Jasmine Jain: Welcome back to another episode of Pushing Over the Box. I'm so excited to be talking to Emilie Gerrity, ⁓ dancer with the New York City Ballet. ⁓ is the recipient of the 2009 May Halloween Award and known for her clarity, speed, and expressiveness. ⁓ I'm excited, so let's get right into it. ⁓ Hi, Thank you so much for being here. Emilie Gerrity: you Hi, thank you so much for having me. Jasmine Jain: So my first question is, when did you first start dancing and did you love it from the beginning? Emilie Gerrity: So I started dancing when I was four I I wanted to take a tap class. So you had to take ballet in order to take tap. And I told my mom that she had to take a class ⁓ in order me to be able to take a class. So she enrolled herself in an adult tap class ⁓ and then took both tap and ballet. Jasmine Jain: what did your early training journey look like? Emilie Gerrity: Um, so I was a competition kid. I did like Star Power. I danced in Disney World. I did all different forms of dance, hip hop, lyrical, tap, jazz. Um, I did that from about four until 11. Um, and I honestly fell in love with ballet over, my like perfectionism. And I loved the fact that you had to strive to be perfect ⁓ but it was like this unattainable thing. So found it fascinating to like get into a studio every day and just strive for that. So I didn't feel like there was anything else that was So I started solely focusing on ballet, I would say around 12. I changed studios ⁓ I went from like doing competitions to with teachers that were Balanchine trained and I decided I was really gonna try to get into New York City Ballet. ⁓ And I auditioning for the summer programs first. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: I did three summers there and then I stayed for the winter term and I did three years at SAB before I got into the company. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. when did you first discover that ⁓ could be more than just like ⁓ hobby or an after-school activity? Emilie Gerrity: ⁓ I would say. Kind of like when I started doing the summer programs realizing that ⁓ ultimate goal was ⁓ eventually get into a company. I didn't know if that was attainable, but that was my goal. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. were your parents always like supportive of it being a career? ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: For sure. My mom always would ask me, like, every year she was re-enrolling me, you know, in my lessons. She was like, are you sure this is what you want to do? Because she never wanted me to feel like she was the one who wanted it more than me. Which, like, I applaud her for. You know, she wanted to make sure it was my dream and not hers. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: And my dad was always super supportive. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm, yeah. And who were your... And were your biggest inspirations growing up? Emilie Gerrity: I feel very fortunate. there's so many, but ⁓ name a few just in City Ballet realm and then I'll do a few like outside New York City would say obviously like Darcy Kisler, ⁓ Maria Kurowski, Whalen, Jennifer Ringer, Janie and Jenny Simoji was one for me. Jasmine Jain: you Emilie Gerrity: I loved their dancing and my dream was New York City Ballet, New York City Ballet. So those were people I really looked up to. And then outside I would say Darcy Bussle, Margot Fontaine. Til VEGIEM, to name a few. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. did you stay in in-person school throughout all your training or what did that look like for you? Emilie Gerrity: So, when I moved to New York to go to SAB, I chose the public school. It's called the Professional Performing Arts School. I had never been homeschooled. I always was in person. So, my mom wanted me to continue that. And I would go to school in the morning. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: like academic school, and then a bus would come and pick us up from the academic school, bring us back to SAB. We would take class and then we'd get back on a bus and go back to academic school for the rest of our day and then come back to SAB again for another class. So there's a lot of back and forth. Jasmine Jain: How did you like all of the school versus ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: mean, it's obviously difficult to always to balance both, but we had tutors and obviously the friends that were in my suite with me, we would all get together and do our homework or compare notes and study together. So it was kind of a communal effort. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. what was like the biggest transition for you going to SAB full-time? ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: would say the biggest transition was just not being around my family. You move away, I was 15 when I left home. So I wasn't doing normal dinners with my family. That was probably the biggest change. And those are your main teenage years. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: that you're going through. But you make so many friends and my friends became obviously my family that were nearby. And then I had my family at home, which I got to go back to. And I was very lucky. My family lived only two hours outside of the city. So they would come visit and I could go home if I wanted to. So it wasn't. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: wasn't too bad. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. what was it like getting your apprenticeship? Emilie Gerrity: I was obviously so excited. The year prior, there were a lot of people who the director at the time, Peter Martens had let go. So there was a big fire and we weren't sure if we were gonna get an apprenticeship. So we were told to audition for all of the companies that we could and... to get back to them with who, know, what offers we got. So I remember when I finally found out that I'd gotten into New York City Ballet, I was just ⁓ the moon. was like, you know, crying and calling my mom. It's like ⁓ that you worked for, you know, it comes true in like a blink of an eye. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. was it a big transition for you going ⁓ the company from the school? Emilie Gerrity: I wouldn't say too big of a transition. think that if were going into any company from a school setting, there is a learning curve that happens. You're not a student anymore. So that's changing. Your daily rehearsal schedule changes. ⁓ Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: you're standing in your shoes a lot longer, having to learn so many different ballets ⁓ opposed to, you know, the only performance that we got in the school was the workshop. And then occasionally there would be a little, what did they call little performances for schools here and there, ⁓ I never got to do something like that. So my only exposure was through workshop. So getting to perform so ⁓ was, know, it's just a transition. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Yeah. And what was it like getting promoted to soloist and then to principal? Emilie Gerrity: mean, it's incredible. every ballet dancer dreams of. So I feel like. Soloist obviously was crazy. I mean, kind of they're similar in the sense that I was doing the same ballet and I was doing the same role in the ballet. So 2017 I was promoted to soloist and Obviously, everyone's journey is extremely different in the ballet world. I had in the company longer than others who had already gotten promoted. So I think by the time ⁓ had rolled around, ⁓ already been in the company for eight years. And I wasn't sure if I would be promoted. I was ecstatic I was performing the variation in the Sleeping Beauty. And I remember getting an email from Peter Martin's assistant telling me that Peter wanted to have a meeting with me. And then I heard through the grapevine that ⁓ a few other had had a similar email sent to them. ⁓ So everyone was during rehearsals before the show that night. it, mean, was ecstatic. There's ⁓ there's no way I could, you can like relive those moments and be so excited. ⁓ ⁓ was just proud. I was really proud of myself in that moment. proud that I had gotten there and proud that my work stood for and that my journey was different than everyone else's. And I that about my story. And that's kind of how I feel about being promoted to principal as well. I wasn't sure if it was gonna happen. I had kind of just been like, know, I dance these incredible ballets. I'm on stage almost every night and I love it. I love it. Jasmine Jain: Thank in the world. Emilie Gerrity: I think as soon as you stop putting pressure on yourself for all of the things to happen exactly how you want it, it kind of just falls into place. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. ⁓ does an average day look like for you? ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: So I usually wake up around 7.30. I have a little dog, Maisel. So I take her for a walk, come back upstairs. I make myself breakfast and coffee. Kind of have a little downtime while I'm doing that. Also point shoes sometimes, or just watch a TV show. I FaceTime with my goddaughters. catch up with some friends or my family, and then I drive to work. I live in New Jersey, so I get in my car, go to work. I have class at 10.30 every day, 10.30 to 11.30 when we're performing. And then your rehearsal schedule tends to vary day to day. I could have no rehearsals one day or I can have like five hours of rehearsal. that's before the show. And then typically if I have the show, I'll have a snack and then I start getting ready for the show. Do the show, ⁓ take shower at the theater and then I drive home, make myself dinner ⁓ and to just calm down after the show because your adrenaline's. Jasmine Jain: . Emilie Gerrity: you know, buzzing. So I have like compression pants. just get in my compression pants and I turn on a good ⁓ show and try to relax. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm, yeah. how do you deal with pre-show nerves? Emilie Gerrity: So, Breathing is super important, obviously. taking deep breaths to kind of calm your nervous system and try to slow your heart rate a little bit. I think that if you let it get too heavy and, you know, adrenaline is a normal thing. So it's already pumping through you. And I feel like sometimes adrenaline can be compared to nerves. So you feel it like in your body. I would say I just try to remain like super calm and relaxed and I drink my water. Sometimes I'll put a hydration packet in there ⁓ I kind of just talk to my friends and do my warmup. if a ballet that I haven't performed before, a role I haven't performed ⁓ before, you're usually more nervous ⁓ for something that. But what I try and remind myself is you've rehearsed this a million times. put in all the work and then you just go out there and you try and enjoy every moment. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. how do you deal with like mistakes stage or falling on stage and like not getting to in your head about it? Emilie Gerrity: Mistakes on stage happen. They definitely happen. actually what it makes some of the moments that you wouldn't think happen that much better. You know, it's like you hold a balance or you do an extra pirouette out of nowhere. So it's okay to make mistakes. Falling ⁓ obviously another situation, but have get up and laugh at yourself. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: I've fallen a couple times on the stage and I remember, actually, it was a pretty big fall. I was out there by myself in the middle of a solo and there was this ballet called Braunschonberg it was one of the last like two entrances I have. So my partner runs off stage and then I run back on for my solo. I'm in the middle of a solo and my shoe like ⁓ the Marley funny and it fell out from underneath me and I landed completely sideways the stage and the whole audience gasped so loud. ⁓ in that brief second that I hit the ground and I heard the audience gasp, I popped back up ⁓ just kept dancing. And partner runs back on stage and I was dancing with one of my best friends, Taylor Stanley. And he was like, are you okay? And we're still dancing. And I was like, I'm so embarrassed. And I kept running, we're dancing. And he was like, no, you're beautiful. And it's just a reminder that, you you're human. You're human, things happen. And as long as you're okay, that's the only thing that matters. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. do you have a favorite ballet to dance or to watch? ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: so hard when you're asked this question. It's like your wheels start turning and you're like there are so many ⁓ ballets that I feel like New York City Ballet especially gets to perform. I have particular feelings about different ballets just because of how they resonate with me and maybe the times that I've gotten to perform them. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: Serenade is special to me because it was my workshop ballet. And reminds me of my grandfather coming to watch in workshop. So there are things like that where you like hold on to certain memories. I would say other than that Brahms ⁓ is one of favorite ballets. mean, ⁓ Contrario Barocco. Jasmine Jain: you Emilie Gerrity: And far as watching. I love going out to the front and watching all my friends. It's a reminder of how talented the entire company that I dance with really is. ⁓ nothing like being out front, because you're surrounded by these people all day long. And obviously everyone's very talented, but there's something about being in the audience where you're like, ⁓ ⁓ ⁓ It's so special. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. you have like a favorite costume? Emilie Gerrity: favorite costume? tend to like, do a lot of leotard ballets, right? And like simple, simple costumes. ⁓ I also love the dances at a gathering costume. They're like, it's this like really thin chiffon. They're beautiful. And that's another, once again, like one of my favorite ballets to perform. So special. ⁓ Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. and Emilie Gerrity: Yeah, very flowy and elegant and you feel like yourself. It's not over the top. But there's so many that you get to wear and you forget, you know? It's like you have long skirts, sometimes it's a tutu, sometimes it's a leotard. ⁓ The Divertimento number 15 costumes is probably one of my favorite tutus I get to wear. They're like this stunning yellow color with like blue and crystals. And it's a... Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Peace. Emilie Gerrity: beautifully decorated cupcake. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. what also Emma Von Anke was saying. She was saying that was her favorite tutu to wear as well. ⁓ it's very pretty. ⁓ So you ever gone through like a major injury and how did you deal with that? Emilie Gerrity: Yeah, it's so pretty. Major injury. It a bad but was very, very the way kind of things worked out. It was the last day of and I had been having like a a pain in my hip and the way that I was describing it to PT, was like, kind of feels like, I was like, my butt bone feels like it's like falling out funny. And they were laughing at me and no one could figure out exactly what was wrong. And last, second to last day of season, I slipped on stage that night. And the next morning I woke up and I couldn't walk. I went to PT. And I left on crutches and straight to get an MRI. And they found out that I partially tore my rectus femoris, which is ⁓ your second hip flexor in the front of your hip. So I tore the top of it, which what that pain was essentially. And my femur bone was pushing too far forward in the hip socket itself. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: So I was on crutches for a few weeks and it was overlay off. So I slowly started back to PT and I didn't really have to miss much time, which I was so fortunate. And then I got back on stage pretty quickly. Other than that, I would say... Actually recently I started dealing with little bit of Achilles issues, which a newer thing for me. And it's because nothing it's tendonitis, it's tendinosis. I do have an extra bone that I didn't know I had, which I don't know if I've had it the whole time, but I just happened to get imaging and you get your MRI results and you see of these things maybe they've been there the whole time or maybe not. So yeah, learning how to manage that. And aside from that, I only had one other small injury where I tore, partially tore my plantar fascia in my foot. And I got an injection and similarly it was over a layoff in which I dealt with it. So that's kind of my like, my history of injuries. Knock on wood, I've been really lucky. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. And you ever have like days when feeling like ⁓ tired or and you just like are not in the mindset to like ⁓ do everything how do you deal with those days? Emilie Gerrity: I think that everybody has those days, right? You feel exhausted, maybe you didn't sleep very well. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: You're tired from the show the night before maybe, or you're just having an day, right? So have to, I like to say, like, give myself a little bit of grace, and ⁓ like myself to something special to help me like get through it and try and like preserve my energy throughout the day. Like ⁓ if I go to my dressing room and close my eyes for 20 minutes in between a rehearsal to kind of like, reset my body and my mind. That's kind of what I like to do. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. like, do you have any hobbies outside of ballet? Emilie Gerrity: Yeah, so actually I recently started doing needlepoint, which ⁓ am loving. I ⁓ finished my first one. This is one of my... So I like, thank ⁓ I doing that. I read books and listen to audio books. ⁓ And then are just like spell hobbies. But other than that, Jasmine Jain: ⁓ that's so pretty. Emilie Gerrity: I love cooking. ⁓ Growing up, my mom me and it was a really big thing in our family, like over holidays and stuff. So ⁓ like to go to the grocery store and like grab different ingredients and try to like concoct something super flavorful and different. And I like hosting like friends. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: things like that. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. what has been the hardest thing for you in ballet? ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: hardest thing in ballet, like a ⁓ step or just like in general. Jasmine Jain: in general, yeah. Emilie Gerrity: in general, I would say. It took me a long time to learn to not compare myself to anyone else. I said earlier, it's like everyone's journey is different. And I feel like this came up a lot. Cause at first I would be frustrated. Like I wanted it. I wanted to be promoted. I, know, everyone does. It's like, you want it so bad. And Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: You cannot, I had to be constantly reminded and remind myself, like you cannot compare yourself anybody. Like are on your own journey. And I like when ⁓ I finally found peace within that was a game changer me. ⁓ Jasmine Jain: Yeah. how do you recover after a long day of rehearsals or a show? Emilie Gerrity: I usually go, we have a cold plunge at the theater. So I'll go into the cold plunge. I'll do like three minutes in the cold plunge. then I take a hot shower. And I said, compression pants. I have like the pants and then I also have like hip compressions. ⁓ Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Do you have like a favorite post-show snack or meal? Emilie Gerrity: and putting your feet up, elevating. I would say, I mean, I like to eat different things every day, right? After a show, typically it's later, so it's hard to throw together an entire meal. So I try to like meal prep a little bit, but I love like a kind of like Mediterranean bowl, like some kind of protein. I'll do like, either like couscous and like a Mediterranean salad with like tzatziki sauce, ⁓ or it could be like a sweet potato with like a protein and a vegetable, sort of thing. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. And how do you define success and has that changed for you over your career? Emilie Gerrity: How do I define success? That's a great question. think success is anything that you are proud of. It's like, what have you achieved that you are proud of? That is what I would consider success. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: And I think, it probably has changed over the course of my career. I don't think I've ever really thought about it, but. I think I look at, you know, one of going into rehearsals or a show and you can find success in anything and be proud of yourself and the work that you put in ⁓ every Jasmine Jain: Yeah. And what advice would you give your 13 year old self? Emilie Gerrity: What advice would I give my 13 year old self? I would say just like a nice reminder to keep going. Keep going, keep working hard. and really striving for those dreams that you wanna achieve. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. where do you see yourself in 10 years? ⁓ Emilie Gerrity: 10 years. Hopefully with a family and either. having my own ballet studio somewhere and teaching private lessons and coaching. Or I also am really interested in Pilates and yoga, gyrotonics. So maybe getting certified and doing like my own studio for that. But I always want to be a source of... Jasmine Jain: Thank you. Mm-hmm. Emilie Gerrity: Support for dancers, young dancers. I think it's ⁓ important to be able to have a mentor and to talk to somebody who's really been through the same And if you have questions or ⁓ anything, I wanna be somebody that people can reach out to in maybe years down the road ⁓ and ⁓ advice just support. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Yeah. have you ever explored the teaching side of ballet or choreographing? Emilie Gerrity: Yes, so I've actually explored both. Choreographing, I haven't done in a while and lot of that was done in the school. They have like a choreographic institute. So I choreographed there and then I also choreographed during the program on some students. ⁓ And liked it. I don't think it's for me. But maybe I'll try it again, who knows. Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: And then as far as teaching goes, I love teaching. I find it fascinating. I love watching people understand corrections and seeing improvement and seeing someone else be proud of themselves ⁓ them get better and become... Jasmine Jain: Yeah. Emilie Gerrity: more confident. confidence isn't easy for everyone. So watching that happen, I think is so special and like power, it's a very powerful thing. Jasmine Jain: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for coming on and talking to me. It was so amazing to talk to you. Emilie Gerrity: Of course, thank you for having me. And like I said, if you ever have any questions or I can help or teach or anything, you just let me know. Jasmine Jain: Thank you.