126. From Miami City Ballet to Freelance Dancer in NYC with Ella Titus

There is no one right way to build a career as a professional dancer, and Ella Titus is a perfect example of that. After spending a decade with Miami City Ballet, Ella made the leap to New York City to pursue a freelance career, where she has since danced with Tom Gold Dance, BalletCollective, the New York Philharmonic, and more. We talk about her journey from becoming an apprentice with Miami City Ballet at just 16 and eventually joining the corps de ballet, as well as what inspired her to leave the company and start freelancing in NYC. Ella shares an honest look at the inconsistency of freelance life, how she structures her weeks, balancing ballet with teaching Pilates, marketing and influencer work, and how she landed a New York Fashion Week modeling opportunity simply by shooting her shot. We also have an important conversation about dancer health, chronic illness, trusting your intuition when something feels wrong, and why dancers need to stop convincing themselves that they are invincible. Key "Pointes" in this Episode: Ella's decade-long career with Miami City Ballet and her favorite memories from the company The impact of Teen Vogue's Strictly Ballet YouTube series on Ella's career and social media following Getting started in the NYC freelance dance world without having a plan How Ella's public relations degree has helped her build opportunities outside of dance Why dancers often ignore warning signs and convince themselves they are invincible Learning to trust your gut when something doesn't feel right with your health The different paths available to dancers who want both a professional career and a college education Connect with Ella: Follow Ella on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellatitus/ Follow Ella on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellatitus Links and 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 Schedule your complimentary career consultation: https://www.thebrainyballerina.com/career-mentoring Questions/comments? Email me at [email protected]