125. Inside the World of New York City Ballet with Laine Habony

What does it really look like to build a career with New York City Ballet? In this episode of The Brainy Ballerina Podcast, I’m joined by Laine Habony, a dancer in the corps de ballet at New York City Ballet, to talk about her journey from studying at the School of American Ballet to performing on one of the most prestigious stages in the ballet world. Laine shares what it was like to move to New York at just 13 and takes us behind the scenes of her transition from student to professional dancer, including how she received her apprenticeship with NYCB and navigated the demands of company life. We also discuss Laine’s experiences exploring choreography and serving as an apprentice repertory director, what she has learned from working on the other side of the rehearsal room, and how her relationship with ballet has evolved throughout her career. Key “Pointes” in this episode: Growing up studying multiple dance styles and how tap and musical theater influenced her approach to Balanchine Moving to New York at 13 to train full-time at the School of American Ballet The pivotal lessons she learned from her teachers at SAB How Laine found out she had been offered an apprenticeship with New York City Ballet The biggest adjustments she faced when transitioning from student to professional dancer Her favorite ballets to perform, dream roles, and the joy of finding new ways to approach familiar choreography Exploring choreography and creating work for fellow dancers What she learned from serving as an apprentice repertory director Developing a healthy relationship with ballet and cultivating interests outside the studio Connect with Laine INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/lainehabony/ Links & Resources Schedule a complimentary career consultation: https://www.thebrainyballerina.com/career-mentoring ETOILE: https://www.etoilecomp.com/brainy (save 10% with code BRAINY10) ORZA: www.orzabrand.com (use code BRAINYBALLERINA for 10% off) Let’s connect! My WEBSITE: thebrainyballerina.com INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/thebrainyballerina Questions/comments? Email me at [email protected]