Welcome to En Pointe, a quarterly sequence that gives a deep dive into the intersection of magnificence and dance by means of the eyes of up-and-coming, multidisciplinary dance expertise. Expect an intimate look into the each day lives, desires, and dance-bag magnificence necessities of the business’s finest younger performers.
It’s been years since I final placed on my pointe footwear and devoted early mornings to rehearsals and late nights to prolonged courses, however the dancer in me is nowhere close to dormant. I catch myself slipping simply into outdated ballet habits with out considering twice about them—stretching mindlessly in between video name conferences and utilizing the traditional Tombé Pas de Bourrée mixture to move myself from one location to a different. When I’m not scrolling by means of TikTook, there is a good likelihood I’m watching my favourite gifted ballerinas carry out the roles I dreamt about as a younger dancer, marking each transfer with little flicks of the wrist and nonetheless letting myself get carried away to the sounds of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.
I watch ballet variations like some watch their favourite podcasters, paying attention to the acquainted faces of dancers who’ve made frequent appearances on my For You web page (and the world’s most recognizable levels) all through the years. Last month, I met one among these people, American Ballet Theatre’s principal dancer, Isabella Boylston, as she launched into one other busy efficiency season. Within the primary few seconds of our name, we zoomed proper previous shy introductions, as an alternative reminiscing over shared reminiscences of rehearsals and this 12 months’s Nutcracker‘s preeminent casting. Less than a minute in, Boylston invited me to attend one of many ballet’s upcoming 14 performances with a vivid smile.
Fresh from rehearsal, Boylston spent the final half-hour of a protracted workday cluing me in on her profession, starting in Midwestern ballet studios, the large transfer to New York City as a younger dancer, and the 21 years she’s spent performing with ABT. She additionally broke down precisely how she started documenting her life as knowledgeable ballerina on her social media platforms with 1000’s of viewers. Read on to get a peek into the lifetime of one among this era’s most gifted ballet dancers and find out about all the things from Boylston’s pointe-shoe habits to her nonnegotiable magnificence necessities.
(Image credit score: Courtesy of Isabella Boylston)
Meet Isabella Boylston: Principal Dancer on the American Ballet Theatre and Content Creator
When our digital assembly started, I seen the title “Hildur” displayed briefly on the display earlier than Boylston made her look. When requested, she defined that Hildur was, in reality, her beginning title, and that Isabella, her center title, was her chosen stage title. “I don’t think that many people know about it, but that’s what I went with when I went professional,” she defined. “They thought ‘Isabella’ would perform better.” When she started her ballet coaching, nevertheless, she was Hildur from Sun Valley, Idaho, a resort city recognized for its miles of illustrious mountain trails and wildflower-filled meadows and as a year-round hub for arts and tradition.
Although nobody in her household had a deep curiosity in ballet, or had ever pursued a profession in dance, Boylston wasn’t with out ample inspiration within the arts. She grew up round music, as her dad was a drummer who loved taking part in his favourite tunes within the basement and, rather less deliberately, on the steering wheel as he drove. “I think that introduction to music and rhythm was the first thing that really connected me with ballet. It was that, and I also really loved the creativity of it,” Boylston explains. She describes her persona throughout the early childhood years as being very free-spirited, improvisational, and referred to as to bop. When she found that her innate love for motion might grow to be a profession, Boylston determined to work towards changing into knowledgeable ballet dancer.
Besides performing, it is the small moments within the studio the place I’m laughing with my buddies and watching them dance within the studio which were the spotlight of my profession.
Ahead of Boylston’s senior 12 months of highschool, she was supplied a place with ABT’s Studio Company (the theater’s junior firm with the objective of getting ready younger dancers for careers in the primary firm). While she was initially very involved in making the leap, her mother and father inspired her to finish highschool earlier than embarking on knowledgeable profession. They reached a compromise, and Boylston graduated early forward of becoming a member of the Studio Company midway by means of her senior 12 months. Spring 2026 will mark Boylston’s twentieth season with ABT. “My time with them has really flown by, but it’s also been hard, long, and fun,” she says. “It’s been a whole roller coaster!”
Looking again at Boylston’s profession to date, there are main milestones that come to thoughts as her “I made it” moments. For one, her very first efficiency because the Swan Queen in Swan Lakefor instance, was a dream position of hers, like it’s for therefore many dancers. “Getting to embody the character to Tchaikovsky music on the Met stage in front of 4000 people for the first time was so surreal. I’ll never forget that day!” she says. Another very notable second that has helped outline Boylston’s profession thus far was performing as a visitor artist with the Paris Opera Ballet. “I remember doing Don Quixote on Christmas Eve, and my dad and stepmom came into town to see it. We had lunch the day of the show, and when I said bye to them, I couldn’t stop crying, because I was so nervous,” she says. As quickly as she acquired on stage, nevertheless, the sensation handed and he or she felt able to carry out.
The Turning Pointe
Just as generations of classical ballet dancers have achieved earlier than her, Boylston got here to a conclusion on how she’d like to maneuver by means of the world of dance. Body picture, for instance, was one thing she needed to confront as a younger dancer throughout her coaching. “When I was in school and going through puberty, I did have a teacher that told me to lose weight, which was devastating to hear,” she says. “Finding a way to guard your self-esteem is an important skill to have in ballet.”
Boylston encourages dancers to deal with the facility and sweetness in being distinctive, because it’s what can set you other than everybody else. “When you’re watching a performance, what moves the audience isn’t just a person’s technique or lines—it’s their personality, individuality, and how a dancer uses what they’ve got in an artistic and moving way that makes a difference.” Boylston additionally notes that all through her profession, she has targeted on enhancing the best way she talks to herself, takes care of her physique, and units boundaries. “[Setting boundaries] is always a challenge in ballet because you’re brought up to be respectful—which is such a beautiful thing about the culture! But sometimes, it’s to your own detriment,” she explains.
When you are watching a efficiency, what strikes the viewers is not only a particular person’s approach or traces—it is their persona, individuality, and the way a dancer makes use of what they have in a creative and transferring means that makes a distinction.
Staying assured in her physique and artistry continues to be one thing Boylston is dedicated to engaged on as she continues on in her profession as knowledgeable ballet dancer. “No matter what is happening externally, I have to remember that I should build myself up,” she says. She additionally acknowledges the influence that having unbelievable mentors has had on her profession and highlights the significance of constructing a robust help system by means of buddies and colleagues as a should in any dancer’s life. In addition to shifting the best way she speaks to herself, Boylston additionally journals and shares her ideas with others by means of remedy. “Being lifted up by my friends has been what’s gotten me through all the difficult moments in my career, including injuries,” explains Boylston.
The self-discipline and respect that dancers acquire as they prepare will serve them properly all through their lives, whether or not they determine to pursue knowledgeable profession or not. “I have so many friends I went to school with who didn’t become professional dancers or have since retired, and they’re all killing it!” she continues “There’s something about ballet that can set you up really well for anything because it’s so challenging.” Dancing within the studio additionally forces you to be utterly current so as to enhance, requiring a focus achieved with out the assistance of telephones or social media.
Sharing the Dance Life
Boylston is without doubt one of the few skilled ballet dancers in a number one firm who shares bits and items of her life by means of a powerful social media presence. Bite-size movies and photos posted to her platforms element all the things from breaking in pairs of custom-order Bloch European Balance pointe footwear by molding them on concrete stairs and rehearsing for upcoming performances within the studio. Her ballet vlogs, particularly, take viewers by means of complete days as a dancer, from studio to stage. “Misty Copeland is a close friend of mine and was a big inspiration! She was the first ballerina I was aware of who crossed over into the mainstream to work with brands.”
After being impressed by Copeland, Boylston thought of how she might use social media to construct a enterprise for herself alongside her dance profession. “I love ballet and want as many people to be able to experience it as possible,” she says. “Doing BTS stuff on social media has been such an awesome way to connect with people and show them a different side of a ballerina.” It additionally offered an incredible alternative for Boylston to assist fight inaccurate media portrayals of dancers primarily based on dangerous stereotypes whereas exhibiting that it may be gratifying and difficult.
In the previous, Boylston has additionally shared together with her viewers the complexities of being injured as a dancer and the distinctive restoration processes. However, studying the way to take heed to what her physique wants all comes right down to expertise. “I still feel so great physically, but the recovery time you need gets longer the older you get,” she says. When COVID-19 required studios and theaters to shut, she started prioritzing Pilates to assist preserve her physique sturdy, limber, and versatile. After struggling together with her proper ankle on and off all final season, she acquired an MRI on each that exposed a number of outdated accidents that went unhealed after dancing by means of the accidents. “The time on stage that we have can feel so precious sometimes it pushes you to do things that you probably shouldn’t do,” explains Boylston. “I’ve learned to listen to my body more and stop when it needs to rest.”
(Image credit score: Courtesy of Isabella Boylston)
Ballerina Beauty 101
With all of the motion dancers do all through their careers, it must be no shock that the pores and skin can typically replicate the consequences of perspiration, environmental aggressors, and heavy make-up. With 20 seasons beneath her belt as a dancer with ABT, Boylston has found the important thing to retaining her pores and skin wholesome. Following a less-is-more mindset, within the morning, the dancer washes her face with water earlier than utilizing Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C Serum ($30), adopted by a moisturizer. For the cooler months, she makes use of the Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream ($20) from Weleda as a result of it locks in moisture with a wealthy system, and typically she additionally opts for the Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream ($20).
Boylston makes use of a refreshing face spray to appease and hydrate the pores and skin after rehearsals. To end out her busy days, she makes use of the Mellow Mallow: Nourishing Gel Cleanser ($35) from Murmure Skin (a model cofounded by retired ABT dancer Emily Hayes), and Shiseido’s Perfect Cleansing Oil ($36) for mild exfoliation. For bodily exfoliation, she favors the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask ($58). Last, she makes use of the Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask ($49) as a moisture-replenishing nightly moisturizer.
(Image credit score: Courtesy of Isabella Boylston)