is not something to guffaw upon; complete concentration of each individual limb is absolutely necessary. One requires utter poise, focus, and finesse to truly perform ballet with the intricate control it is entitled to.
Ballet has always truly captivated me by its remarkable ability to tell a story— through dance.

Famous composers such as Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and Bernstein have composed breath-takingly phenomenal pieces; the senses are perfectly overwhelmed by such emotional, magnificent music and art. Ballets you may be familiar with are Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, and the Seasons; ironically, all three ballets are composed by the one and only Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky. The ballet dancers train rigorously for months before their final performance, which is undeniably shown through their undying passion upon the stage. May I add, my best friend is a professional dancer.
I am privileged enough to hold a friendship with Claire Cheney, a ballerina of fourteen years.

Claire is a high school senior, taking only four classes through Mother of Divine Grace School. Of course, in her spare time, she dances. When she’s not dancing, Claire works as a clerk and teacher in a local dance studio. Claire has traveled to Chicago numerous times to dance, along with endless competitions; she won every single one undoubtedly. Being a senior, Claire has begun her college application process. Not to my surprise, multiple schools have offered her scholarships after having the grand opportunity to see her

dance. Due to my prevailing, hungry curiosity, I asked Claire if she would do an interview with me. Without hesitation, she happily agreed.

Unfortunately, Claire lives in southern Michigan. I live in Florida, so as you may assume, we were unable to conduct a physical interview. However, due to the glorious technology of the 21st century, Claire and I were able to hold a spectacular interview over the internet.

I began with my first question, “As a high school student, how do you maintain a healthy balance between dance and school?” Claire thought carefully over this question. “If I’m being honest, it is a challenge. Staying organized is key, I always plan everything out. I use a planner, calendar, but still make sure to have ‘me time.’ Having a social life can be tough. Although, it’ll always balance if I love what I do.”

I love having the opportunity to hear Claire talk about ballet; hearing about others’ passions is always quite admirable. This led me to my next question, “How many ballets have you danced in, and which was your favorite?” Claire smiled, taking a moment to recollect the many dances she’s partaken in over the years. “I can’t recall every one, but I do know I have performed in Sleeping Beauty, the Nutcracker, Paquita, and the Awakening of Flora. If I had to choose, Paquita was definitely my favorite. I had the chance to do a solo variation and it was very pretty.”

For my next few questions, I decided to query about Claire’s future, concerning dance. “What are you looking forward to in the future of your dance career? What are your goals?” I asked her. “I can’t wait to be an inspiration to others,” Claire grinned, “I love working with the little girls at the dance studio. It truly excites me that I can be their role model, but humbling knowing they’ll be better than me someday. As for my goals, my main one is to always love dance. It’s undoubtedly the one thing that stays consistent in my life. It’s always there for me, and is a challenge, but that’s life. I’ll never reach perfection— but that’s the fun part.” I loved Claire’s response, it made me feel as if I shared her burning passion!

This forwarded my train of thought to my next questions: “How will you pursue dance in your life after high school graduation?” Without hesitation, Claire answered with excitement. “After high school, I will be attending university to double major in dance and kinesiology. I would love to pursue a career as a professional dancer for a couple years, but my goal is to help other dancers keep healthy bodies that they can rely on.”

Bringing our interview to an end, I asked Claire my final question. “What does dance mean to you?” Claire breathed in cautiously, carefully considering her answer. “Dance is my life, and I have no idea what I would do without it. It’s the one thing that no matter what, it never fails to bring me joy.” With that final answer, we brought the interview to an end.

For a girl her age, Claire Cheney has already accomplished more than one can possibly fathom, yet she only dreams to soar higher. I believe her to be an amazing motivation to all around her; whether it be her family, peers, or students. Seeing a ballet is entirely mesmerizing, but seeing Claire Cheney dance within one… that is simply a proclamation of artistic inspiration.