As a small child, every girl dreams of being a ballerina. Sophomore Bryn Michaels is working to make that dream a reality. When she was 4, Michaels signed up for her first ballet class. Now, at the age of 15, Michaels continues dancing ballet with great devotion.
Michaels dances seven days a week—for a total of 26 hours—at the pre-professional program of Faubourg School of Ballet in Hanover Park. At Faubourg she takes technique, pointe, variations and contemporary classes, and several private lessons.
“I don’t get home until 11 or 12 [at night],” Michaels said. “I do as much homework in the car as I can.”
The school accommodates her schedule; she has a late arrival and early dismissal each day. She misses a gym class and one elective.
This year, Michaels has been spending extra time at the studio preparing for the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) regionals. YAGP is one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world, as well as the largest.
Michaels is learning two different variations and a contemporary solo for the competition.
“It’s crazy because I’m doing 3 to 4 private [lessons] a week,” Michaels said. “It takes a lot of extra time. I’m doing the Bridesmaid Variation from Don Quixote, another variation from Paquita, and a contemporary piece.”
Since Michaels has such a demanding ballet schedule throughout the school year, one may think she takes the summers off. Instead, Michaels attends “summer intensives” offered by ballet schools around the U.S. Last summer, Michaels went to the six-week American Academy of Ballet (AAB) program in upstate New York.
Many high school students wonder why Michaels would pass up social activities in favor of attending ballet class.
“I don’t think they fully understand how dedicated I am to it,” Michaels said. “My parents told me to put all my effort towards it because I love it; I want to do it as a job.”
Michaels has to balance her time not only between school and dance, but social media presence as well. Around two years ago, Michaels signed for an Instagram account, where users post their photos. Michaels explains that as she started posting her ballet pictures, more and more people started to follow her. As of press time, Michaels has close to 28,000 followers on her account.
“I never thought this would happen,” Michaels said. “But I’m so thankful for it and all the opportunities it has given me; it’s incredible.”
Three different photographers have contacted her. Other people have recognized her from her pictures. According to Michaels, while at a Ballet West performance, a little girl came up to her and asked, “Are you Bryn?” Recently, a company contacted her and offered to sponsor her.
“They asked if I could be their official ambassador and advertise on my social media platform and in return they would send me pointe shoes and merchandise,” Michaels said. “It’s still in the works, but it’s so exciting.”
All this attention makes Michaels more conscious of what she does and posts. She explains that although some people post negative commentary, she appreciates the positive feedback from aspiring ballerinas that view her as their role model.
“It’s weird to me, because I wouldn’t think of myself as a role model,” Michaels said. “But I like it that I can help some people out; it’s great! I just want to be able to talk to them all.”
A second social media website Michaels participates in is Ask.fm, where users can ask her questions. She’s answered more than 2000 questions. Many of these ask Michaels for advice in all aspects of dance. Although she is able to answer most, some leave her puzzled.
“I get some deep questions!” Michaels said. “And sometimes people ask me ‘I’m having this sharp pain in my back, what should I do?’ and I’m like ‘I’m not a doctor!’ So I’ll have to ask my teachers for help.”
Not only does Michaels receive advice from her teachers, but her parents as well. Michaels explains that she’s thankful for all that her parents do for her, and all the effort they put into her career and her future.
“[My parents] support me a lot, they want what’s best for me,” Michaels said. “They put their 100% into it. But they didn’t really know what they were getting into! It’s a learning process for us.”
In the future, Michaels hopes to dance with Ballet West, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater or San Francisco Ballet. But right now, she’s putting all her effort into practicing to make sure that her dream becomes a reality.
