Gianna Reisen

Born Wyckoff, New Jersey — 1999 / Living: New York City, NY

Interview by Speciwomen — November 2015

Speciwomen: How did you get into dance? 

Gianna Reisen: Dancing had always been something that I loved to do ever since I was very young. The story of how I started dance is quite similar to possibly every 4 year old girl on the planet: my mom threw me into a baby ballet class. Not until I was maybe 11 years old did I know that I wanted to take dance seriously. I wouldn’t say I chose ballet, it was just kind of something that was meant to be in my life.

S: What dance do you do?

GR: I dance primarily ballet now, but I came from a background of all forms of dance: contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, etc. I enjoy sticking with my contemporary roots by taking occasional classes because I want to keep that form of dance under my belt for future choreography. 

S: Who inspires you? 

GR: My heroes are Kay Mazzo, Suki Schorer, Jonathan Stafford and my first ever ballet teacher, Lisa Danias. There are so many people that inspire me, but I would have to say my biggest dance inspirations are Lauren Lovette, Brittany Pollack, Wendy Whelan, and Tiler Peck.

S: Where do you perform? 

GR: I’ve been lucky enough to perform in the David H. Koch theater when I was younger, which was an incredible experience. Now, most of our choreography performances are “in studio” performances, which creates a very intimate setting with the audience watching the dancers right in front of them. At the end of the year, SAB’s workshop performance is held in the Peter J. Sharp theater (Juilliard). We are given occasional performance opportunities, so we definitely savor them when we get the chance. Dancers live to perform.

S: How do you deal with nerves before a show?

GR: Listening to music, moving around, and doing a lot of breathing exercises helps calm my nerves before a performance. I try not to think too hard before I go on stage because I usually end up psyching myself out. Instead, I try to have fun and treat it as an enjoyable experience, because inevitably, a few minutes goes by and it’s over. 

S: What would be your dream profession ? 

GR: My dream profession would be to dance everyday and perform every night with a ballet company. I want to be able to travel and get as much experience and knowledge as I can. New York City Ballet is essentially my first company choice, but the stars need to completely align in order for that to happen.

S: How has womanhood impacted you?

GR: I remember being little and thinking that the only thing I wanted was to be a princess. I wore my Snow White princess dress for a week straight until my mom made me take it off. Did I think that being a princess was reality? Yes. Girls, starting at a young age, are led to believe that the people who are princesses are pretty, skinny, flawless, even. This isn’t reality and this certainly isn’t the truth. It’s something that took me a while to learn, but it’s something that I realized once I started dancing. Every girl has flaws and no girl is perfect. When I’m dancing, I can be feminine, strong, and imperfect and still feel like I’m creating beautiful art. That is why I do what I do.