Two recent social media posts shed light on the personal lives of dancers that span the range of the emotional spectrum:
On January 24, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Megan Fairchild replaced Tiler Peck in Allegro Brillante, dancing with her former husband Andrew Veyette. A few days later, she gave her thoughts on the difficult performance on Instagram, making public her divorce and the difficulty of dancing with a person that elicits many painful memories. On a defiant note, she ended the post “…I know now that I can survive whatever comes my way. #closure”
It must be difficult as a dancer to break up with a fellow company dancer. Relationships occur in all organizations, but the close working relationships among dancers make divorces tough. It’s not like office workers that can move to another department/company to get away from an ex as dancers are always in close proximity. Wish the best to Megan.
On a happier note, Polina Semionova had a baby in January and she posted two photos on her Facebook page. The first photo shows her baby’s little fingers wrapped around mama’s. The second post shows a beaming Polina with baby in a stroller on a snowy day. Congratulations to Polina. Currently Polina is listed as a Guest Principal Dancer at the Mikhailovsky Ballet but not on the roster at ABT or Berlin Opera Ballet. She joined ABT as a Principal Dancer in 2012 and gave stunning performances in Don Quixote and Swan Lake among others. Polina is one of my favorite dancers and I hope she returns to ABT. Maybe in the 2018 Met Season?