I've learned that there are many people out there who want to feel powerful and strong on their own terms, who want to tune out the noise and the punishing nature of grueling workouts. With 'Ballet Beautiful,' we have peeled back the mystery of ballet and allowed people to do these workouts anywhere and in their own time.
Before founding Ballet Beautiful, I was a ballerina with the New York City Ballet.
A calming place, where you can go to escape it all and just focus on your body, is so wonderful to have.
I want my workouts to feel like a luxury, a way to pamper yourself and add a beautiful dimension to your everyday life.
All of the vintage photos of Ballets Russes are so inspiring.
I adore the tapestries at the Musee de Cluny in Paris!
I became completely obsessed with body oils while pregnant.
One of the things I found as a dancer is that you're trying to perfect your body but also protect it and keep it injury-free. When you work against your own weight, you're still building lean muscle and bone density, but you're in a safer zone.
The key to building long muscle as you swim is stretching arms far ahead of you in the water, sort of like a swan.
My approach in general is to take really great care of my skin, but I try not to overdo it and not use too many crazy products.
I sometimes wash my face at night with Cetaphil, which I like because it's a really gentle face wash.
A few times a week, I'll put on La Roche-Posay's Active C Facial Moisturizer. That's probably my favorite cream. It clears up my skin a bit and provides more of an anti-wrinkle element.
A lot of fitness has that very masculine energy and drive, and that never worked for me. I want to be challenged. I don't want to be told that I'm terrible and that I suck and that I'm not good enough - that's not motivating.
There's no feeling like performing. It's magical, it's so rewarding, and it just feeds this special little part of your soul.
It's empowering to find a workout that builds strength and grace.
A simple scoop-neck leotard highlights a ballerina's swanlike neck and elegant posture, both rooted in a powerful core.
A simple ballet wrap sweater heats the back muscles but is easy to put on or take off without disturbing a dancer's makeup or hair before a performance or during a workout.
Designing and creating dance clothes has taken my love for dancewear to a whole other level, melding the creative process with my daily fashion and allowing me to bring my most dreamed-about ballet styles to life.
Stretching before and after every workout keeps muscles supple and helps elongate the lines of a ballerina's limbs.
For a ballerina, the center of balance is everything - creating a strong center of balance begins with building strong abdominal muscles.
